Buddha was a philosopher, a spiritual leader and is credited as the founder of Buddhism.
He was born as Siddhartha Gautama into an aristocratic family in Lumbini, Nepal, in
566 BC, and when he was twenty-nine years old, he left the comforts of his home to seek
the meaning of the suffering he saw around him, to search for a life beyond life and
death.
After six years of self-mortification, he realised that the search for divinity lies
not in worldly things but in the mind.
Thus, he abandoned the way of self-mortification and instead sat in mindful meditation beneath
a bodhi tree.
On the full moon of May, with the rising of the morning star, Siddhartha Gautama became
the Buddha, the awakened one.
For the next 45 years, the Buddha wandered the plains of northeastern India and taught
the path or Dharma he had realised in that moment.
The teachings of Buddha revolve around Dukkha, which means suffering, and the end of Dukkha,
which is regarded as the state of Nirvana.
The philosophy’s most essential teaching includes the Three Marks of Existence, which
are as follows: 1.
Annica which means that life is in a constant flux, we have already made a video on this,
and you can find the link to it in the description.
2.
Dukkha which means that life is painful and causes suffering, and finally
3.
Anatta which means that the self is always changing
After the Buddha gained enlightenment, he traveled to Sarnath in the present-day district
of Varanasi, where he met with five monks, he previously practiced with and gave his
first sermon, the four noble truths.
These four Noble Truths are the foundational tenets of Buddhism, which spark awareness
of suffering as the nature of existence, its cause, and how to live without it.
In this video we are going to talk about dukkha, the second mark of existence, to better understand
the suffering that we all go through and how we can use these 4 noble truths to deal with
suffering in our modern day life.
The four noble truths are as follows -
1.
The truth of Dukkha
Buddha says “What is the Noble Truth of Suffering?
Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, dissociation from a loved is
suffering, not to get what one wants is suffering: in short the five categories affected by clinging
are suffering”.
The first truth is the truth of Dukkha.
Dukkha means "suffering".
According to Buddha, “All life involves inevitable, unavoidable suffering”.
That suffering could be in the form of pain, illness or trauma we can all imagine, such
as a broken arm, stomach flu, or getting the diagnosis of a terminal disease.
Even during childbirth for example, even though it's supposed to be a joyful occasion, both
the mother and baby are in some sort of physical discomfort at first.
He then goes on to talk about suffering that comes from milder but common forms of discomfort
and distress, like long hours of work, feeling let down by a partner, feeling frustrated,
disappointed, hurt, inadequate, depressed, upset, and so on.
He includes the suffering that comes from the subtlest qualities of tension in the mind,
restlessness, sense of contraction, preoccupation, unease, boredom, a sense of being an isolated
self, a fear of aging, that something missing in life, or something is just not fulfilling,
etc.
Buddha never denied that there was joy in our lives, he is just highlighting that suffering
is a natural part of our existence, that we are subjected to some sort of suffering in
our life from time to time from little moments to tragic incidents.
We all constantly seek happiness, hence we overlook the fact that life is really the
mixture of happiness and pain.
The Buddha wants us to acknowledge this fact so when we do experience suffering, we don’t
take it so shockingly or personally.
Instead of accepting this fundamental truth, we resort to alcohol and substances to reduce
the pain of losing someone, use cosmetics and treatments to reverse and decrease the
effects of aging.
Because suffering is uncomfortable, we may suppress or minimize it in our own lives.
We blame others and ourselves, that we chose the wrong career or chose the wrong partner.
We also live in a culture that tends to ignore the everyday suffering of poverty, illness,
stress that comes with work, aging, and dying while our media presents us with an endless
parade of promises that you can avoid suffering through looking younger, upgrading your internet
connection, drinking beer, getting pills, losing weight, etc.
When we start acknowledging that suffering is just a natural part of our existence, we
are at peace during times of great difficulty because with time this suffering will turn
into happiness again.
2.
The truth of Samudaya
According to The Buddha “The origin of suffering, as a noble truth is this: It is the craving
that produces renewal of being accompanied by enjoyment and lust, and enjoying this and
that; in other words craving for sensual desires, craving for being, craving for non-being”.
