BUDDHIST THEORY: The Four Noble Truths 4 The Eight-fold Noble Path

The Buddha gave the following list of guidelines as a pathway out of Samsara. He also gave us four helpful hints. If we are traveling this path correctly, we should feel happiness, compassion, love, and a joyous effort from our practice as we go.

1. Right View/Correct Thought
2. Right Intention/ Correct Understanding
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration


In summary, the Eight-fold Noble Path is a way of generating wisdom within our own mind, therefore allowing us to see reality and act correctly, leading to a cessation of our creating suffering for ourselves and others. The Buddha gave us this path, so that we might escape Samsara and enter Nirvana, freedom from suffering.

"I teach about suffering and the way to end it" ~ Shakyamuni Buddha

BUDDHIST THEORY: The Four Noble Truths 3 Nirvana, end of suffering

Samsara, otherwise known as cyclic existence, refers to the continual cycle of birth, death and rebirth; a continuum containing our constant emotional reactions and delusive thought. Samsara persists until we awaken to the true nature of appearances.

Nirvana is the existence above and apart from the material world of suffering; the cessation of rebirth in Samsaric form. Nirvana is beyond suffering, the termination of our problems and pain.

The Buddha taught that Nirvana was possible, and that Samsara was escapable. If we can understand that suffering - and the causes of suffering - are reliant on the state of our mind, then we can learn to change our attitude, and so eradicate suffering. If it is that our mind is ignorant, deluded, our view and thought distorted, then we can work on our mind in order to extinguish the problem. We are able to learn a wisdom which can lead us to be free of the distortions and delusions, which would otherwise continue to lead us into wrongful deeds, speech and thought. Eventually, when we learn enough of this true knowledge, we can completely free ourselves from Samsara, and enter Nirvana - a freedom from suffering. To achieve this ability to become free of Samsara, we can use the method offered to us by the Buddha in the Fourth Noble Truth.

"I teach about suffering and the way to end it" ~ Shakyamuni Buddha

BUDDHIST THEORY: The Four Noble Truths 2 cause of suffering

Buddhism teaches that suffering comes from our mental attitude and past karmic residue. We create further suffering to lie ahead for ourselves as we make wrongful actions, thoughts, and speech. Although not covering every possible affliction, the main mental attitudes that present us with the cause for suffering are attachment, anger and ignorance.

Attachment can be to many things; it can be to people, concrete items, places, foods, or life itself.
Attachment to people, leads us to want to remain close with them, so that their illness, death, moving away, or alteration in relationship may bring us great pain. Attachment to items and foods can lead us to distress or sorrow when we do not have them, an overwhelming desire to attain them, and a dependence upon ensuring their supply. Attachment to a location can lead us to experience misery and distress if we have to leave that place, whether in this lifetime or at death. Attachment to life can lead us into a fear of death, a continual dissatisfaction with the way our life is going and consequent attempts to attain and maintain a perfection of conditions - such as a perfect home, a perfect job, a perfect family, all seen as our 'right' and therefore demanded and expected by us. The Buddha explained that attachment to life maintains our position in Samsara, otherwise known as cyclic existence.

Anger has many factors, the majority of which are harmful. When feeling angry about a situation or person's treatment of us, the anger not only fills our mind and body with a harmful rage, but generally spills out into angry words and deeds as well as angry thought that harms mostly ourselves. These angry words and deeds interact with other people, causing the harm and misery to spread, and generally for the situation to get worse rather than to improve. Anger therefore creates suffering within our own lives as well as in those of other beings, enlarging and spreading the suffering. Additionally, thoughts deeds and speech stemming from anger will lead to further negative karmic residue needing to be resolved in our future, therefore creating miserable situations lying ahead.

Ignorance leads to suffering in that our lack of understanding, our distorted or delusive view of a situation, often leads us into taking the wrong actions. We may not comprehend why something is as it is, and therefore mistakenly place the blame on another rather than our own self. We do not understand why bad things happen to us, if we have good intentions, if we are ignorant of karma. People that seem to be opposed to us may not even realize that we have a problem with their speech or deeds, which we wrongfully assume to be their fault rather than recognize as our own incorrect attitude. Using thought rather than the wisdom that stems from omniscience, we often fail to sight things as they truly are, therefore leading ourselves into further turmoil from the misunderstanding of a situation.

