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Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts

Thursday, April 9, 2009

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.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

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.