An Outline of Buddhism

[Samana]

This is a useful resource for beginners:

An Outline of Buddhism

by Amaravati Publications

A great variety of forms of religious practice are associated with the word 'Buddhism'. However, they all take Siddhattha Gotama, who lived and taught in northern India some 2,500 years ago, as their source or inspiration. It was he who in historical times became known as the 'Buddha'- that is 'the Awakened One', one who has attained great wisdom through their own efforts. The Buddha did not write anything down, but left a remarkable legacy in the form of a teaching (the Dhamma) that was at first orally- transmitted by the religious Order (the Sangha) that he founded and personally guided for forty-five years.

This Order has survived the centuries, preserving the wisdom of the Buddha in lifestyle as well as in words. To this day, these three elements, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, are known and respected by all Buddhists as 'The Three Refuges' or 'The Triple Gem'. They have also come to symbolise Wisdom, Truth and Virtue - qualities that we can develop in ourselves.

After the Buddha's time, his teaching was carried from India throughout Asia, and even further. As it spread, it was affected by its encounters with local cultures, and several 'schools' of Buddhism eventually emerged, Broadly speaking, there are three such schools: Theravada ('The Teaching of the Elders'), which still thrives in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand; Mahayana ('The great vehicle'), which embraces the various traditions within China, Korea and Japan; and Vajrayana ('The diamond vehicle'), which is associated primarily with Tibet. Teachers from all schools have made their way to the West. Some preserve their lineages as found in the country of origin, while others have adopted less traditional approaches. The approach and the quotations used below are from the Theravada.

Continues at the link below:

http://www.watpahnanachat.org/an-outline-of-buddhism-1


With metta,

Samana _/|\_

Thank you, Samana.

Too simple for most

_/|\_

That both I and you have had to travel and trudge through
this long round is owing to our not discovering,
not penetrating four truths. What four?
They are: The Noble Truth of Suffering,
The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering,
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering,
and the Noble Truth of the Way
Leading to the Cessation of Suffering.

Digha Nikaya, Sutta 16

The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths, has been the main reference that I have used for my practice over the years. It is the teaching we used in our monastery in Thailand. The Theravada school of Buddhism regards this sutta as the quintessence of the teaching of the Buddha. This one sutta contains all that is necessary for understanding Dhamma and for enlightenment.

Though the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is considered to be the first sermon the Buddha gave after his enlightenment, I sometimes like to think that he gave his first sermon when he met an ascetic on the way to Varanasi. After his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha thought: “This is such a subtle teaching. I cannot possibly convey in words what I have discovered[…]”



Excerpt From: Ajahn Sumedho. “The Four Noble Truths.”

[sky]

Originally Posted by janielee

That both I and you have had to travel and trudge through
this long round is owing to our not discovering,
not penetrating four truths. What four?
They are: The Noble Truth of Suffering,
The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering,
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering,
and the Noble Truth of the Way
Leading to the Cessation of Suffering.

Digha Nikaya, Sutta 16

The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths, has been the main reference that I have used for my practice over the years. It is the teaching we used in our monastery in Thailand. The Theravada school of Buddhism regards this sutta as the quintessence of the teaching of the Buddha. This one sutta contains all that is necessary for understanding Dhamma and for enlightenment.

Though the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is considered to be the first sermon the Buddha gave after his enlightenment, I sometimes like to think that he gave his first sermon when he met an ascetic on the way to Varanasi. After his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha thought: “This is such a subtle teaching. I cannot possibly convey in words what I have discovered[…]”



Excerpt From: Ajahn Sumedho. “The Four Noble Truths.”

Thanks for the ' Reminder '.

You’re welcome friend. I will find some quotes for you later too

"Now the Four Noble Truths are: there is suffering; there is a cause or origin of suffering; there is an end of suffering; and there is path out of suffering which is the Eightfold Path. Each of these Truths has three aspects so all together there are twelve insights. In the Theravàda school, an arahant, a perfected one, is one who has seen clearly the Four Noble Truths with their three aspects and twelve insights. ‘Arahant’ means a human being who understands the truth; it is applied mainly to the teaching of the Four Noble Truths."

"For the First Noble Truth, ‘There is suffering’ is the first insight. What is that insight? We don’t need to make it into anything grand; it is just the recognition: ‘There is suffering’. That is a basic insight. The ignorant person says, ‘I’m suffering. I don’t want to suffer. I meditate and I go on retreats to get out of suffering, but I’m still sufferingand I don’t want to suffer... How can I get out of suffering? What can I do to get rid of it?’ But that is not the First Noble Truth; it is not: ‘I am suffering and I want to end it.’ The insight is, ‘There is suffering’. Now you are looking at the pain or the anguish you feel – not from the perspective of ‘It’s mine’ but as a reflection: ‘There is this suffering, thisdukkha’. It is coming from the reflective position of ‘Buddha seeing the Dhamma.’ The insight is simply the acknowledgement that there is this suffering without making it personal. That acknowledgement is an important insight; just looking at mental anguish or physical pain and seeing it as dukkha rather than as personal misery-just seeing it as dukkha and not reacting to it in a habitual way."

"...This is the pattern for the three aspects of each Noble Truth. There is the statement, then the prescription and then the result of having practised. One can also see it in terms of the Pàli words pariyatti, pañipatti and pañivedha. Pariyatti is the theory or the statement, ‘There is suffering.’ Pañipatti is the practice, actually practising with it; and pañivedha is the result of the practice. This is what we call a reflective pattern; you are actually developing your mind in a very reflective way. A Buddha mind is a reflective mind that knows things as they are."

"We use these Four Noble Truths for our development. We apply them to ordinary things in our lives, to ordinary attachments and obsessions of the mind. With these truths, we can investigate our attachments in order to have the insights.

Through the Third Noble Truth, we can realise cessation, the end of suffering, and practise the Eightfold Path until there is understanding.

When the Eightfold Path has been fully developed, one is anarahant, one has made it. Even though this sounds complicated –
four truths, three aspects, twelve insights – it is quite simple.

It is a tool for us to use to help us understand suffering and non-suffering."

"Within the Buddhist world, there are not many Buddhists who use the Four Noble Truths anymore, even in Thailand.

People say, ‘Oh yes, the Four Noble Truths – beginner’s stuff.’

Then they might use all kinds of vipassanà techniques and become really obsessed with the sixteen stages before they get to the Noble Truths.

I find it quite boggling that in the Buddhist world the really profound teaching has been dismissed as primitive Buddhism: ‘That’s for the little kids, the beginners. The advanced course is...’ They go into complicated theories and ideas – forgetting the most profound teaching."