The four Noble truths

This is the Buddha's Key teaching and provides the essential account of reality, and what is out there in the real-world.

• The Buddha likens himself to a physician:
  • 1: he diagnosed the symptoms–suffering
  • 2: identifies the cause– Craving
  • 3: identifies that disease has a cure–Nirodha
  • 4: provides a prescription–the eightfold Path
• Life is dissatisfaction due to:
  • 1: physical process –old age, sickness, death (Dukkha-Dukkha)
  • 2: emotional– Sorrow/rejection
  • 3: unpleasant things- want what we can't
• You need to do things about your suffering to try and prevent something happening. You are able to reduce our suffering; you have to accept the problems we face.
  • 1: bodily pain–mental anguish of things/people
  • 2: ups and downs of life, frustration and no pleasure
  • 3: when is lifespan, causes frustration as things are constantly changing

'a more subtle dissatisfaction with life itself rather than with any specific problem.' Cush

'Dukkha is not an abstract idea, every person has his or her personal Dukkha.' Mitchell and Jacoby 

• Happiness it Doesn't last because everything is in permanent
• Dukkha is a reality, not a theory
• Does this mean that Buddhism is pessimistic?
  • No: –because it deals with the reality of life and 'one has to accept that one is ill before a cure can be possible.' Harvey

we suffer in the fun things because the fun doesn't last forever by your phone call someone else's pain.

'the most subtle sense of Dukkha is sometimes experience into feelings of vague unease at the fragility and transitionness of life.' Harvey

• Craving
  • This meaning you become attached to things like glue
  • The Buddha likens craving to 'fire' meaning fire spreads rapidly, destroys what it feeds
  • We are never satisfied
• There are three forms of craving:
  • 1. Sensual pleasure, both physical and mentally
    • E.g. the indulgence of food, music– Sensual
    • E.g. Sport or possessions– Physical
    • E.g. Approval, friendship/relationships– Mental
  • 2. Wanting to exist, an urge causing us to be reborn again
  • 3. Avoidance, negativity of ourselves or others
    • E.g. Suicide because you don't like yourself are you ignoring someone because you don't like them.

Anicca; nothing is permanent which causes us to have constant suffering.

• Nirodha which is the release from suffering
  • once craving is removed, you are free from suffering and Samsara 
  • Nirvana–blowing out
    • Other three fires/Poisons of greed/ hatred/delusion
• This is the idea of no soul: a candle is lit, then blown out, the candle is relit there is a flame
  • Each person is linked to karma, one after another takes the next flame is a different flame but the same candle, karma is ignition for the flame people pass on bad karma, when you stop craving a candle doesn't light.
  • You're younger self can affect Your older self making you different but the same person.
• Nirvana is a person as there is no soul, there is no state or place, you can only attain nirvana.
  • You cannot describe language as there is too limited language to describe it.
  • You cannot explain to fish how to walk on a beach and breathe in the air, the fish wouldn't understand, only humans can feel this:
    • Bodies can't describe what its like out of our range which causes delusions, because we don't have a language to say what it is as it is the opposite to Samsara
• Nirvana– Buddhists say: is the extinction of craving, hatred and delusion

• Parinirvana: the final so there's nobody
• Nirvana: before so there is anybody, in the human realm like 'level one'

• The eight fold path
  • Right view
  • Right intention
  • Right speech
  • Right action
  • Right livelihood
  • Right effort
  • Right mindfulness
  • Right concentration
• The cultivation of these three characteristics (meditation, wisdom and morality) help the Buddhist followers overcome the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion.
• Moral people ARE not selfish and are always thinking of others which helps their wisdom to have more knowledge and the ease of meditation.

'The principle is not only, aim of the Buddhist Path is to develop and cultivate wholesome qualities' . Gethin

•  VISALEMC

• To see the four truths, remind me speak late and still
• To be still, the mind has become content
• To be content, the mind has be free from remorse or guilt
• To be free from guilt, you Needs a clear conscience
• The bases of a clear conscience Is generosity and good conduct

Right speech, action and livelihood:

• There are five precepts of speech and action
  • 'I undertake to abstain from killing'
  • 'I undertake to abstaion from taking what is not given'
  • 'I undertake to abstain from misuse of sensual pleasures'
  • 'I undertake to abstain from false speech'
  • 'I undertake to abstain from drugs and alcohol as they tend to cloud the mind.'
• The middle path is a straightforward path for the monks and nuns as it allows them to stay mindful and straightforward
• The eight fold path was designed to be the answer for cures of suffering, to help release you from Samsara and enter enlightenment.

• Theravada Buddhism in Tibetan Buddhism the four Noble truths are essential only to those who live in a monastic setting that is if they're monks and nuns.
• Others could make priority within a decent life and earning good karma, as they may not be spiritually ready to accept the full implications of the life that there four Noble truths deliver.
• Some lay people also may not fully understand the teachings of the four Noble truths in a personal way our in-depth.
• Could reach the fourth part of the Noble truths of meditation, compared to Theravada which is from the beginning.
• Right view, right speech, action and livelihood
• Tibetan Buddhism is a diamond

• Right view, not to overlook things but also not under looking things
• Right speech, not self indulging in speech but also not helping with your speech, you should be compassionate with your free speech

Theravada Buddhism

• Poverty, encouraging to have very few possessions
• Theravada–the way of the elders
• Begging bowl
• Money free encourages them to suffer less as they have fewer attachments
• Chastity refraining from sex or any physical action this reduces temptation with people they can set their mind on higher goals.
• Developed right view and wisdom
• Inoffensiveness: refrain from harming animals and humans by not generating negative karma, supports the morality section.
• Effort, mindfulness–meditation, need a balance between meditation and scriptures, builds up morality 
• Day layout- no attachments, nothing indulge in and nothing about self, encourages study, is about service to the community and teaching.