May 28 2008
Discovering The Four Noble Truths
Greetings and welcome to my blog! Buddhadharma is a broad topic which covers the history of buddhism, its basic philosophy, the goals of buddhism’s adherents, the techniques they use for reaching their goals, and ideas about how buddhism can be applied to everyday life and to the problems of our modern world. The historical buddha, Shakymuni, was a prince who lived in ancient India. As a prince, he was very privileged, and his parents tried hard to insulate him from all the unhappiness that existed in the world. In spite of their best efforts, Prince Shakymuni, who was an intelligent young man, aware of his surroundings, couldn’t help noticing that all people in the world got old, got sick, and eventually died, no matter how rich or privileged they happened to be. Therefore, the prince did not take anything for granted, but started to ask the hard questions about life’s meaning, and soon, he left the palace to practice religion in order to find the answers.
At first, Prince Shakymuni did all kinds of complicated, yogic practices in his efforts to become enlightened about life’s truths. Those practices made him feel like he was doing something special, but they didn’t answer the basic questions he had. Finally, he just decided to sit down under a tree and meditate by following his breath, and he vowed that he would not get up until he was enlightened. This was the simplest practice that he ever did, and it was the one that worked. Sometimes, keeping things simple is the best answer. When he got up, he responded to people’s questions about what he had learned by sharing the Four Noble Truths which he discovered while sitting under the tree. After that, the tree he was sitting under became known as a Bodhi Tree, meaning a wisdom tree.
Tomorrow, we will examine what those Four Noble Truths were and whether or not they apply to our own lives today.
One Response to “Discovering The Four Noble Truths”
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I also believe in “keeping it simple.” When I’ve tried to figure out my life on my own, I made all these complicated committments and had high expectations for changes in my life that never happened. In keeping it simple, I pray and meditate, and I am guided to one decision at a time. I ask for “Thy will, not mine be done” regarding a Higher Power, who I call God. I’ve noticed that since I’ve tried to answer all of life’s questions and can’t that a power greater than I must be the One who has the answers. In practicing prayer and meditation, it has taken a great weight off my shoulders and has taught me humility, which keeps me in a state of grace. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!