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What are the basics of Buddhism?
I'm very very ignorant on Buddhism and am a very confused person. I have recently been thinking over what religion I am and Buddhist seems the right one for me. I would just like to know the basic "teachings" of Buddhism and how the religious meditation of it all works. Also I read somewhere on this forum that you may not kill any animal, thus you must be a vegetarian. Is vegetarianism a strict rule or is it kind of loose.
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buddhists strive towards the transcendent state of nirvana which is free of suffering
we buddhists strive to undo suffering in the three worlds of vision, tolerance, and balogeny karmapuss
we religiously meditate several times a year to three thousand times a day and we do it with as little hypocrisy as usual. you can bet on it!
vegetarianism is not only required but yo uget shot by buddha himself if you eat any pork cause the meat industry is so F'd up that killing animals necessesarily includes suffering. it's horrible.
there re the basics now go study the dharma by pushing on your nose very concentradedly in an hard to reach position somewhere on a refrigerator by yourself forever
Practice the "Noble 8fold path"
Take the 5 precepts
Most importantly, have paitence and seek reputable Sangha communities. Personally I do not recommend secluded groups that makes the whole practice mysterious and mystical. I recommend large institutions centred in cities with high population.
The ideal goal of Buddhism is take the bodhisattva path which opens up your compassion, kindness and wisdom to benefit other people and the community.
Be aware of teachers who claims they have supernatrual powers and do not get all your information from the internet.
Suffering (or unsatisfactoriness) can be distinguished in three types:
1. Suffering of suffering: this refers to the most obvious aspects like pain, fear and mental distress.
2. Suffering of change: refers to the problems that change brings, like joy disappears, nothing stays, decay and death.
3. All-pervasive suffering: this is the most difficult to understand aspect, it refers to the fact that we always have the potential to suffer or can get into problematic situations. Even death is not a solution in Buddhist philosophy, as we will simply find ourselves being reborn in a different body, which will also experience problems.
Note that "suffering" is an inadequate translation of the word "Dukkha", but it is the one most commonly found, lacking a better word in English. "Dukkha" means "intolerable", "unsustainable", "difficult to endure", and can also mean "imperfect", "unsatisfying", or "incapable of providing perfect happiness". Interestingly enough, some people actually translate it as "stress".
Here's a quote from Henepola Gunaratana, from 'Mindfulness in Plain English'.
"Suffering" is a big word in Buddhist thought. It is a key term and it should be thoroughly understood. The Pali word is dukkha, and it does not just mean the agony of the body. It means that deep subtle sense of unsatisfactoriness which is a part of every mind moment and which results directly from the mental treadmill. The essence of life is suffering, said the Buddha. At first glance this seems exceedingly morbid and pessimistic. It even seems untrue. After all, there are plenty of times when we are happy. Aren't there. No, there are not. It just seems that way. Take any moment when you feel really fulfilled and examine it closely. Down under the joy, you will find that subtle, all-pervasive undercurrent of tension, that no matter how great this moment is, it is going to end. No matter how much you just gained, you are either going to lose some of it or spend the rest of your days guarding what you have got and scheming how to get more. And in the end, you are going to die. In the end, you lose everything. It is all transitory."
The reason that we experience suffering comes ultimately from our mind. According to Buddhism, our main mental problems or root delusions are: attachment, anger and ignorance. Because of these delusions, we engage in actions that cause problems to ourselves and others. With every negative action (karma) we do, we create a potential for negative experiences.
So how can attachment bring us suffering? You might ask, but we just have to think of chocolate and there is the temptation of eating more than is good for us. Or as example, my favourite story: the way people used to catch monkeys in South India:
One takes a coconut and makes a hole in it, just large enough that a monkey can squeeze its hand in. Next, tie the coconut down, and put a sweet inside. What happens next is pure attachment. The monkey smells the sweet, puts his hand into the coconut, grabs the sweet and ... the hole is too small to let a fist out of the coconut. The last thing a monkey would consider is to let go of the sweet, so it is literally tied down by its own attachment. Often they only let go when they fall asleep or become unconscious because of exhaustion.
Ultimately, the Buddha explains that our attachment to life keeps us in cyclic existence or samsara, which does not bring us continuous happiness.
So how can anger bring us suffering?
All of our actions have consequences. Doing harm to others will return to us as being harmed. Anger is one of the main reasons we create harm to others, so logically it is often the cause of suffering to ourselves.
