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Introduction and Questions
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Learning
to live with Buddhas principles, living and learning
reality without Dukkha - not suffering too much
J
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The time of
Gautama's birth and death are uncertain.
Teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne
out by our experience and are praised by the wise. See the
Kalama Sutta for
details.
Anicca (Sanskrit:
anitya): That all things that come to be have
an end.
Dukkha (Sanskrit:
duḥkha):
That nothing which comes to be is ultimately
satisfying.
Anattā (Sanskrit:
anātman): That nothing in the realm of
experience can really be said to be "I" or "mine".
According to tradition,
the Buddha emphasized ethics and correct understanding.
He questioned everyday notions of divinity and salvation. He stated that there is
no intermediary between mankind and the
divine;
distant gods are subjected to
karma
themselves in decaying heavens; and the Buddha is only a guide and teacher for beings who must tread the path of
Nirvāṇa
(Pāli:
Nibbāna) themselves to attain the spiritual
awakening called
bodhi and
understand reality. The Buddhist system of insight and
meditation practice is
not claimed to have been divinely revealed, but to spring from an understanding
of the true nature of the mind, which must be discovered by treading the path
guided by the Buddha's teachings.
As writing was
uncommon in India at the time Gautama lived, everything we know about him was
carefully memorized and passed on orally until it was written down, probably
during the first century BCE.[24]
Four Noble Truths
1. Suffering
exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire
ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by
practicing the Eightfold Path
Noble Eightfold
Path
|
Three
Qualities |
Eightfold Path |
|
Wisdom(panna) |
Right View |
| |
Right
Thought |
|
Morality(sila) |
Right
Speech |
| |
Right
Action |
| |
Right
Livelihood |
|
Meditation
(samadhi) |
Right
Effort |
| |
Right
Mindfulness |
| |
Right
Contemplation |
Three Characteristics of Existence
1. Transience (anicca)
2. Sorrow (dukkha)
3. Selflessness (anatta)
Hindrances
Unwholesome mental states that impede progress
towards enlightenment.
1. Sensuous lust
2. Aversion and ill will
3. Sloth and torpor
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Skeptical doubt
Factors of Enlightenment
1. Mindfulness
2. Investigation
3. Energy
4. Rapture
5. Tranquility
6. Concentration
7. Equanimity
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So if the contents of the knowledge is correct, why does Buddhism
in the world drift so far away from what Gautama Buddha
has taught
?
Similar as with other religions and beliefs, it looks like his (early)
followers, took over the basic principles and created a god with matching
rules, attributes and ceremonies supporting monks and temples is that what Buddha
has taught ?
Why are so many temples not reflecting the humble most modest living
of Buddha, but are temples extravagant and competing with each other in
richness ?
Answer to find and a new reality as it should be, and understand Gautama Buddha
as he would have see us as his good students.
What is true spirit of Gautama Buddha ?