"I teach about suffering and the way to end it" ~ Shakyamuni Buddha

BUDDHIST THEORY: The Four Noble Truths 1. Suffering

The Buddha taught that whatever our life is currently like, suffering is involved. The word suffering is often replaced by the word unsatisfactoriness. Other similar words are distressful, afflicted, tormented, miserable, and discontentment. The original Pali word ' Dukkha' from which the Western term 'suffering' is taken can also be interpreted to mean unsustainable, imperfect, stress, impermanence, or unsatisfying. Despite experiencing periods of pleasure, stability, progress, and contentment, these will all pass, leaving their lackage a trouble to us. Life may be looking up now, but it is surely going to look down again shortly, leaving us to remain on this rollercoaster of pleasures and difficulties.

There are three major groupings for suffering:
* The obvious suffering, such as physical pain, mental distress, discomfort, society pressure, fear, sorrow, and government dictations and restrictions (e.g. war, laws, etc).
* The suffering of change, that good things will not remain good, loved ones will die, friends will move away, death will come closer to us, and as we age we will possibly grow feeble and sick.
* All-pervasive suffering, the continuation of suffering or its potential, that continual rebirths occur whether we go up or down the ladder, that death does not offer freedom, that a few steps into a better life will not mean we retain this status.

Nobody can lay claim to never having suffered in any way at all. Whether it is something simple, like missing a train or bus, or something more dramatic, like living in a war zone without escape. Whether it is the death of a loved one, or experiencing a tension headache, we all suffer.

"I teach about suffering and the way to end it" ~ Shakyamuni Buddha

BUDDHIST THEORY: The Four Noble Truths overview

One of the first teachings a newcomer to Buddhism will probably meet is that of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are one of the initial teachings of the Buddha following his enlightenment. They are the foundation of Buddhism, and are duly recognized by every school and lineage within Buddhism. Whichever path of Buddhism you practice, the Four Noble Truths offer the core instruction and belief.

The Four Noble Truths can be summarized as:
* Suffering is/happens/exists
* The cause of suffering
* The end of suffering is possible (Nirvana)
* The 8-fold Noble Path leads to the end of suffering

"I teach about suffering and the way to end it" ~ Shakyamuni Buddha

INTRODUCTION: my history 4

Over the next year, I searched every opportunity to practice and learn Buddhism. I have read every book our library shelves stock on the subject, and several on related subjects and the geography and history of traditional Buddhist lands as well. One difficulty that I discovered was the lack of specific Buddhist Sangha in Australia. I had discovered a personal connection towards both the Tibetan Vajrayana and Thai Dhutanga pathways whilst reading various books; but neither of these styles of Buddhism seem to be practiced in Wollongong, Australia!

My options were:
* to practice alone, continuing to belong to Buddhist groups online, stay in contact with my friend who understood the practice, take downloadable classes, read everything I could lay my hands upon, and develop on my own through continual study and practice of the theories.
* to connect to the nearby Vietnamese Temple and hope their practices were not too different from my own.
* pay out on bus fare and fees to attend the larger Nan Tien Temple, a few suburbs away.
* pay out on train fare and time, attending a Vajrayana establishment in Sydney.

I am still unsure which method I will end up with, but so far, I have kept to my online participation and private studies, delighting each time a new library book appears on the shelf.

INTRODUCTION: my history 3

In addition to talking with my friend, who had also gotten me involved in practicing Yoga and suggested meditation, and reading around two dozen library books, I investigated an online course in Buddhism, offered by A.C.I. It was free by download, and I decided to work my way through the various classes, hoping that it would answer all my questions by the end. (I am currently working my way through course #2.)

The reading material had somewhat confused, if interested, me. Some books that I read were by modern thinking authors and I could not understand these as easily as those which I should not have related to, such as the Tibetan and Thai styles. Additionally, I joined a few online groups, not finding any local activity at this time.

I attended a Buddha's Birthday celebration in Mac Cabe Park during 2007, at a time when I was experiencing extreme financial difficulty and attempting to stay calm and centered throughout the troubles, learning patience. I was not entirely sure what was going on, but spending several hours in the company of other Buddhists was a step towards recognizing the possibility of becoming a Buddhist myself. However, I was uncertain at the time what it involved to declare myself so. I surely felt more akin than the average passer by, at least. I would have liked to have spoken to one of the nuns, but did not dare.

Several pieces from several books that I had been reading fell into place, and I realized that Buddhism was becoming more than merely an interesting philosophy with a few particles I could actually practice. By the time I was reading the autobiography of Acariya Mun (which is available as a free e-book from www.forestdhammabooks.com) changes were happening in my own life that related to Buddhism. I was not just looking at, but learning from, and participating in, Buddhism. After reading of kilesa eradication in the chapters of this book before going to bed, an amazing thing happened. In the morning, I woke to find myself free of both hatred and anger. My head was completely empty of both negativities. It was as though I had been given a sample of the result of Buddhist practice, for being so determined to study the subject. I was by now spending several hours a day reading, meditating, contemplating, and studying the A.C.I. classes.

