A Simple Look at Buddhism

[Gem]

The first thing to remember is Buddhism doesn't give answers to anything, so you don't have to believe in any of the tenets. The very premise is, one has to look for themselves to see what is true or untrue.


The religion is based on the 4 noble truths: 1) there is suffering; 2) there is a cause of suffering; 3) suffering can end and; 4) there is a way to end suffering.


The 8 fold path is said to be the 'way'. It is based on all that is 'right' (and anyone can google the 8 aspects of the path), but it really doesn't mean anything as a religious dogma and is but a way of saying something that is beneficial to people in practice.


Some say that Buddhism is not a religion, and true enough to say it is an atypical religion because the common religious artifacts of faith in God and praying are not part of the Buddhist way. In other ways Buddhism is typical with all the iconography, costume, ritual and repitition, and the way the internet sites tend to reiterate the same sort of rote. There is a risk of conformity, and realistically, for any religious organisation to survive, people have to start imitating behaviours and/or emulating an iconic ideal.


Personally, I have a background in Buddhist meditation and learned a bit of the philosophy, but I don't give much importance to the identity of Buddhism or Buddhists. I only believe in being a decent bloke, truthful, generous, kind-hearted, and basically, having an underlying wish that all beings be happy. We often see that people can speak of the high spiritual teachings and also be arrogant, unkind, domineering, righteous and so forth, so we can't reasonably equate advanced Buddhist understanding with a refined human nature, and in contrast, there are people who know nothing about Buddhism, have never practiced meditation, who are good-natured.



The primary thing is, you don't have anyone to compare yourself to. There is only what is true of yourself. I don't even mean 'true self'. I just mean tendencies such as bad temper, frustration, dissatisfaction, greed, hatred on one side and the finer human qualities of being kind, loving, caring, compassionate etc. on the other. Just personal traits which make up the kind of person you are - and every person without exception has positive attributes and negative tendencies.

After-all, the truth of suffering reflects upon the one who suffers, and it is said that individuals generate their own suffering (or at least a great deal of unnecessary suffering), and if that is true, the cause is something an individual does. This implies that people are not victims of circumstance. If suffering is dependent on kinds of experience, we are mere subjects of contingency and have no way to end it. Buddhism, however, is based on the 'Truth' that there is a 'way', and I personally believe this.

[Unseeking Seeker]

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@ Gem “After-all, the truth of suffering reflects upon the one who suffers”

I have not studied Buddhism but in the context of what you have correctly stated above although theoretically as us said ‘pain is inevitable but suffering is optional’, suffering being a magnification of the pain by indulgence in thoughts around it, playing the victim, yet beyond the limits of pain endurance level, suffering overpowers all other thoughts.

Look at cancer patients in agony for example. For them, there is no solace in words. Will & resolve to live broken, their suffering is as real as it gets.

On milder levels ... yes, we can possibly accept pain as a transient phenomena and move on in stoic, staid tranquility. Internalising attention. Disassociating from outcomes. Resting analytical thought, employing intuition to connect to the Divine within.

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[sky]

" In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit: catvāri āryasatyāni; Pali: cattāri ariyasaccāni) are "the truths of the Noble Ones".

Dukkha (suffering, incapable of satisfying, painful) is an innate characteristic of existence with each rebirth.
Samudaya (origin, cause) of this dukkha is the "craving, desire or attachment".
Nirodha (cessation, ending) of this dukkha can be attained by eliminating all "craving, desire, and attachment".
His marga (path, Noble Eightfold Path) is the means to end this dukkha ".

They are traditionally identified as the first teaching given by the Buddha, and considered one of the most important teachings in Buddhism.

Pali Canon.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Unseeking Seeker

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@ Gem “After-all, the truth of suffering reflects upon the one who suffers”

I have not studied Buddhism but in the context of what you have correctly stated above although theoretically as us said ‘pain is inevitable but suffering is optional’, suffering being a magnification of the pain by indulgence in thoughts around it, playing the victim, yet beyond the limits of pain endurance level, suffering overpowers all other thoughts.

Look at cancer patients in agony for example. For them, there is no solace in words. Will & resolve to live broken, their suffering is as real as it gets.

On milder levels ... yes, we can possibly accept pain as a transient phenomena and move on in stoic, staid tranquility. Internalising attention. Disassociating from outcomes. Resting analytical thought, employing intuition to connect to the Divine within.

