#4nobletruths

I've decided I need a bit of a Buddhism 101 refresher for myself. So I've started re-studying the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Things have gotten so complicated and convoluted for me spiritually over the past 18 months to two years that I need to stop, purge and focus. And I've found that as soon as someone discovers what your beliefs are, they are instantly onto you to tell you you're wrong, why you're wrong and - how THEY can get you onto "the right way". Bollocks to that. I am quite capable of figuring things out for myself thank you very much. In fact, the more I see the bias, ignorance and hypocrisy of those who are so eager to help me, the more I want to be free of ANY religious path. Now, I believe in a Divine Spirit who created this world and all of us on it - humans, animals, plants - ALL sentient beings. And I'm pretty sure It did not want the current state of affairs on this planet as the end result. I can't speak for the Creator, but I bet I'm not far off the mark with that statement.

I think because I've been tying myself in knots trying to figure out what's right for me spiritually and trying to make it fit into my ethical and moral framework, I've just ended up becoming a mess of confusion and stress. It's not working for me and it needs to change. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. For a start, I will no longer enter into conversations with people, including close friends and family, on my beliefs and opinions on anything religious. It only ever ends in arguments and harsh words, and I am no longer willing to absorb that negativity into my day to day life. I will no longer volunteer any information about my beliefs to any organisations - hospitals, work places or others - when they ask for it. My standard answer will be "that's not necessary for you to know" because legally I do NOT have to provide it and I no longer feel comfortable applying a spiritual label to myself at this point in time. And to be perfectly honest, at this point in time, I really don't know HOW I feel about my spiritual path.

What I DO know, is that Buddhism is in line with my ethical and moral compass so I think I will focus on that and let God/dess/Creator do Its thing and reveal Its plan for me at the right time and place. The less stress the better. Besides, I have long believed that you do not have to believe in a deity to be a good person. That more than ever applies. And for now, meditation, the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are my guide.

The Buddha centered all of his teaching on these truths. They are called ‘Noble” because they ennoble the person who understands them, and ‘Truths’ because as they correspond with true reality.

The Four Noble Truths are:

1. The Noble Truth of Dukkha - Dukkha is a multi-faceted word. Its literal meaning is "that which is difficult to bear". To live, you must suffer. It is impossible to live without experiencing some kind of suffering. We have to endure physical suffering like sickness, injury, tiredness, old age and eventually death and we have to endure psychological suffering like loneliness, frustrations, fear, embarrassment, disappointment, anger, etc. Simply, it says that to live is to experience physical and psychological suffering which is a statement so true and so obvious that it cannot be denied.

2. The Noble Truth of Samudaya.  This cause is defined as grasping and clinging or aversion. On one hand it is trying to control anything and everything by grabbing onto or trying to pin it down; on the other hand it is control by pushing away or pushing down and running away from things. At the core, this truth tells us that getting what we want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what is wanted, try to modify the act of wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness.

3. The Noble Truth of the end of Dukkha. This is perhaps the most important of the Four Noble Truths because in it the Buddha reassures us that true happiness and contentment are possible. When we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time, enjoying without restless wanting the experiences that life offers us, patiently enduring the problems that life involves without fear, hatred and anger, then we become happy and free. Then, and only then, do we being to live fully. Because we are no longer obsessed with satisfying our own selfish wants, we find we have so much time to help others fulfill their needs. This state is called Nirvana.

4. The Noble Truth of the Path that leads to Awakening. The final truth is actually the 8 steps to end Dukkha. To end suffering we must end craving. The Buddha shows us how through his way, commonly referred to as “The Middle Way” which consists of Perfect Understanding, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness and Perfect Concentration. You will notice that the steps on the Noble Eight-fold Path covers every aspect of life: the intellectual, the ethical, the social and economic and the psychological and therefore contain everything a person needs to lead a good life and to develop spiritually.