I mentioned in a post yesterday that I would be covering the 4 basic religions that cover my current state of existence in more detail, and here is the first installment in that series.
Buddhism isn’t as much about being a religion in of itself as it is a path to wisdom. It has no god or deity, nor has anyone claimed to be in the religion. Heck, even it’s founder (Siddhartha Gotama) never claimed to be anything more than a simple teacher towards the path of enlightenment. And as such, Monks have passed down the teachings of this seemingly simple knowledge for ages, which is by no means a small bit of information to take in. People devote their entire lives to the study of these writings, and still only scratch the surface of its deeper meanings. However, fortunately for newcomers to the path, there are a couple key bits of knowledge that can be quickly understood, if not fully comprehended. These are known as the “Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path”, but what are they? Glad you asked.
- Life is Suffering – From the moment we are born, we start a cycle of pain, getting older, and eventually death which is a completely unavoidable set of events. Moreover feelings such as fear, loneliness, and anger feed the overall suffering of our lives, and make what we go thru while alive all the more difficult.
- Suffering is caused by Craving and Aversion – The more we want, the more we hurt when we can’t get it. After all, we can’t have everything we want if we let our minds get out of control. Moreover even if we get what we want, it doesn’t guarantee happiness in the long run. Instead of trying to get what you want, try to modify what it is you want, and you can attempt to reduce the suffering.
- Suffering can be overcome, and happiness can be obtained – Yes, you can indeed be happy. Give up your useless cravings, and learn to live in the now without focusing on the past or future, and you can truly live a happy life.
- The Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering – Follow the path, and if you reach the end, you too can have a life without suffering
- Noble 8-fold Path – In short, it is being moral, focusing our minds on being aware of what we say and do, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and developing compassion for others.
Sounds simple enough right? Life is suffering, so to be truly happy in life, you must live in the here and now to avoid your wants and desires, which would only lead to more suffering. If only that were the case. I’ve studied these writings and many many more over the years, and I feel as though I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what it really means deep down inside. You see, it’s a lot harder than some might realize, at least in our modern society. Why? Excellent question.
Our society has built itself up on the idea of knowing where people are going to be at what time so that we can get things accomplished. Don’t believe that? What time do you have to work next? Ahhhhh, see? There’s a schedule already laid out for you and so, it’s always on your mind. “I have to be at the job at 9am tomorrow, so I have to go to bed by 11pm” or some such worry. Whether or not you’re even actively thinking about it at the time, it’s there somewhere in your head as a worry or “suffering” if you will. Can it be avoided? Sure, course you wouldn’t last long being unemployed. So many sites that focus on modern Buddhism recommend the practice of limit where you can, and simply accept a certain level of suffering for your “work life”. What does this mean exactly? Ok, we’re always going to have our schedules/etc that keep us focused on the future, but this doesn’t have to bleed over into our personal lives. How many people out there save their old bills, or collect old bank statements? Talk about worrying about the past needlessly. It was something that happened, and you must be able to let that go. It’s baby steps like that, which can set you up for a lifetime of FAR less stress, which in turn, allows you to come that much closer to enlightenment.
All of these things, from the truths, to the thought patterns that they hide within them, have become a cornerstone of the way I live my life. I try to focus on the here and now, and not worry about what I’ve done in the past. Learn what you can, and then simply accept it as the past and move on with your lives. Honestly? If you take nothing else from Buddhism, take that with you. It’s helped me greatly, and I hope it’ll help you the same.
So yea, Buddhism is a very large influence in the way I live my life. Do some reading, you might actually find something you like in there. Here are a couple quick links:
Up on deck next? Druidism… but we’ll save that for another day.
