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THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS
isara solutions, 2019
Buddhism is one of the world's largest religions and originated 2,600 years ago in India. Buddhists believe that human life is one of suffering and that meditation, spiritual and physical labour and good behaviour are the ways to achieve enlightenment or nirvana. 1 Siddhartha Gautama, a prince who resigned his privileged upbringing for the lifestyle of an ascetic (e.g., Basham 1967; Davids 1910; Lamotte 1988; Lopez 2001), is said to be the founder of Indian Buddhism around the fifth or sixth century BCE (archaeological history of Buddhism). Siddhartha attained enlightenment after many hardships, discovering the way to terminate the cycle of reincarnation and misery. He taught this method to an expanding number of disciples for the rest of his life. Following his death, his students proceeded to spread the Buddha's teachings and founded the sangha, a community of monks and nuns. Members of the sangha2 were originally roaming ascetics who lived outside of society, begging for sustenance and practising meditation and other ascetic practises. In contrast to the sangha's austere practises, the Buddhist laity began making pilgrimages to important places in the Buddha's life, as well as to burial sites-stupas-that housed cremated remains. The goal of this research is to look at the cultural, economic, and social effects of Buddhism. Buddhism had a significant impact on Magadh's culture, political structure, and socioeconomic situations. The story of Buddhism might be said to have begun with a loss of innocence. Siddhartha Gautama, a young prince of the Shakhya clan in India, had been raised in a life of royal ease, shielded from the misery and cruelties of the world outside the palace gates, distracted by sensual pleasures and luxurious living. But one day the fateful encounter with the real world occurred, and Siddhartha was shaken to the core. 2 There in his kingdom, not far from his gardens and delights, he encountered people suffering from sickness, old age and death; he brooded over these things, deeply disturbed that such was the fate of all beings. Then he encountered an ascetic holy man, a renunciate dedicated to liberation. The prince then undertook the great renunciation, forsaking his family, fortune and kingdom in pursuit of the path of liberation. The central, profound question that burned in Gautama was this: "How may suffering be ended?" He became a wandering ascetic, practised yogic disciplines and meditation, studied with various teachers, and attained high states of consciousness; but still, he did not find the answer to his question. He practised severe forms of asceticism, almost to the point of death by starvation, all without gain. Finally he sat under a Bodhi tree, determined not to rise from meditation until he had gained the
A CHRISTIAN-BUDDHIST DIALOGUE ON THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
A CHRISTIAN-BUDDHIST DIALOGUE ON THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS, 2021
For the first time, in the Vatican Council II (1962-65), the Catholic Church recognized non-Christian religions as entities that the Church should respect and with which Christians should enter into dialogue. Being on the same page, the World Council of Churches (WCC) affirms that from her initiation, the Church has been confessing that God is reconciling the world to Himself via His Son and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Again, the WCC holds that, throughout history, the Church has been seeking to apply the basics of her faith to concrete situations in which she has been finding herself in her endless missiological journeys. Nowadays, the Church is called upon to empower her members to relate to people of other religions and to live as witnesses with others. These points justify the necessity of this article, which is entitled "A Christian-Buddhist Dialogue on the Four Noble Truths." In the context of interreligious dialogue, this article seeks to explain the four Noble Truths of Buddhism in the light of Christian Soteriology. To that end, this article begins with a simplified explanation of the four Noble Truths of Buddhism after which it seeks to re-explain and re-express the same noble truths in the light of Christian Soteriology. Ultimately, this article reveals that Christians and Buddhists can borrow from each other towards enriching their respective soteriologies. Regarding its methodology, this article employs the review of the relevant literature, the principles of Nostra Eatate No. 2, the comparative method, and rational reflection.
Suffering and healing: An interpretation of the Buddhist doctrine of the four noble truths
The Journal of Medical Humanities, 1993
The Buddha's method of spMtual release is crystallized in the Four Noble Truths. The Four Truths profile the condition of an individual's life. It explains the cause of suffering, the means through wh&h an individual residing in a transient world can extract oneself from samsara and propel oneself into an abiding spiritual reality or nirvana. This four stage method parallels the principles of diagnosis, etiology, recovery or health, and therapeutics, which are employed by physicians in their clinical practice. This article is a reflection on this method and its practical application.
Evangelical Missiological Society, North Central Conference, 2020
The ultimate purpose of this article is to show the value of Ecclesiastes by using the book's message to restate the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism in Christian terminology. To some degree, Christians relatively agree with Buddhists on the first and second Truths, that all of existence is suffering and that this suffering is caused by an unhealthy attachment to desire of the worldly. However, while Buddhists, in their primarily atheistic worldview, teach that man must eliminate desire, Christians, in their theistic worldview, can restate the Four Noble Truths to teach that man must simply reorient his desire toward someone non-worldly. The article begins with an overview of both the diagnosis-cure model for understanding religions and an overview of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. Then, I provide a few of the most pertinent similarities and differences between the two religions. After showing the relevance of Ecclesiastes to Buddhists, I employ the book to present the "Four Noble Truths of Christianity," as a contextualized message for missionaries to present in their attempts to make the gospel known to Buddhists.
Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta: Investigation of the Four Noble Truths
This article explores the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as expounded by the Buddha in the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta in the Dīgha Nikāya. The emphasis is on the objects of meditation within the dhammā-nupassanā, the Fourth Foundation, and its object of the Four Noble Truths. The article posits that the meditator can access the Four Noble Truths in their true nature as eternal laws of the Dhamma. By accessing these eternal laws the meditator can understand the truth of suffering in itself, giving them a better understanding of what the true nature of suffering is and thus, giving the meditator a better understanding of how to react to suffering with true compassion. link https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ards-K15JPw-uQb478zq5BSboSI8
The Practical Application of Tiparivaṭṭa and Dvādasākāra in Understanding the Four Noble Truth
The Journal of International Buddhist Studies College (JIBSC), 2024
This research mainly aimed to (1) explain the Four Noble Truths as the core of Buddha's teachings, (2) study the concept of Dukkha and Nirodha in Buddhism, and (3) explain the practical application of the Three Phases (tiparivaṭṭa) and Twelve Aspects (dvādasākāra) in understanding the Four Noble Truths. It is a qualitative research methodology with a library approach, which collects data from primary and secondary sources. The Pali Canon, which contains the original teaching of the Buddha, and commentaries which contain further explanations given by Elders, are considered the primary sources. The secondary sources include articles, journals, and books written by temporary scholars. With this approach, the relevant data are gathered, examined and concluded. This research shows that the Four Noble Truths are the core of the Buddha's teaching. The Noble Truths structure the entire teaching of the Buddha, containing its many other principles just as the elephant's footprint includes the footprints of all other animals. The Noble Truths is a teaching unique to the Buddhas (Buddhānaṃ sāmukkaṃsikā dhammadesanā). It deals with the four truths, namely the truth of suffering (dukkha), the origin of suffering (dukkhasamudaya), the cessation of suffering (dukkhanirodha) and the path leading to the cessation of suffering (dukkhanirodhagāminīpaṭipadā). It shows that the concept of Dukkha and Nirodha in Buddhism is unique. Possessing knowledge about the Four Noble Truths is called Right View (sammādiṭṭhi), the first factor of the Eightfold Noble Path explained by the Buddha as the path leading to the cessation of suffering. However, mere acquittance with these truths, devoid of corresponding actions, proves insufficient for achieving ultimate liberation. The concept of Three Phases (tiparivaṭṭa) and Twelve Aspects (dvādasākāra) is presented to explain the Four Noble Truths and to guide the followers about the proper response should be adopted.