Footprints of the Buddha

Images of footprints made by Buddha are from the earliest Buddhist art forms. Another word used when describing Buddhas footprints is “Buddhapada”, they are highly revered in all all Buddhist countries, especially Sri Lanka and Thailand, where the Buddha himself once walked. Buddhapada is a symbol that has been respected in India because for it's representation of the grounding of the transcendent.

In Modern Buddhism the Footprints have many different meanings, but they are all related to Buddhism, ultimately it is undisputed that they are a symbol of the existence of the Buddha. Some people believe that after the Buddha attained enlightenment, his feet made an imprint in the stone where he stood.

In a different tradition, the infant Buddha stood and walked for seven steps after his birth as a symbol of his spiritual domination of the universe. Ether way the footprints of the Buddha symbolize the Buddha's presence. Even today the Buddhapada are still revered in the Buddha's absence, now that he has entered nirvana they are a reminder of the Buddhist strides toward a life of nonattachment.

Physically the Buddha's footprints can come with different images, but most commonly they are depicted with the toes of all one length and a dharmachakra wheel on the soul. Other symbols that often
appear on the heel and toes are a lotus flower the swastika and the three Jewels or triratna.

On very large Buddhapada's there is enough room for more detail, so there is room for 32, 108 or even 132 distinctive marks of a Buddha usually in a checkerboard pattern. Any or all of these symbols can also seen on the bottoms of the feet of large statues of the Buddha when he is reclining.

The oldest and most precious sculptures of Buddha's footprints are protected in special temples and structures, where Buddhist monks and others who are faithful will bring offerings such as flowers, fruit, incense and money.

Buddhas' Fourth Noble Truth

For those of you who have been following along in this guide to the four noble truths of the Buddha you now know that life is filled with suffering, that suffering comes from being attached to things and that there is a way to end suffering. The fourth and final noble truth is the path to the end of suffering.
Thats right there is a path that anyone can follow to end all of our suffering, it is a gradual path of self-improvement, with the ultimate goal to reach nirvana, which most people are trying to do consciously or unconsciously. In order to move this process along we can follow the details as they are described in the Eightfold Path.
It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism). Eventually it will lead us to the end of the cycle of rebirth and to Nirvana, but for now we must be conscious of our behavior and work towards bettering humanity.
The difference between improving yourself on a small scale and following the Eightfold Path is that when you do it by yourself you run the risk of "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because there is no final objective you can become lost or confused.
The path to the end of suffering can be extended over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to certain karmic conditioning. Essentially we are starting over each time we are reborn we can fall trapped in the cycle by craving, ignorance and delusions. Its effects will disappear gradually as long as we remain conscious to the process and learn from our mistakes, then progress can be made on the path.
It will take a long time there is no doubt about that, but the ultimate end to suffering can be found buy following the Buddhas' Eightfold to enlightenment. The path is gradual but thought many lifetimes of gradual self-improvement.

Buddhas' Third Noble Truth

For those of you who know the noble truths taught by the Buddha, you already know that to live is to suffer and that the good things in life must be taken in context and not for granted. The good news is that the Third Noble Truth is that the end of suffering is attainable.

The end (cessation) of suffering can be attained through something called nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment, in other words it means that to stop our suffering we must first let go of our attachments. Which is easier said than done, because right now we are attached to everything and everyone around us! We must remember that when we pass on we will not be able to take anything with us, we must let go of everything but our minds.

The third noble truth is an expression of the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion or letting go living in the moment with peace. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment, from the cloths we wear to the people we love. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. This does not mean to only do things that feel good because you will inevitably suffer again when the pleasure wares off.

Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels, including meditation and deep thought, that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it, but that does not mean that it is not impossible to reach this state with lots of time, practice, patience and following the teachings of the Buddha.

Turning the wheel of Dharma

It took Buddha a whole lifetime to discover and refine the secrets to enlightenment, but a meager forty-nine days after reaching enlightenment he was asked to teach all he had learned. Buddha rose without question from his deep meditation to help the monks in there quest for knowledge. The lesson Buddha taught when he rose from meditation was first the wheel of Dharma.

Among these teachings of the first wheel of Dharma is the sutra of the four noble truths... 1. This is suffering, 2. The causes of suffering, 3. Suffering can end, nirvana is peace, 4. The true path or eight-fold noble path. These truths must be realized and accepted in order to move on to the next stage. This is also the source of the Hinayana known as the lesser vehicle of Buddhism.

The second wheel of Dharma teaches us the perfection of wisdom sutra, which is a profound saying paying homage to the holy Perfection of Wisdom! The third sutra or wheel of Dharma is about discriminating the intention, it is a long conversation about abandoning our self-cherishing personalities and cherishing only others we can begin to experience true peace and happiness.. These two wheels of Dharma make up the Mahayana, or the great vehicle of Buddhism.

The Hinayana teaches us how we can attain liberation from suffering for ourselves, no one can do it for you and it is not for you to force anyone else to follow Buddha's teachings. Wisdom is the end to suffering. In Buddhism wisdom can refer to conventional and ultimate wisdom, these cannot be forced on anyone who does not accept it into their hearts. The Mahayana teaching explains the way to reach full enlightenment or Buddhahood as it is sometimes called for the sake of others.

In Asia, where the Buddha grew and learned both the Hinayana and Mahayana traditions flourished. It started in India and then over time spread in to other surrounding countries like Tibet. Gradually these teachings are spreading in to the west.