Traditional texts say that Siddhartha reached enlightenment in a mere six years at the age of thirty five. With the intent o freeing humanity from suffering, the Buddha or enlightened one, spent the rest of his life spreading the knowledge that he had gained.
The Buddha gave instructions in his teachings, often called the Middle Way or the Dhamma, for ending our worldly suffering. Two core teachings that were given early in Buddhist history are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path
Once I had made a conscious decision to incorporate Buddhist teachings in my day to day life - though I feel as if I would have been brought to this path some day no matter what - I started with these building blocks, these most basic teachings.
The Four Noble - Truths
- The truth of suffering (dukkha)
- The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya)
- The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha)
- The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga)
The First Truth - Suffering
Life has suffering. Every human being goes through suffering - Sickness, getting old, death, fear, frustration, sorrow, loneliness, and anger. This cannot be argued.
The Second Truth- Cause of Suffering
Suffering is caused by things we can control - ego, expectations, cravings. If we can change the things that we want - desire - so that we no longer desire so much than we can escape the cause of suffering.
The Third Truth - End Of Suffering
Finally some good news. Are you ready for it? Suffering can be overcome and we all have the ability to reach true happiness. Give up useless cravings and live life one day at a time. Do not live in the past, or worry over a preconceived imaginary future.
The Fourth Truth - The Path
The Eightfold Path, which I mentioned earlier, is the path that has the ability to free us from suffering.
Please "stay tuned" for my next entry on the Eightfold Path.