Fortunately Buddha did not leave us with just the first noble truth that there is suffering
in life.
He also taught us the second, third and the fourth noble truth which was to identify why
we suffer, how we can free ourselves from all suffering and the steps we need to take
to get there.
The Second Noble Truth is Samudaya, which refers to the cause, the origin of suffering
or dissatisfaction.
Buddha teaches us that we suffer not because of things that are happening to us but because
of our mental state.
In our daily lives, there can be many things that we consider the causes of our suffering
like having no food when hungry, falling off a bike and experiencing pain, or your partner
leaving you.
Irrespective of the particular details of any specific suffering, Buddha teaches us
that all suffering and non-satisfactory experiences in our life comes from 3 main causes, which
he identified as “the three poisons,” or three negative qualities of the mind that
cause most of our problems and most of the problems in the world.
The three poisons include:
Cravings - Cravings meaning our desire, greed or wanting.
Buddha puts a very special emphasis on cravings here and says that there are three different
types of craving:
1.
Craving of pleasing the senses - this means that we want sensory pleasures, for example
tasty food, or melodious music.
2.
Craving to be something you are not - this means that we desire and crave to be different
to who we are, for example an influencer, celebrity or wealthy entrepreneur, and,
3.
Craving of Not-to-be - this means that we want to stop something from happening or get
rid of something, for example to not experience pain after a fall.
The second poison is aversion, our hatred towards things against us or against our beliefs.
One can hurt others if not satisfied by their beliefs or if those beliefs lead them to threatening
us with their actions.
The third poison is characterized as ignorance or delusion; one always chooses to ignore
the truth behind life; for instance, one chooses to ignore the impermanence of life, or ignores
the fundamental nature of reality, to protect one’s own beliefs or greed.
In Buddhism these three poisons are depicted at the center of the bhavachakra, also known
as the wheel of life, a visual representation of the sorrows of samsara, the cycle of rebirth
and death.
Craving is depicted as a rooster, hatred as a snake, and delusion as a pig.
Importantly, they feed off one another; each animal consuming the tail end of the other,
making it a vicious cycle of interdependence.
This vicious cycle of all three poisons is something we experience daily from both externally
and from within.
Our craving to earn more money and buy materialistic things, for example, leads to greed and showcases
hatred and anger towards anything that denies them those luxuries.
One will go the extra mile to achieve those things ignoring everything that tells them
otherwise.
The Buddha taught that people whose understanding of life is darkened by ignorance, craving,
and aversion condemn themselves to spinning round and round on this wheel, dying only
to be reborn in the same suffering state eternally, and therefore cannot reach nirvana.
These three poisons are opposed by three wholesome, or positive attitudes essential to liberate
oneself from this painful cycle of rebirths and reach Nirvana.
They are generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom and all the buddhist practices are
directed toward the cultivation of these virtues and the reduction or destruction of the poisons.
3.
The Truth of Nirodha
In the words of The Buddha “The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering is this: it
is the complete cessation of that very craving, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating
oneself from it, detaching oneself from it”.
After the Buddha realized the truth about suffering and its causes, he spent six years
committed to discovering a realization about the end of suffering.
Eventually he found the solution to end all suffering is to remove it from its roots,
which is to remove all desire, ill will and ignorance.
Thus the third noble truth is Nirodha, which refers to the cessation of craving, letting
go of the mind’s desires to end suffering.
This particular truth moves the teachings of the Buddha from being an exercise in analysis
to an invitation to transform ourselves.
In order to stop craving, we must understand what it is that we are actually craving and
recognize that if nothing is truly permanent, then it can never satisfy one’s needs.
The end of suffering comes with an end to craving when one realizes that what one is
craving is not true reality, but merely a fantasy that imitates and exaggerates reality.
Putting an end to our desires and cravings is a simple thought to conceptualize.
However, actually realizing and letting go of our desires is a completely different matter,
and a difficult state to achieve.
Imagine an individual who smokes cigarettes habitually and knows they need to quit.
