Buddhism:
4 8
A way of life based on the
Four Noble Truths and the
Eight Fold Path
Origins (pg.60-63)
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Founded by Siddartha Gautama
(563-486 B.C)
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Indian prince of the Sakya clan,
raised as a Hindu. Had all material
needs met luxuriously, found no
peace. At 29, went on spiritual
evaluation (3rd stage of Hindu life)
Studied rituals and ascetic virtues of
Hinduism, but seeing that many
Hindus’ lives were overcome with
evil and suffering, he meditated on
its causes
Legend tells that he was seated
under a bodhi tree for long hours of
meditation and became
enlightened about the Four Noble
Truths of Life. Hence his name, “The
Buddha” or Enlightened One.
The Way of Buddha
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The pleasure of the world and the penitence
of the priesthood only increased Siddhartha’s
arrogance. A life of strict asceticism; severe
disciplining of body, mind and soul.
While under the bodhi tree, deep meditation
brought about a rejection of these Hindu
concepts:
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Ritual practices of yoga, bathing, offerings
Many divine whims of polytheism
The wheel of life through karma & reincarnation
Buddhism became the search for selfenlightenment dictated because of the 4
Noble Truths and by way of the 8 Fold Path
The Four Noble Truths
 All
things in the world bring suffering and
sorrow
 The cause of suffering is DESIRE or the
craving of life’s pleasures
 Suffering ends when desire ends; letting
go of all desire is the end of suffering
 One will attain Enlightenment, the end of
suffering by following the Eightfold Path.
Suffering: The 1st Noble Truth
The deep, subtle lack of satisfaction
Suffering can be distinguished in
three types:
1. Suffering of suffering: this
refers to the most obvious
aspects like pain, fear and
mental distress.
2. Suffering of change: refers to
the problems that change
brings, like joy disappears,
nothing stays, decay and
death.
3. All-pervasive suffering: this is
the most difficult to understand
aspect, it refers to the fact that
we always have the potential to
suffer or can get into
problematic situations.
"Hundreds of stupid flies gather
On a piece of rotten meat,
Enjoying, they think, a delicious
feast.
This image fits with the song
Of the myriads of foolish living
beings
Who seek happiness in superficial
pleasures;
In countless ways they try,
Yet I have never seen them
satisfied." -The 7th Dalai Lama
The Causes of Suffering:
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The 2nd Noble Truth
Attachment
We just have to think of chocolate or the way people used to
catch monkeys in South India, to explain attachment.
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One takes a coconut and makes a hole in it, just large enough that a monkey can
squeeze its hand in. Next, tie the coconut down, and put a sweet inside. What
happens next is pure attachment. The monkey smells the sweet, puts his hand into
the coconut, grabs the sweet and ... the hole is too small to let a fist out of the
coconut. The last thing a monkey would consider is to let go of the sweet, so it is
literally tied down by its own attachment. Often they only let go when they fall
asleep or become unconscious because of exhaustion.
Anger
All of our actions have consequences. Doing harm to others will
return to us as being harmed. Anger is one of the main reasons we
create harm to others, so logically it is often the cause of suffering
to ourselves.
Ignorance
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- The conventional explanation is that because we are not omniscient, we
regularly get ourselves into trouble. We do not realize all the consequences of our
actions. Just reflect for a moment how often we think: "If only I had known this
earlier..."
- The more complicated explanation refers to the most profound aspect of
Buddhist philosophy: the wisdom of emptiness. It takes years of study and
meditation to realize the insight into the wisdom of emptiness. To put it very simply:
reality is not what it seems to us. As reality is different from our opinions about it, we
get ourselves into trouble by wanting impermanent or unreal things.
The End of Suffering:
The 3rd Noble Truth
 The
reasoning behind this Third Noble Truth is the
fact that suffering and the causes of suffering are
dependent on the state of our own mind
 If we can change our own mind, we can also
eliminate suffering.
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The reasons we do actions that cause ourselves
and others harm come from our delusions. When
we possess the proper wisdom, we can rid ourselves
of delusions, and thus of all our problems and
suffering. When this process is complete, we can
leave cyclic existence and enjoy the state of
Enlightenment, free of problems.
The 4th Noble Truth
At the end of suffering is ENLIGHTENMENT,
by way of the 8 Fold Path
“You only lose what you cling to.”
― Siddhārtha Gautama
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with
your feet.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in
Everyday Life
“There is no need for temples, no need for
complicated philosophies. My brain and my
heart are my temples; my philosophy is
kindness.”
-Dalai Lama
The Eightfold Path:
One follows the 8 fold path to the “Right” way
of attaining Enlightenment
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1. Views: nothing is permanent, no “ego-self”,
Enlightenment is tranquility
2. Thought: develop positive attitudes free from greed,
anger, & foolishness
3. Speech: No lying or useless speech
4. Conduct: behavior adjustments
5. Livelihood: Never seek more than necessary or have
encumbrances
6. Effort: avoid evil thoughts and do things in the best way
7. Mindfulness: Self-control over desires and loving kindness
prevails
8. Concentration: The highest form of meditation
Kinds of Buddhism
 Theravada:
“Small Vehicle” monastic tradition
follows path linearly and the Pali Canon
 Mahayana: “Great Vehicle”- for all people,
about self-sacrifice & compassion. One can
become a bodhisattva
 Chinese Buddhism: believes in karma and
rebirth, supported by emperors because it
encourages moral and peaceful citizens
(pg.76)
 Zen: Japanese form based on contemplation
(pg.78)
 Tantric: combines Mahayana and Tantric
“magic” to include the celestial gods (pg.80)
Symbols of Buddhism