Buddhism The 4 noble truths Essay - 2091 Words

Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths Siddharta Gautama was twenty-nine years old when he abandoned his family to search for a means to bring to an end his and other’s suffering after studying meditation for many years. At age thirty-five, Siddharta Gautama sat down under the shade of a fig tree to meditate and he determined to meditate until he reached enlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment which he referred to as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known as the Buddha. In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh provides a citation from the Buddha, which gives insight into the cure of our distress. â€Å"I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering† (Thich Nhat†¦show more content†¦Expressed in a slightly different way, one may conclude that everything in the world, is ultimately unsatisfying. One also may conclude: it is impossible to satisfy ourselves with worldly things. This may be the best translation of them all. The fact that we cannot be ultimately satisfied means all aspects of life are filled with dukkha, and this causes suffering. Buddha further suggested that there are three kinds of dukkha. Everyday dukkha (dukkha-dukkha) relates to the ups and downs of daily living, birth, death, and physical pain. The dukkha of change or changing circumstances (virapinama-dukkha) recognizes that we have an innate desire to keep things the way they are when they are good but we cannot. Finally, dukkha ca used by the innate flaw of our conditioned existence (samkara-dukkha) describes the dissatisfaction or difficulty that arises from the fact that we are not perfect, eternal beings but are made up of the five skandha (aggregates) which become the hooks on which our attachments hang. It is these attachments that are at the root of our suffering. The Second Noble Truth is that the source of our suffering is craving and desire. When we look at psychological suffering, it is easy to see how craving causes it. The Second Noble Truth says that getting what you want does notShow MoreRelatedBuddhism And Hinduism : The 4 Noble Truths And The Eightfold Path1967 Words   |  8 PagesBoth initially originating in the Himalaya and written in Sanskrit, Buddhism and Hinduism are two of the main religions on the continent of Asia. Many believe that Buddhism first originated in Northern India in the 5th century B.C.E. when Siddhartha Guatama (the son of a king) rebelled against his father and went out into the world in hope of finding a way to end suffering . After trying many things, he eventually sat down beneath a bodhi tree to meditate. Supposedly by morning, he was said to haveRead MoreTheology: Overview of Buddhism1327 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Buddhism is a world religion based on the teachings of Buddha, who was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 563 B.C.E. and lived in Nepal and India. 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