Main Beliefs

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering (Dukkha)

Meaning to live is to suffer.  All life is suffering because of the impurities of the worl we live in.  In our life time we will inevitably encounter sickness, death, old age, etc.  and endure the suffering - both physical and mental- which this causes.  

1. The origin of suffering is attachment (Samudaya) 

The cause of suffering is attatchment.  This means that because of the attachments we form, because of the friendships, the loves, the expectations that we form, we then suffer from.  The attachment to transient and temporary things is the main cause of our suffering.  Because we become attached to things, and everything is temporary, we suffer.  

1. The cessation of suffering is attainable (Nirodha)

This noble truth states that the end of suffering can be attained through dispassion.  Through the termination of clinging and attachment suffering can be avoided.  Through detachment only can Nirvana be attained.  Nirvana means freedom from all worries, trouble, complexes, fabrications and ideas.  

1. The path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)

There is a path which once followed leads to the cessation of suffering.  It is the middle way between assceticism or self-destructive mortification and over-indulgence.  It is through the eightfold path that we can find the middle way.  During his fire sermon, the Buddha said,"Disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, he is fully released. With full release, there is the knowledge, 'Fully released.' He discerns that 'Birth is depleted, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.” 

The Eight-fold Path

Wisdom Right View
Right Intention
Ethical Conduct Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Meditation Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Right View

Right view is to follow the path of Buddhism and to understand that it is true.  Not to believe or have faith in, but to comprehend and practice.  It means truly seeing the ever-changing and flawed nature of all things.  It is not intelligence as much as wisdom and sagacity.  In the beginning of the journey of the eightfold path it presents itself as intuitive insight of the nature of suffering and the subjection of all things to this suffering and ends as a comprehensive grasp of the true nature of all things.  

Right Intention  

Right Intention refers to the volitional aspect of wisdom, meaning someone’s dedication towards self-improvement and the eightfold path.  The Buddha described three different types of ‘right intentions’: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire 2. the intention of good will, meaning the resistance to feeling of resentment or aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively and to develop compassion.

Right Speech

Right Speech is the first tenet of ethical conduct in the eightfold path.  The importance of speech is paramount and seems an obvious principle in both the Buddhist lifestyle and anybody else’s.  Words can either cultivate friendship or resentment, be the salvation or the destruction of a life, or be the source of peace or conflict.  Right speech in the words of Buddha is explained as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and to not use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth.  Essentially to speak only the truth, to be amiable and caring and to talk only when necessary and not to waste words.  

Right Action

Right actions refers to actions which are verbal in nature.  Impure actions lead to impure states of mind, and inversely wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind.  This means to 1. abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (suicide included) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct.  A large factor in right action is an person’s ability for compassion and respect.  Gandhi said, “To come to the heart of  consciousness or of truth one must be able to love the meanest creature as oneself.”

Right Livelihood 

Right Livelihood means that one should pursue a living and a career path which avoids causing harm.  It means to earn only as much money as we need, and to earn it in a a compassionate way- not causing harm to anyone or anything.  To avoid the abuse of any living being- animal or otherwise, to avoid butchering or raising animals for butcher, or selling drugs/alcohol.  It is important to earn money in a righteous manner and to avoid violating right action and right speech as well.  

Right Effort

Right effort is the will you have to accomplish the other tasks.  Without the will to follow the path, you will lose your way.  Without right effort you cannot achieve anything.  Right effort is define as: 1. preventing the arising of unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain the perfect wholesome states.  Through these steps one is able to prevent a lapse of the mind.  

Right Mindfulness 

Right mindfulness is the pure and mastered ability for cognition.  Usually as our mind registers our surroundings or the current state of being it comprehends it relative to our previous experiences and memories.  Our perception of the world becomes clouded through our subconscious filters.  Right mindfulness is the process of perceiving the world completely rid of any thing which might alter our perception of what truly is. Buddha described the four foundations of mindfulness as: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.  

Right Concentration

The final principle, concentration is a state in which all faculties of the mind and body are working in unison toward one, pure and concentrated state of mind.  Right concentration in concern with the eight-fold path is the act of concentrating upon wholesome thoughts.  The Buddhist method of right concentration is meditation, which is a focus on an object which becomes more and more intense as the meditation becomes deeper.  Meditation can be a means toward concentration throughout the daily life. 

Karma and Rebirth

The wheel of life, “samsara”, is an ancient symbol which symbolizes the cycle of birth, life, and death.  Karma means literally “action” in Sanskrit.  The idea of Karma is that every action you preform will be reflected in the results, a law of cause and effect.  Buddhist karma is the idea that our thoughts, and our actions lead to our state of being.  Unwholesome actions lead to unwholesome states, and inversely, wholesome actions lead to wholesome states.  Early Buddhist texts propose that not all good and bad things that happen to us are the result of karma, and that natural forces.  Tibetan Buddhism and other later texts say that all things good and bad that happen to us are the consequence of our actions.  Buddhism maintains that karma is the result of our actions, and is not a cosmic force is controlling their fate and actioning as a justice system, however this is not karma.  Karma can also follow you from a previous life and cause bad effects.  Additionally, karma determines the status a person will be reborn with.  Bad karma can lead you to come back as an animal, or suffer in a hell realm, whereas good karma can lead to to be reborn in a heavenly realm.  The aim of Buddhism is to escape the cycle of rebirth, not only to cultivate good karma to live more pleasant rebirths.  Essentially, Karma dictates that you are the summation of your actions and decisions.