CENTRAL TENETS OF BUDDHISM;

life of excessive comfort as Prince Siddhartha

life of austerity for six years with the five ascetics

psychological suffering:

loneliness, frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment, anger, an unfulfilled wish

the greater the gap between what one wants the world to be and the way it really is, the greater the suffering

examples:

• feeling pain but wanting to be free of pain
• having strawberry cake delivered for your birthday when one wanted chocolate cake
• having a child become sick and die when one wanted that child be healthy and grow

craving deprives us of contentment and happiness, and is the cause for most ills of life

craving + ignorance

leads to repeated births in Sansara

---------- suffering again and again

examples:

• not being satisfied with the way things are
• trying to perfect everything
• holding on to old ways because things were better back then
• expecting people to conform to own expectations
• wanting people to like you

elimination of self-created desires: we can become happy and free by

• giving up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time
• not dwelling on the past or the imagined future (Nibbana)

technicalities:

as long as one is bound up by craving and attachment, one accumulates fresh karmic activities

elimination ceases operation of karmic forces, and one attains Nibbana

ways of attaining Nibbana:

1) in the present life itself without needing to wait for a life beyond

2) when an Arahant passes away with the dissolution of the body, without any remainder of physical existence

in summary:

• being moral through what we say, do and our livelihood
• focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions
• developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others

8 factors, grouped under 3 headings;

morality

mental discipline

wisdom

Morality

falsehood -

deceive others

slandering and harsh words -

hurt others

frivolous talk -

disunite bodies (a people)

hurt others

bad speech can spread ideas and thoughts of wants and desires from one to another

bad speech reinforces wants and desires which come to mind

words are true, innocent, pleasant, and useful, fruitful and beneficial to all

Mental Discipline

with a concentrated mind, things can be seen as they truly are by means of penetrative insight

before practising concentration, a subject from the 40 subjects of meditation must be selected

Wisdom

also known sometimes as the "Marks of Existence"

THANK YOU

CENTRAL TENETS OF BUDDHISM;

The Four Universal Seals

The Four Noble Truths

1 Suffering

life is suffering;

1 Impermanence

all beings are subjected to pain, getting old, disease, and death

all phenomena or existence of things are in a constant state of fluctuation

4 Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering

2 Cause of Suffering

• there is nothing that ever ultimately ceases to exist
• only the appearance of something ceases as it changes from one form to another form
• middle ground between eternalism and nihilism
• scientifically speaking, ‘matter cannot be created nor destroyed’

the Noble Eight-Fold Path;

2 Dissatisfaction

the cause of suffering is craving;

avoiding the two extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification

craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for non-existence

equivalent to suffering

4 Nirvana

3 Cessation of Suffering

• In the current life, nothing found in the physical or psychological realm can bring a lasting satisfaction
• ‘Whatever is impermanent is subject to change. Whatever is subject to change is subject to suffering’

the ‘other shore’ that the truly enlightened reach when they understand Impermanence, Dissatisfaction, and Non-self.

Nibbana (Nirvana);

imperturbable stillness of the mind, achieved by total eradication of all forms of craving: greed, hatred and delusion

• Nirvana of purity
• Nirvana with residue
• Nirvana without residue
• Nirvana of no dwelling

3 Non-Self

all phenomena are without a self

The Noble Eight-Fold Path

• A permanent state of being is without a ‘soul’
• All things are temporary and reaffirmed as impermanent whether describing all matter in the universe, from the cosmos, to Earth, to humanity, to animals, to yourself
• Everything is continually in a state of change

The Four Types of Nirvana

The Middle Path

Samadhi

Panna

Right Effort

Right Mindfulness

important because deliverance is obtained by one's own effort and not by seeking refuge in other or by prayers

with regard to four objects

four-fold

Nirvana of Purity

Body (Kaya), Feelings (Vedana), Thoughts (Citta), Mind Objects (Dhamma)

awakening the desire to prevent the arising of unarisen evil unwholesome states

awakening the desire to discard already-arisen evil unwholesome states

awakening the desire to promote the arising of unarisen wholesome states

awakening the desire to develop already arisen wholesome states

Right Understanding/ View

right mindfulness eradicates the misconceptions with regard to

desirability

happiness

permanence

and an immortal soul

to understand the Four Noble Truths

to understand wholesome deeds, unwholesome deeds and comprehend the law of Karma

"the important thing is to see how one creates suffering,

then one will see how others create suffering,

and that process deepens the understanding - that nothing can rise alone, without the support of other things on which its existence depends -

and develops compassion"

Nirvana with Residue

Right Concentration

nirvana of pure and clear-nature, commonly possessed by all sentient beings, is not subject to life or death but subject to impermanence

one-pointedness of the mind

law of Karma - in detail

Right Thought/ Intention

actions have results

explains a number of things in life

how to test the Karmic effect of our actions:

the intention of action

the effects of action on oneself

the effects of action on others

that which molds the nature of a person and controls his destiny

three-fold

(1) thoughts leading to renunciation of worldly affairs

(2) thoughts leading to Loving Kindness and good will

(3) thoughts leading to harmlessness

good intentions vs bad intentions

bad intentions

cause of the effect of Karma being discontinued and reincarnation stopped

good intentions

greed, hatred, and delusion, the chief causes of all evil

defile and debase a person

cause desire and suffering

view that death is the annihilation of man:

therefore the present world alone is real;

VIRTUE: a delusion

ENJOYMENT: the only reality

are opposed to greed, hatred, and delusion, which are the chief causes of all evil

purify and elevate a person

bring peace and tranquility

Between 2 extremes:

Self-indulgence

Self-mortification

Sila

beings called Arahants are subjected to birth and death, a never-ending cycle

Right Livelihood

view that Emancipation only possible by leading a life of strict asceticism

for lay persons: refraining from five kinds of trade;

trading in arms, human beings, meat, intoxicating drinks, and poison

for Bhikkhus (Monks): conduct that is truthful

not engaging in deceitful behavior or uttering deceitful words

Right Action

Nirvana without Residue

abstinence from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct

(which are caused by greed, hatred, and delusion)

how?

modifying our actions to meet our basic needs, or out of compassion, to help others to meet their needs

e.g. refraining from harming others and from trivial activities

Results in the extinguishing of reincarnation

Right Speech

refraining from falsehood, slandering, harsh words, and frivolous talk

Nirvana of No Dwelling

highest state a being can reach

All kinds of suffering and ‘what is known’ are external to the beings, commonly referred to as Bodhisattvas

A ‘place’ where a being who has attained complete wisdom and compassion dwells with no birth and death nor in Nirvana, but continue to rescue living beings for all eternity

The goal of the Buddhist so he or she becomes an essence to lead others to Nirvana