***

My meditation training was a way of stablising the mind so that regardless of pleasurable or painful experiences one can keep an even keel or a stable disposition. If something happens which I want and like, I just enjoy it while it lasts understanding it will surely pass, and if something happens which I don't want and don't like, I am equally sobered by the fact of its impermanence. By the truth which can be observed that all experience is impermanent one is less prone to the extreme reactions of aversion and craving. This means all that arises in myself can arise to my awareness and pass unhindered by the grasping of mind, which brings a greater skillfulness to dealing with life's vicissitudes, and enables the arising and free passing of the old conditions as a process of purification.

[Altair]

I am not a Buddhist but I do appreciate the approach. To me spiritual living is mainly about two things: practices (and possibly experiences that arise from them) and ethics. The rest is secondary. We may hear or see this or that person, image, deity, etc., or we may bend a spoon or talk with a ghost, but this is only interesting to a specific individual. What happens is that we may then create elaborate mythologies and religions around the things we hear and see.

I know people who've been to Buddhist retreats and I heard you're (at least there) not even allowed to share experiences!
I think that is a commendable approach and prevents much mythologisation and drama.

We should keep it simple. Do the practice(s) and increase our capacity to live more ethically.

[Shaunc]

Yes, for me the basics of Buddhism are the 4 noble truths, the 8 fold path that leads to the cessation of suffering and trying to uphold the 5 precepts to the best of my ability.
I'd also add a belief in karma and rebirth although the Buddhist texts state that no belief is required.
A bit of meditation practice doesn't go astray either.

[Gem]

I'm glad people have mentioned ethics or morality, because it is foundational to a Buddhist influenced way of life. As participants of the thread have said, the '8 fold path' is the preliminary guideline for 'the way' which is called the 'middle way'. I think 4 of the 8 aspects of the 8 path deal with morality, starting with 'right intention' or 'right thought' which is expressed in right speech, right action and right livelihood.


In the practice it is critical, for the practice of meditation is founded on ardent awareness free of aversion and craving, and those reactions of aversion and craving, the extremes of which are hatred and greed, at first generate distress and suffering in the one reacting, and compel them to ill-intent and the harming of others. Therefore, and in this way, living a moral life is essential for meditation.


Meditation is a broad ranging thing. For example, if there are things in life left undone, when one sits to meditate, the mind will become distracted by thinking of those things. If everything is done completely, then the mind is less prone to think about those already complete things. If relationships are not resloved and there are regrets and things left unsaid, the mind will tend to dwell on that, but if relationship are resolved, the mind will not stress over them. It means one needs to get their life in order, much like Maslow advocated, before the higher principles of the path, right meditation, right concentration etc can be properly facilitated.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Gem

My meditation training was a way of stablising the mind so that regardless of pleasurable or painful experiences one can keep an even keel or a stable disposition. If something happens which I want and like, I just enjoy it while it lasts understanding it will surely pass, and if something happens which I don't want and don't like, I am equally sobered by the fact of its impermanence. By the truth which can be observed that all experience is impermanent one is less prone to the extreme reactions of aversion and craving. This means all that arises in myself can arise to my awareness and pass unhindered by the grasping of mind, which brings a greater skillfulness to dealing with life's vicissitudes, and enables the arising and free passing of the old conditions as a process of purification.

Which version of Buddhism do you resonate with?

I resonate with Theravada Buddhism.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Which version of Buddhism do you resonate with?

I resonate with Theravada Buddhism.

Same here.

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Unseeking Seeker

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@ Gem “After-all, the truth of suffering reflects upon the one who suffers”

I have not studied Buddhism but in the context of what you have correctly stated above although theoretically as us said ‘pain is inevitable but suffering is optional’, suffering being a magnification of the pain by indulgence in thoughts around it, playing the victim, yet beyond the limits of pain endurance level, suffering overpowers all other thoughts.

Look at cancer patients in agony for example. For them, there is no solace in words. Will & resolve to live broken, their suffering is as real as it gets.

On milder levels ... yes, we can possibly accept pain as a transient phenomena and move on in stoic, staid tranquility. Internalising attention. Disassociating from outcomes. Resting analytical thought, employing intuition to connect to the Divine within.

***

A beautiful thread. Thanks all for sharing.
I wanted to add to this lovely point. There is so much beauty and clarify in the end of (physical) life, if we engage with it fully. And not just our own, but those of all humanity.

I have long been a fan of Roshi Joan Halifax, who spends a lot of time sitting with the ill. Her book, Being with Dying, is a beautiful meditation and sharing on this point that disease and pain (even mortal disease and pain) is not synonymous with fear or suffering or spiritual dimunition in any negative sense. On the contrary, a world of great spiritual beauty and presence is present and we can be present with it, if we are courageous enough to honour our mutual humanity.

Peace & blessings
7L