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Religious Studies
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Religious Studies
From the dialogue the phrase that stands out is, “All phenomena are preceded by the
mind, and have the mind as their master. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness
follow as an ever-present shadow”. This Buddha reading stands out because of its great message
on the power of the mind. The quote means that if one speaks or acts with a pure mind, they will
not have problems following them. Nobody will have a problem with you because your actions
and words will please people. By doing so also, you will derive a good energy and your stay will
be a true company. In Buddha this quote also means that pure mind generates happiness,
serenity, and non-suffering. Happiness will never leave the person with pure thoughts. Mind
controls our thinking, actions and the words we speak; therefore, everything we do is preceded
by the mind as it is the chief of our thoughts.
From the reading, I have learned about the twin verses that simply depict the presence of
the misled and enlightened paths—samsara and nirvana—side-by-side, paired in same
configuration and style of exposition. The phrases show the significance of Karma in a manner
that resonates with cognitive psychology—the successor of a Stoic thoughts on the mind.
Thoughts shape our perception of the world and ourselves. The deluded path involves the path of
selfish thoughts—it includes the plans placed on my own embellishment. This path often tries to
get past the certainty of temporariness. It is an attempt to get oneself the good things and
happiness of success that will never change. The energy in this case is geared towards oneself—
from the world to me. Everything is focused on “me” and “I” and the goal is to make my life
perfect. The enlightened path is that of selfless deeds in terms of actions and thoughts. Such
people try to make others happy or they act and think in consideration of other people. The joy of
this path is seeing others getting satisfied as well.
The “The Four Nobble Truths” is the most insightful aspect and it is significant in
understanding Buddhism. This aspect discovers human suffering which is described as Dukkha.
Dukkha means that suffering exists, it is real, universal and has many causes. According to
Valkenberg (2019, p. 382), Dukkha concept is complex and has translations for instance,
dissatisfaction, unease, stress, pain, and even simply “not fully satisfying”. The Four Noble
Truths suggests that life is suffering; the cause of suffering; suffering finishes when craving
ends; and one’s suffering ends when they follow the Eightfold Path of right understanding, right
thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration. However, Dukkha comes in different forms for instance; dukkha-dukkha which
means some very painful suffering; viparinama-dukkha which means dissatisfaction that comes
about from change; and sankara-dukkha which denotes non-complete satisfaction and all states
excluding Nirvana are liable to lack ultimacy. Buddha’s message regarding the four noble truths
is that our minds are reactive and they constantly imprison us; it is possible to make that “prison”
more calm with good karma. However, we can never be freed if we do not address the things that
imprison us. The Eightfold path is the means to escape forever—it gives us freedom.
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Reference
Valkenberg, P. (Ed.). (2017). World Religions in Dialogue: A Comparative Theological
Approach. Anselm Academic.