Things were leading me towards Buddhism. The major hurdle I had complained about, of being unable to stop hating my enemy, had fallen away. I could now see him as an unfortunate being who had mistakenly thought it right to punish me, rather than as a chunk of evil in human form that must be avoided and escaped from by hiding behind a barrier of fierce hatred. Vulnerable without that blockade, I turned to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha for protection, with both faith and hope. I remain aware that what my enemy does is wrong, but seeing that his deeds and his inner being are not the same, allows me to forgive him. I can finally say that I hate no one, after almost twenty years of hating for the damage my enemy causes to my family, pets and life. Instead of wishing he spend 1000 rebirths in spider form and be quickly eradicated in them all, I can wish him well - but wish him away, for I still do not feel compatible with his deeds, or willing to let him back into our life.

I realized at this point that it would be a natural thing to call myself a Buddhist, for I actually had taken refuge. Buddhism really seemed to work, and I was ready to commit myself to continue to learn and practice for the remainder of my lives. Having dropped hatred, I turned towards Buddhism to protect me from that which hatred previously had.

INTRODUCTION: my history 2

After completely reading the book by the Dalai Lama that I had borrowed from the library, I found 'something' worth investigating further within Buddhism. He had spoken about various matters within the text, using a simple, basic and logical manner. I was certainly interested in reading more about peace, compassion, contentment, happiness, and the various other matters that he had covered. The values contained in Buddhism appeared to be very similar to my own self-made choices and attempts.

There was however, one point that I could not relate to - how to handle looking at loved ones, strangers, and enemies with the eyes of equality. Whereas I recognized both the value and possibility of doing so, I was sure he did not have such an enemy as I did, and therefore the advice might not relate to me, myself. I spoke with my friend, who had originally mentioned the Dalai Lama books, and I remember that I told him that I would like to ask the DL what to do in cases such as mine, where the enemy was not only detrimental, but actually intended to be so. There being a major difference in somebody who accidentally annoys one and somebody who intentionally destroys one, in my eyes. I knew very little of the situation between the Chinese and Tibet at that time, but even when first learning of it, I did not view it as an enemy that had threatened and killed his actual family, and only doing so for their own pleasure and revenge.

I continued to poke my nose into Buddhism, and over the next few months, I read about a dozen books. By this time, I was convinced that there was definitely something worth pursuing in Buddhism. I had read the Dalai Lama, Lama Surya Das, Sylvia Boorstein, Jack Kornfield, and various other writers of today from a variety of Buddhist paths. I wanted to know more, much more. It looked very much as if Buddhism was something that could help me with my goals in life.

INTRODUCTION: my history 1

HOW I FOUND BUDDHISM

I was brought up in the Christian faith. Throughout my childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood, I had maintained a belief based on what I had been told to believe and a practice based on pleasing my parents and on following the direction of their expectations. I sincerely tried to live my life as a Christian. During my mid-twenties, I began to find fault with the rigmarole and traditions of the modern Christian faith and decided to concentrate on a 'God, Bible and me' style of practice. I was trying to make it real and true, rather than ceremony and ritual. However, by this time I had suffered dreadfully and found no God answering my prayers. I could not relate to the Christian God, though my family and friends could and still do. I decided to term myself a 'Post-Christian Atheist' and live my life based on nature, love, and truth, instead.

It was not until I was around the age of forty, that I began to seriously look at Buddhism as an option. During my schooldays, I recalled being cross because our religion teacher had brought up 'other' religions in class. I was at that time firmly a Christian, and so I blocked my ears stubbornly. The only information about Buddhism that actually entered was that Buddhist monks swept the path in front of them to prevent their treading on small bugs and insects, that Buddhist monks only ate once daily, and that Buddha was some fat Chinese chap. Since school, my only connection with Buddhism had been when I picked up the classic 'Siddhartha' from the library shelves around four years ago. I read the entire book, but did not relate it to Buddhism.

Around a year and a half ago, I was reading online comments about a book by the Dalai Lama written by a friend of mine. I decided that I would like to check out the book. I was looking for new inspiration at the library, having already read everything by my favorite authors. I could not immediately obtain a copy to peruse, but I managed to locate an alternative book by the Dalai Lama. Reading that book was the first time that I considered Buddhism with open ears.

EVENTS & ESTABLISHMENTS: Buddha's Birthday Sydney 2008

Buddha's Birthday - Sydney, May 2008.


Last year, this celebration was held locally, in Wollongong. This year, I had to take a train trip into the city, as the Buddha's Birthday celebration was to be held at Darling Harbor. I was working on the Saturday, but able to attend on Sunday May 11.

