The teachings of the Lord Buddha

“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”
Lord Buddha

 

The word Buddha means “The Awakened One”. It comes from the Sanskrit root “budh”, which means “to awaken”. Therefore, Buddha refers to someone who is fully awake, as if from a deep sleep or delusion he discovers that “suffering”, like a dream, can have an end.

 

There are many Buddhas, but one of the most important is Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Buddha, who was an enlightened sage whose teachings have impacted thousands of lives. No matter what religion you follow, there are universal truths in the teachings of Lord Buddha!

 

This important doctrine teaches the interconnectedness of all things and, in particular, the law of Karma. It enlightens us about the mechanisms by which we create a world of suffering for ourselves and for others. It then guides us to follow a lifestyle that reduces suffering for all and leads to liberation.

 

The Three Universal Truths

 

There are 3 universal truths at the core of Lord Buddha’s teachings:

 

• Law of Unity (also known as Nothing is Lost in the Universe)
• Law of Change
• Law of Cause and Effect

 

The first basic truth – the Law of Oneness – deals with the fact that nothing is lost in the universe and we are all connected to each other. If we destroy something around us, we are destroying ourselves. If we hurt another person, based on the principle of unity, we are hurting ourselves. Understanding this basic truth helps us to be kind to others, to nature, and to animals.

 

The second basic truth – the Law of Change – reveals that everything changes and keeps changing. Nothing is permanent. Not realizing this fact sometimes leads to anger, sadness, and suffering.

 

The last basic truth – the Law of Cause and Effect – refers to the Law of Karma – What we sow, we shall reap! The Law of Karma is universal and is discussed in different cultures and religions, if you want to go deeper into this subject, see our post about the types of karma and the video lesson on karma, you can also learn more in the pranic healing courses

 

 

“The kind of seed planted will produce that kind of fruit.

Those who do good will reap good results. Those who do evil will reap bad results.

If you carefully plant a good seed, you will reap good fruit with joy.”
Dhammapada

 

The Four Noble Truths

 

In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths contain the essence of the Buddha’s teachings and are often called “the truths of the Nobles.” It was these four principles that the Buddha came to understand during his meditation under the Bodhi tree.

 

• The truth of suffering or dukkha
• The Truth of the Origin of Suffering or Samudāya
• The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
• The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)

 

The Buddha is often compared to a physician. In the first two Noble Truths he diagnosed the problem (suffering) and identified its cause. The third Noble Truth is the realization that there is a cure, while the fourth Noble Truth, on which the Buddha established the Eightfold Path, is the prescription, the way to achieve liberation from suffering.

 

Buddhism starts with the fact that there is suffering. However, before we can do anything about it, we must know its cause, which is often the deep-rooted sense of “me” that we all have. Because of this, we often strive to achieve things that are pleasurable and avoid things that are painful in order to find ease and security, and usually to manipulate people and situations to be the way ‘I’ want them to be.

 

And because the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily fit with what “I” want, we often find ourselves cutting off the general flow of things and getting hurt and disappointed in the process. Suffering can therefore be ended by transcending this strong sense of ‘me’ so that we can come into greater harmony with things in general. The means to do this is the Noble Eightfold Path.

The First Noble Truth – Dukkha

Suffering comes in many forms. Three obvious types of suffering correspond to the first three visions the Buddha saw on his first journey outside his palace: old age, sickness, and death.

 

However, according to the Buddha, the problem of suffering is much deeper. Life is not ideal: it often fails to live up to our expectations. Human beings are subject to desires and cravings, but even when we are able to satisfy these desires, the satisfaction is only temporary. The pleasure does not last; or if it does, it becomes monotonous.

 

Even when we are not suffering from external causes, such as illness or bereavement, we sometimes feel dissatisfied or unhappy internally. This is the truth of suffering.

 

Some people may find this point of view pessimistic, but it is quite realistic!

 

Lord Buddha’s teachings do not end with suffering; it goes on to tell us what we can do about it and how to end it.

 

The second noble truth – Samudāya

Our everyday problems may seem to have easily identifiable causes: thirst, pain from an injury, sadness at the loss of a loved one. In the second of his Noble Truths, however, the Buddha claimed to have found the cause of all suffering – and this is much more deeply rooted than our immediate concerns.

 

The Buddha taught that the root of all suffering is desire, tanhā. This comes in three forms, which he described as the Three Roots of Evil, or the Three Fires, or the Three Poisons:

 

Greed and desire, often symbolized by a rooster

Ignorance or illusion, symbolized by a pig

Hatred and destructive impulses, symbolized by a snake

 

The Third Noble Truth – Nirodha

The Buddha taught that the way to extinguish desire, which causes suffering, is to free oneself from attachment. So the third Noble Truth is the possibility of liberation, and the Buddha himself was a living example that this is possible in a human lifetime.

 

The Fourth Noble Truth – Magga

The final Noble Truth is the Buddha’s recipe for the end of suffering. This is a set of principles called the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way or the Middle Path, which leads to harmony.

 

The eight parts of the Eightfold Path can be grouped into Wisdom (right understanding and intention), Ethical Conduct (right speech, action, and way of life), and Meditation (right effort, full attention, and concentration).

 

The Buddha described the Eightfold Path as a means to enlightenment, like a raft to cross a river. Once you reach the opposite shore, you no longer need the ferry and can leave it behind.

 

To learn more about the inner teachings of Buddhism, explore Master Choa Kok Sui’s Inner Buddhist Teachings Revealed.

References:

 

1.thebuddhistsociety.org

2.burmese-art.com

3.online.sfsu.edu

4.bbc.co.uk

 

Text translated with the permission of pranworld.net