Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths
1. Life is suffering
2. Suffering is caused by desire
3. To eliminate suffering, eliminate desire
4. To eliminate desire, follow the Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path
1. right View
2. right Intention
3. right Speech
4. right Action
5. right Livelihood
6. right Effort
7. right Mindfulness
8. right Concentration
1. Life is suffering
2. Suffering is caused by desire
3. To eliminate suffering, eliminate desire
4. To eliminate desire, follow the Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path
1. right View
2. right Intention
3. right Speech
4. right Action
5. right Livelihood
6. right Effort
7. right Mindfulness
8. right Concentration
This is Buddhism in a nutshell. Personally I would've made it "The Three Noble Truths" and forgotten about #4, and the whole eightfold path thing. It's not that those things are not important, but they are more like tools, useful ways to achieve Truth #3. It seems subordinate to and more subjective that the first the three, which form a nice syllogism.
But it's all still very good - indeed, essential - advice. At least for some of us. I try to get back to this when I can, but I'm not very good at it! It's very difficult to live your life so strictly, but at least if you try you do better than if you are ignorant and don't care, and continue to act like an animals with its nose buried in the ground. This is my view.
If you're interested in learning more about Buddhism either as a religion (ick) or a philosophy (yay), a helpful place to start is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
If you're interested in learning more about the life of Siddhartha Gautama himself (the original teacher of this philosophy), try this page http://www.crystalinks.com/buddha.html
And if you're fascinated by snakes, sorry, can't help you. Try a herpetologist.
10 comments:
Buddhism seems cool... as a philosophy ... but I'm sure I'm not up to it.
Seems like if you eliminate desire, you eliminate life. But maybe that is just my sick view of life.
Hmm, another good point. I've thought about that too and I think what is meant by desire is more of a lust-type desire - not necessarily sexual, but a longing for anything that one does not have. In the West, yeah, it's called "ambition" and is looked at as both good (within limits) and bad (above those limits). What I take from this is that if you content yourself with one what you truly NEED in life - live simply - and give up the pursuit of luxuries and status symbols - desires - then you feel reprieve the endless suffering you feel from never acquiring enough material things to be happy.
But it's a good point and a good question. I suppose the terms require (and get) more clarification if you actually study the religion/philosophy.
Yes, this is certainly a belief system to which I'm more drawn to these days. Buddhism does make a lot of sense, though I know that I'm not disciplined enough by any means to truly follow the path.
Again, desire I take to mean the state of wanting anything in our lives to be any different from how it is now. This of course includes suffering, which is pretty difficult to not wish to be without! However I like the idea of trying to get into the habit of observing rather than making continual judgements about good and bad. I have such a long way to go! :(
Yes, nonjudgmental observation of the moment without other thoughts: Sounds so simple, so freaking hard. But when you gets little glimpses of it, when you can achieve that for even a short time, it's like you see the world as a child again, full of wonder. It's something to pursue I think. I get myself out panic attacks this way, most of the time.
Agree completely that we are talking about non-sexual desire.
I recently read a book on the world's great religions and there was a long chapter on Buddhism and it all sounded really good. But I still think that "desire" is what made our country ( and UK before us Magdalene ) great. But we have lost our way, turned "desire" into greed, and lost our greatness.
The book you read didn't happen to be that one by Houston Smith did it? That's a good one.
Maybe substitute the word "greed" in for the kind of desire that is meant by Buddhism then. Then you can still be ambitious and hard working in a non greedy way with "right action" "right intention" etc.
If there was no desire at all for anything, nothing would get done, no kids would be made, and the human race would die out within a few weeks. So some interpretation is necessary.
I think your comment just above this one gets it just right.
Yes it was Houston Smith. Good book, a little deep in places for me.
I take desire to mean envy and wanting the next new thing, never being satisfied and content with what you have. I now have less desire to buy "things", which I consider a good thing.
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