I arrived quite early, as I generally do. This enabled me to take a brief look at the stalls and food kiosks prior to watching what I mistakenly thought of as a poorly attended ceremony with chuckling nuns and absent dancers. This turned out to be the dress rehearsal, rather than an early start, however. I wandered along to view the information for non-Buddhists and display banners, and the wishing bell and birth garden display, before returning to the main ceremony.



A lion dance and costumed Buddhists from around the city and suburbs bringing fruits, flowers, and incenses to the main display stage started the official proceedings. I was most interested in the Thai and Tibetan costumes, as it is Buddhism from these countries that I mainly follow. Next, the arrival of the important Buddhists in attendance.

I found it strange following the Ode to the Triple Gem/Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem. Last year, I was only just beginning to consider practicing as a Buddhist, and they were unknown to me, until I read of their importance at home afterwards. This year, I was so well acquainted with it in the Tibetan format, that finding the Nan Tien Temple version confused me. (I shall have to retain the brochure, so that I can get used to it in advance, ready for next year!)

I listened to the speeches, of which I found the Abbess Yi Lai's the most agreeable. I enjoyed the dance and chanting performance, and also the 'Harmonise' song recital. As was the case last year, I felt a little too timid to go up to the stage front to Bathe the Buddha afterwards. Last year, I was not a Buddhist. This year, I am a home-Buddhist, but I do not yet have a connection to a local Temple or group. Whereas I have since learned the respectful Namaste gesture, I remain unaware of the correct etiquette and sequence for the bathing of the Buddha, so preferred to do so in my mind, visualization wise, instead of joining with the crowd.

Taking a brief look at the stalls for the last time, I departed at this point. The train trip home is a fairly long one of almost two hours duration, and I had to get home to feed our pigeons. I could not find a book stall catering for those of the community that are already on the Buddhist path, this year. However, there were plenty of informative brochures for people who wished to learn about Buddhism and its beliefs at the information stall.

I felt somewhat like the contents of a sandwich. I was neither in the bread category of those who practice Buddhism and have an affiliated Temple or group, nor of the bread layer of those who were new to Buddhism and had no experience or interest in personal practice. However, I was made welcome by those who spoke to me and there is much opportunity for someone with an interest in learning about Buddhism at such an occasion. My intermediacy was difficult to explain, but perhaps by next year, I shall have located a suitable Temple.

INTRODUCTION: purpose & aim

Realizing from my investigations into local Sangha that the pathways I related to best to were not practiced nearby, I began to understand that restricting oneself to specific pathways within Buddhism is not easy, unless you live in a country where Buddhism is the main religion and the form you wish to pursue is in operation. Australia may accept Buddhism - indeed, it currently stands as the second major religion - and we may have two fine temples within our local area, but neither practices the specific form of Buddhism that I seek. There are plenty of options to be a Buddhist in general, but not to pick a certain path.

Most western forms of Buddhism tend to focus on how to live Buddhist principles within an everyday modern life, but I have never been at home with the lifestyles of today and therefore relate better to the Tibetan and Thai formats. However, one value of modern Western Buddhism is the internet. Online, you can connect to every form of Buddhism possible. It can still be difficult for people in the Western world who have no Buddhist family support, or a nearby temple to which they can connect. Many modern Buddhists choose to adapt the basic Buddhist principles to fit their own life. I see this as OK, but not really for me. I have a special drawing towards Thai Dhutanga and Tibetan Vajrayana. Realizing that I am just one being amongst many million, I remain accepting of every form, whilst practicing my own preferences within my own home and life.

The newer forms of Buddhism, which are often practiced in the US, seem to bring about a completely new form of Buddhism. They combine aspects and ideas from the different historical schools of the Eastern world, adapting them to modern Western life. Whereas I find this hard to follow and can learn more from the Eastern sources, I realize that I too, am a part of this 'new' Buddhism. I do not have a specific Lama or Guru, but combine the teachings of the Tibetan Vajrayana and Thai Dhutanga with those of the Dalai Lama and various other modern Buddhists.
A Buddhist is a Buddhist. There are many areas of Buddhism to think about and practice, whichever methods of obtaining the target you use. Recognizing this, I decided to use the following titles in my posts, to enable readers to follow specific ideas or locate certain information:

INTRODUCTION - Explaining what I will be covering & how I personally discovered Buddhism
BUDDHIST THEORY - exploring the basic concepts, texts, ideas & philosophies
BUDDHIST PRACTICE - problems, experiences, news, and helpful hints for practicing Buddhism in the Western world
BOOK REVIEW - reviews of various Buddhist writings, old and new, Eastern and Western
EVENTS & ESTABLISHMENTS - major worldwide events, local events and Temples that I visit