So how can ignorance bring us suffering?
This is explained in two ways:
The conventional explanation is that because we are not omniscient, we regularly get ourselves into trouble. We do not realise all the consequences of our actions, we do not understand other beings and we do not understand why the world is exactly the way it is. So we often end up in situations where we do not take the best actions. Just reflect for a moment how often we think: "If only I had known this earlier..."
The more complicated explanation refers to the most profound aspect of Buddhist philosophy: ultimate truth, Anatta, or emptiness. This is a vast subject, and it is still unlikely that it will be completely clear; it takes years of study and meditation to realize the insight into the wisdom of emptiness. To put it very simple: reality is not what it seems to us. As reality is different from our opinions about it, we get ourselves into trouble. As long as we fail to realise the ultimate truth, we will be stuck in cyclic existence. While being in cyclic existence, we will always experience some aspect of suffering (which is at least having the potential for future suffering).
The most positive message of Buddhism is that suffering can end forever and Nirvana is peace. This is the most positive message of Buddhism: although suffering is always present in cyclic existence, we can end this cycle of problems and pain, and enter Nirvana, which is a state beyond all suffering where suffering cannot reach.
The reasoning behind this Third Noble Truth is the fact that suffering and the causes of suffering are dependent on the state of our own mind, so if we can change our own mind, we can also eliminate suffering. The reasons we do actions that cause ourselves and others harm come from our delusions. When we possess the proper wisdom (conventional and ultimate), we can rid ourselves of delusions, and thus of all our problems and suffering. When this process is complete, we can leave cyclic existence and enjoy the state of Nirvana, free of problems.
The reasoning so far is simple enough, when we are ill, we go to a doctor. He knows (hopefully) what is wrong and prescribes medicines and gives us advice, which we need to take and folow up to get well again. Likewise, when a spiritual teacher prescribes us a practice and the development of wisdom to end our suffering, we still need to follow the instructions, otherwise there will be no effect. That leads us to the last Noble Truth of the Path of the 'medicine'.
The Medicine is the Noble Eightfold Path. If we can control our body and mind in a way that we help others instead of doing them harm, and generating wisdom in our own mind, we can end our suffering and problems.
The Buddha summarized the correct attitude and actions in the Eight-fold Noble Path:
(The first 3 are avoiding the 10 non-virtues of mind, speech and body: )
Correct thought: avoiding covetousness, the wish to harm others and wrong views (like thinking: actions have no consequences, I never have any problems, there are no ways to end suffering etc.)
Correct speech: avoid lying, divisive and harsh speech and idle gossip.
Correct actions: avoid killing, stealing and sexual misconduct
Correct livelihood: try to make a living with the above attitude of thought, speech and actions.
Correct understanding: developing genuine wisdom.
(The last three aspects refer mainly to the practice of meditation: )
Correct effort: after the first real step we need joyful perseverance to continue.
Correct mindfulness: try to be aware of the "here and now", instead of dreaming in the "there and then".
Correct concentration: to keep a steady, calm and attentive state of mind.
The Buddha explained that we can use the Four Yardsticks to assess if we are practicing the correct way:
one should feel happiness, compassion, love and joyous effort when practicing.
I sense sarcasm. :rolleyes:
He lies.
Nuuu...:wtf::PWNED: The secret's out!
Here is another:
(I am still waiting for a freeform jazz exposition of Dharma to be made available.)
namaste
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/index.html
There is the goal of liberating yourself, and of liberating others. You can't physically/forcefully liberate others, but you can show compassion and teach of reality (the Dharma) if they're willing to learn. IMHO a combination of both is necessary, for if you're deluded you'll act unskillfully regardless of how noble the intent.
There's Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana and Zen; each emphasize different points, claim to be the correct teachings (naturally!), and you should build up a good understanding of each if you're serious. It doesn't have to be super in-depth, but it's only common sense to know these things to help you find your way.
I'd recommend http://www.buddhanet.net to get some info. It covers all of the schools indiscriminately, because the essence of reality is selfless, not bound to one tradition or indeed to anything. The Dharma "is", regardless of our view. There's also http://www.accesstoinsight.org which is just Theravada, but it contains a pretty thorough compilation of the Pali Canon (Tipitaka) that this earlier school teaches and preserves.
Namaste
Be aware
Do what's right