What is the human condition?
In Buddhism, life has no point and we are all experiencing the human condition of suffering and desire that causes stress in our lives.
What is the solution to this condition?
We can stop our suffering and achieve enlightenment with the Four Noble Truths. the first noble truth simply says that life is painful. The second noble truth says that the cause of our pain is desire or tanha the desire for private fulfillment. The third noble truth says that if desire is the cause of the problem we should stop it, and finally the fourth noble truth tells us how to stop the desire and suffering by giving us a cure the Eightfold path.
How do we move from problem to solution?
In order to become enlightened and overcome desire you must use the Eightfold path. In our book Huston Smith says, " the way of intentional living, he called the Path. What he proposed was a series of changes designed to release the individual from ignorance, unwitting impulse, and tanha."
The Eightfold Path:
1. Right Views
2. Right Intent
3. Right Speech
4. Right Conduct
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
How to best live the solution in our own lives?
The best way to live this in our lives is to accept the Four Noble Truths and continue to work on and train ourselves to use the Eightfold path. By using this we will stop the desires that stress our lives and not worry about anything but living life.
I enjoyed learning about Buddhism and I liked the philosophy behind it. It was definitely harder to understand than the previous religion Hinduism, but I like being able to see different ways of thinking and different ways of practicing religion.
Why is Buddhism more difficult to grasp than Hinduism? And what do you like about learning about other religions? Does it impact your own belief system at all?
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