Nevertheless, they continue to smoke and have trouble giving up.
Buddha says that it is possible to end craving – in the same way a therapist or support
group encourages someone to stop smoking by first letting the person know that it can
be done.
It requires an individual to possess a mental state that can recognise and understand the
meaning of their suffering, their craving for cigarettes and how their craving is further
adding to their suffering.
By recognising and reflecting on one’s actions and emotions, asking questions about the reason
behind the emotions felt, helps one gain insights into the root cause of their suffering.
Most importantly, this helps gain an understanding of the relationship between craving and suffering.
For instance, if one loses a material object or their car suffers damage, they experience
dukkha.
But, what if that person reflected on the emotion by asking themselves questions like,
what’s the reason behind this suffering?
What made me so attached to the object?
Why do I feel this way?
And Why is this act making me suffer?
Such thought-provoking questions help individuals gain insights into how our mind craves desires
and attachments, and how we can let go of such feelings and emotions.
This could start from something as small as not being in a state of unhappiness when we
lose a material object or fail to achieve a target.
Instead, one can build an attitude of calmness and peacefulness, no matter the consequences.
By achieving such insight and understanding, one can eventually let go of cravings and
desires.
4.
The truth of Magga
In our final quote from Buddha for this video, he says, “What is the path that leads to
the cessation of suffering?
It is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right view, right thought, right speech,
right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right contemplation.”
The fourth truth is magga, meaning "the path", by which Buddha means his "middle way" in
navigating life.
The third noble truth talks about the cessation of suffering, whereas this fourth noble truth
talks about the path that will lead towards the objective of cessation of suffering.
The Biddha says that there is a path which leads one away from craving and suffering
and he calls this path “the middle path”, the path that leads to Nirvana.
This middle path is the line between luxury and extreme poverty, a balance between overindulging
and depriving ourselves of the things we desire.
To practice the Middle Way, one must free oneself of one’s desires.
Buddha never said not to have goals, not to want something.
He tells us not to get attached to these desires and to celebrate the idea of “just enough”
and embrace a more balanced, sustainable lifestyle.
This path is not a quick fix; it requires a radical shift of one’s mindset and perception
of the world.
This path has some set of principles and rules that leads to the cessation of suffering as
it focuses on the Eightfold Path, the eight factors that rely on each other which leads
to new insights and understanding and is marked by discipline and wisdom.
The Eightfold Path is divided into three disciplines, “Prajna”, the wisdom path, “Sila”,
the ethical path, and “Samadhi”, the mental discipline path.
The three disciplines lead towards a path that can ultimately free a person from Samsara.
The three disciplines are divided into eight practice areas, each part of a wheel, the
eight-spoked “Dharma Wheel”.
Buddha’s Eight Fold Path is explained as, “Prajna”, the wisdom path, under that
we have Right View, which emphasizes understanding
and gaining insights into the true reality, and;
Right Intention, which are thoughts that are selfless and generous.
Under “Sila”, the ethical path, we have Right Speech, which is always indulging in
communication that promotes harmony and is free of malice.
Right Action, which is taking righteous actions and not causing others harm, and;
Right Livelihood, which is making a living through actions and work which doesn’t harm
others.
And under “Samadhi”, the mental discipline path, we have
Right Effort, practicing and cultivating wholesome qualities, and not practicing qualities that
are selfish.
Right Mindfulness, which is a mental state where one is mindful and aware of their body,
actions, and thoughts, and; Right Concentration, which is an area that
is associated with indulging in meditative practices.
According to Buddha, the significance of the wheel is essential.
It denotes that all areas of practice are equally important, with no beginning or an
end, and when practiced all at once, each area supports the other and helps us to use
the three doors - our body, mind and speech carefully.
Buddha taught that when we learn to use our body, speech and mind carefully, it would
lead to present and future happiness as it helps us to refrain from harmful actions,
thus it would remove unnecessary suffering.
By controlling our body, speech and mind in ways that help others, instead of harming
them and by pursuing wisdom, we can end suffering.
Therefore true happiness is achievable through personal effort.
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Thanks so much for watching.