buddhism 101 lesson 2 who was the buddha why is he important to buddhism

8/13/2019 Buddhism 101 Lesson 2 Who Was the Buddha Why is He Important to Buddhism

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Student Elizabeth Fernandez.

Student No. 466381

Lesson2

Lesson 2: The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism?

In about 250 words, what are the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism? Discuss each.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

1. The First Noble TruthSuffering exists. The first of the noble truths is that life is "dukkha and "anatman,"

2. The Second Noble TruthSuffering is a result of "trishna "dvesha," "avidya

3. The Third Noble TruthSuffering can cease.

4. The Fourth Noble TruthThe path to Nirvana

The First Noble Truth

1. "dukkha," which has been variously translated as imperfect, suffering, or full ofanguish.caused by clinging to that which cannot be retained.


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The five categories affected by clinging are all suffering. Suffering is the common bond

we all share.

1. Birth is suffering.2. aging is suffering,3. sickness is suffering,4. separation from a beloved is suffering5. Not manifesting what one wants is suffering:Things are impermanent, attachment to anything is futile, and leads to suffering. From the

anguish comes from the fact that all things, including living creatures such as ourselves, are

"anitya," impermanent.

Great success is dukkha because it does not last the states of bliss attained through spiritual

practice are dukkha because they are impermanent.

Included in the concept is the idea of "anatman," which means that all things are

interconnected and interdependent. Nothing has a separate existence, including people.

The six categories of attachments, that cause peace and problems.

1. There is no "self" in the sense of a permanent,2. Integral, autonomous being with an individual existence.3. The physical body loses skin cells and hair cells, takes in new cells as it eats, drinks, and

breathes, and learns to incorporate new ideas.

4. The self is in a constant state of flux.5. We are not the same for two consecutive moments.6. Once we see through the delusion of our isolated, individual self, we move to a higher

state of consciousness and experience that which is not subject to birth and death.

The Second Noble Truth

The five categories of sufferings or Trisha,"

1. Desire,2. Thirst,3. Craving,4. Greed or lust.5. Struggling to hold onto impermanent things causes anguish.


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6. There is also "dvesha," or hatred, which is another kind of clinging: holding onto agrudge or resentment. A third idea included in this concept is "avidya," which means

deliberate ignorance or refusal to see. Denying the impermanence of things causes us to

cling to them.

There are three kinds of desire:

1. the desire for sensual pleasure;2. the desire to become3. Desire to get rid of.

Desiring things that cannot be kept can only bring suffering.

Ignorance of the way the world works is the root of such desire. Without the capacity for

mental concentration and insight, one's mind is undeveloped and unable to grasp the true

nature of the world around it. Vices such as greed, envy, and hatred all come from this

ignorance.

Contemplation is essential because if we contemplate desires, we are no longer attaching to

them. We are just allowing them to be. Then we are able to reach the realization that desire

can be laid aside and released. Letting go does not involve discarding. It is more like setting

aside desires and letting them be. The problem is not the pleasure or the fame or the

immortality we desire. The problem is the desire itself.

The Third Noble Truth

Suffering can cease. "Nirvana" literally means "blowing out,"

The five categories of sufferings or "Nirvana"

1.

Releasing clinging, hatred, and ignorance.

2. The concept also includes accepting imperfection, impermanence, andinterconnectedness, or making peace with reality.

3. The whole aim of Buddhist teaching is to let go of delusions. Nirvana, the absence offear and desire, is a mental state, not a change in exterior circumstances.


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buddhism 101 lesson 2 who was the buddha why is he important to buddhism

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