Principal Beliefs of Buddhism - Preliminary Course
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Principal Beliefs
The Dharma as refuge – The Dharma is the law or truth of the Buddha’s teachings. Fundamental to the Buddha’s Dharma is the message that all human beings are already enlightened in their deepest and most true nature. Thus, deliverance consists of awakening to our true selves.
The Four Noble Truths -To help communicate the Dharma to his followers, the Buddha packaged The Four Noble Truths in terms of a well-known Vedic medical formula: What is the illness? What has caused the illness? Does a cure exist? What does the patient need to do in order to be cured? The Buddha observes the symptoms of Dukkha (Suffering) in the world, identifies the Tanha (Desires) that cause suffering, gives a prognosis of the condition (That it can be resolved), and prescribes a remedy for it (The Eightfold Path To Enlightenment). Thus, the Buddha’s basic teaching gives a diagnosis of the human condition, and the Path provides a therapeutic course of action to cure the condition.
Dukkha – The truth of suffering is Dukkha. Dukkha is that which is difficult to bear. It is inseparable from the self it does not mean that there are no pleasures in life but that everything is temporary, nothing lasts including ourselves and it is this very nature of life that is unsatisfactory.
Tanha – The truth of the origin of suffering is Tanha, desire, because one’s desires or wants are never truly satisfied.
Nirvana – The truth of the cessation of suffering is Nirvana, Since Dukkha has causes, and if these causes or desires are removed then Dukkha will cease to exist. This will lead to a freedom called Nirvana. The attainment of this state is the objective of Buddhism
The Eightfold Path - The truth of the Path is the practice of Buddhism. It is the Path to enlightenment, Nirvana. By following the Buddhist way of overcoming desire, one finds the way to freedom from suffering. The Truths and the Path are interlocking doctrines. In a very practical sense they assume that by...
The Dharma as refuge – The Dharma is the law or truth of the Buddha’s teachings. Fundamental to the Buddha’s Dharma is the message that all human beings are already enlightened in their deepest and most true nature. Thus, deliverance consists of awakening to our true selves.
The Four Noble Truths -To help communicate the Dharma to his followers, the Buddha packaged The Four Noble Truths in terms of a well-known Vedic medical formula: What is the illness? What has caused the illness? Does a cure exist? What does the patient need to do in order to be cured? The Buddha observes the symptoms of Dukkha (Suffering) in the world, identifies the Tanha (Desires) that cause suffering, gives a prognosis of the condition (That it can be resolved), and prescribes a remedy for it (The Eightfold Path To Enlightenment). Thus, the Buddha’s basic teaching gives a diagnosis of the human condition, and the Path provides a therapeutic course of action to cure the condition.
Dukkha – The truth of suffering is Dukkha. Dukkha is that which is difficult to bear. It is inseparable from the self it does not mean that there are no pleasures in life but that everything is temporary, nothing lasts including ourselves and it is this very nature of life that is unsatisfactory.
Tanha – The truth of the origin of suffering is Tanha, desire, because one’s desires or wants are never truly satisfied.
Nirvana – The truth of the cessation of suffering is Nirvana, Since Dukkha has causes, and if these causes or desires are removed then Dukkha will cease to exist. This will lead to a freedom called Nirvana. The attainment of this state is the objective of Buddhism
The Eightfold Path - The truth of the Path is the practice of Buddhism. It is the Path to enlightenment, Nirvana. By following the Buddhist way of overcoming desire, one finds the way to freedom from suffering. The Truths and the Path are interlocking doctrines. In a very practical sense they assume that by...