| Beneath the Bodhi tree the future-buddha entered four | | | | dispelling ignorance and quenching the flames of |
| subsequent states of meditation, and from these, he | | | | sense-desire, the realm of conditional existence, along |
| remembered his previous lives and gained | | | | with all impermanence and suffering that distinquishes it, |
| understanding of the processes of samsara that all | | | | can be transcended:There is an island which you |
| forms of life are subject to. He saw that the cause of | | | | cannot go beyond. It is a place of nothingness, a place |
| rebirth was ignorance which would only cease when | | | | of non-possession and of non-attachment. It is the total |
| the need for sense-pleasures were quenched. As his | | | | end of death and decay, and this is why i call it |
| ignorance of the truth was dispelled he was set free, | | | | Nibbana (the extinquished, the cool). |
| and seeing things as they truly are, he became an | | | | 'Kappas Question in the Sutta-Nipata' |
| enlightened being. A Buddha.After the Buddha had | | | | (Saddhatissa. H, in Beckerlegge, 2001, p.349)The root |
| singlehandedly found the path that leads to freedom, | | | | meaning of Nirvana, or Nibbana, is to 'blow out' such as |
| he returned to his former ascetic companions and | | | | the blowing out of a fire. The word 'skanda' means |
| shared with them the truth (Dharma/Damma) of his | | | | 'heap' or 'bundle' and can refer to a bundle of wood. |
| discovery, at the deer park in Benares. This was the | | | | As already mentioned, the burning of individuals by their |
| setting for his first sermon known as the | | | | desire for sense-objects has them caught up in |
| Dhamma-cakka-pavattana sutta, which means | | | | samsara and a state of ever-becoming. the skandas |
| 'discourse on the setting in motion the wheel of truth'. | | | | which constitute the self, or rather, the no-self, can be |
| The Buddha revealed the Four Noble Truths | | | | compared to a burning bundle of wood that needs to |
| concerning Dukkha/Duhkha, a word, originally sanskrit, | | | | be extinquished. And when the desires for |
| that can be translated as meaning 'suffering' or | | | | sense-objects are 'blown out' Nirvana is attained.The |
| alternatively as 'anguish', 'unsatisfactoriness' or 'ill'.The | | | | fourth noble truth is the path that is to be followed if |
| first noble truth is that the nature of existence, as | | | | there is to be an end of suffering. It is the practice of |
| experienced by all living things is suffering. this truth | | | | Buddhism Itself, known as the Eight-Fold Way, which is |
| was the cause of the Buddha's initial agitation when he | | | | often divided into three categories.These are:A) |
| first encountered old age, disease, and death. | | | | wisdom. which includes, 1) perfect understanding and 2) |
| Everything that is born is subject to decay and death | | | | perfect resolve, which are both related to a correct |
| and is therefore recognized as 'Anicca', that is, | | | | knowledge and application of the Buddha's teachings in |
| impermanent. within samsara all are fated to suffer this | | | | the life of an individual.B) morality, which includes, 3) |
| process repeatedly, not only in this world, but also in | | | | perfect speech, that is, talking in a kind and truthful |
| the other various levels of existence that can be both | | | | manner, and 4) Perfect action by dealing honestly with |
| heavenly and hellish, the destination determined by an | | | | others and avoiding sense-pleasure. Also 5) perfect |
| individuals particular karma. Greed, Hatred, and Delusion, | | | | livelihood, that is, earning an honest living that doesn't |
| being specific to the nature of samsara, are also | | | | exploit other human beings or cater for |
| states of suffering.Both dukkha and anicca are | | | | sense-pleasures.C) mental discipline, which includes 6) |
| categorized as two of the 'three marks of conditioned | | | | Perfect effort, which is the development and |
| existence', the third being 'Anatta' or 'no-self'. According | | | | maintenance of skilled mental states and ridding |
| to Buddhism the individual self is not really a 'self' at all | | | | oneself of unskilled mental states; 7) perfect |
| but an illusionary construct of five aggregates known | | | | mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind and mental |
| as Skhandhas/skandas. these are; 1)Rupa (form); 2) | | | | states, and finally 8) perfect concentration, which is to |
| Vedana (feeling); 3) Sanna (perception); 4) Sankaras | | | | be acheived through the disipline of 'Jhana', that is, |
| (skilled or unskilled actions or tendencies); and 5) | | | | meditaion......The forth noble truth is also known as the |
| Vinnana (consciousness). It is these skandas, in | | | | Middle Way. Buddhist meditation should conform with |
| interaction with one another, that are to be understood | | | | the middle way, as reflected in the legend of the |
| as being subject to samsara rather than the individual, | | | | Buddha when he positioned himself beneath the tree |
| who does not really exist.In a Buddhist text known as | | | | of awakening. the mind needs to be balanced if the |
| 'Milinda's Questions' the body is likened to a chariot. | | | | realm of extremes is to be transcended. the middle |
| Here, the monk Nagasena demonstates for the benefit | | | | way lies "between the two extremes of |
| of the inquiring King Milinda that as the individual parts | | | | self-indulgence..." as reflected in the person of |
| of the 'self' do not contain the 'self' within themselves, | | | | Siddhartha the prince, "...and self-torture" as reflected in |
| then "How can there be a self?", when the individual | | | | the person of Siddhartha the emaciated ascetic |
| parts are viewed collectively? Likewise, the seperate | | | | (Horner, I.B, in Zaehner R.C 'ed', 2001,p.271). The Hindu |
| parts of a chariot have no 'chariot' within them, so how | | | | practice of extreme self-denial, that was, and |
| is it that a chariot exists when the parts are | | | | continues to be performed by ascetics in the pursuit of |
| connected? The answer is "there is no chariot" and | | | | Moksha/Mukti was rejected by the Buddha. Such |
| similarly neither is there a self. the 'self' is merely a | | | | overt zelousness is concidered to be without true |
| convenient label of no real substance (Horner, I.B 'trans', | | | | value, as is indifference towards spiritual |
| in Beckerlegge, 2001, p.349-51). And so, the individual is | | | | attainment.However, individuals must apply themselves |
| seen as anatta.The second noble truth concerns the | | | | to the way of the Buddha, and are encouraged to |
| cause, or 'Uprising', of suffering. Dukkha is born from | | | | investigate spiritual matters for themselves, and not |
| ignorance and perpetuated through our desire for | | | | blindly accept what a prestigious teacher may claim, |
| sense-pleasures. Existence is perceived as a series of | | | | out of respect. It is when you know the truth yourself, |
| conditions that function within a wheel of cause and | | | | that it is to be accepted (Woodward, F.L 'trans', |
| effect known as Paticcasamuppada, which means | | | | 'Kalama Sutta' in Beckerlegge, 2001, p.348). Also, the |
| 'Dependent Origination' or 'Conditional Arising'. It is all | | | | monastic lifestyle can be viewed as embodying the |
| wrong desires that keep the wheel turning. As all | | | | principle of the middle way. For two and a half millennia |
| wrong desires have adverse causes, they also have | | | | it has remained the prefered enviroment conducive to |
| adverse effects, which in turn become causes of | | | | the attainment of Nirvana. Harvey observes that it lies |
| more forms of suffering. The Buddha regarded | | | | between the extremes of a reclusive existence and |
| individuals to be 'on fire' through their attachment to | | | | the life of a brahmanic householder. |
| objects of desire (Horner, I.B 'trans', in Beckerlegge, | | | | Concerning the four noble truths, cousins tells us that |
| 2001, p.344). In feeding the flames of the senses, we | | | | the first truth is to be 'fully comprehended'; the second |
| perpetuate the false belief that we are real, and as | | | | is to be 'abandoned'; the third is to be 'made visible'; the |
| we persist in 'Ever-Becoming' samsara retains its | | | | fourth is to be 'brought into being'.It is for the |
| awful hold:If this is, that comes to be; | | | | transformation from a negative to a positive state that |
| From the arising of this, that arise; | | | | the path of Buddhism is the be followed. It requires the |
| However; | | | | rejection of what is unskilful and the cultivation of what |
| If this is not, that does not come to be; | | | | is skillful, such as generosity, compassion for all beings, |
| From the stopping of this, that is stopped | | | | and wisdom (the opposites of greed, hatred, and |
| 'Majjhima-Nikaya 2.32' | | | | delusion mentioned above). It is a path that leads to |
| (Horner, B.I 'trans', in Zaehner, R.C, 'ed', 2001, p.277)With | | | | calm, balance and detatchment from desire, and the |
| the third noble truth the Dharma of Buddhism makes | | | | indescribable Nirvana that awaits |
| the transition from darkness to light as it reveals, | | | | beyond.BibliographyBeckerlegge, Gwilym (Ed), 2001 |
| optimistically, that there is an end to suffering. By | | | | 'The world Religions Reader. |