THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS AND THE EIGHT-FOLD PATH
Flowering Lotus Meditation and Retreat Center is dedicated to helping people transform their lives through the meditative process. We believe that an awareness of the true nature of life opens the gates to living life fuller. We embrace the teachings of the historical Buddha.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1. The First Noble Truth: Life is suffering
The Buddha taught that life is suffering. From the moment of birth we are faced with pain, growing old, illness, sorrow, lamentation, despair, emotional stress, anxiety, disappointment, sadness, wanting to rid oneself of it sadness, , happiness and the desire to want to have it last forever, the changing aspects of life accompanied by a desire to have things stay the same, and of course death. There is an unsatisfactoriness to life that permeates all of our experiences.
2. The Second Noble Truth: The Cause or Origin of Suffering
The Buddha taught that the cause of suffering is craving or desire. We constantly and continuously crave or desire: material things, relationships, more of whatever we have, less of what we have that we don't want, more and bigger and better, recognition, education, prestige, spiritual aspirations, etc. This unending craving to try to satisfy the inherent feelings of unsatisfactoriness is the root of our suffering.
3. The Third Noble Truth: The Cessation of Suffering
The Buddha taught that it is, indeed, possible to decrease and even rid oneself of suffering by ridding ourselves of craving. It is possible to relinquish, let go of and reject craving.
4. The Fourth Noble Truth: The Noble Eightfold Path
The Buddha taught that we can rid ourselves of suffering caused by craving through diligently following The Noble Eightfold Path.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
This is the path described by the Buddha as the way to rid ourselves of all suffering.
1. Right or Wise View: Knowledge of the cause and origin of suffering.
2. Right or Wise Intention: Intent to rid oneself of ill-will, cruelty and craving.
3. Right or Wise Speech: Engaging in constructive speech and avoiding harsh, malicious speech and idle chatter.
4. Right or Wise Action: Abstaining from killing living beings, abstaining from taking what is not given, and abstaining from sexual misconduct.
5 Right or Wise Livelihood: Abandoning wrong livelihood and engaging in right livelihood.
6. Right or Wise Effort: Strenuous zeal for maintaining wholesome states of mind.
7. Right or Wise Mindfulness: Contemplates regarding the body as body, feelings as feelings, mind as mind and mind-objects as mind-objects.
8. Right or Wise Concentration: Upon relinquishing unwholesome states of mind and body, is able to abide in sustained thought states accompanied by sensations of bliss.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1. The First Noble Truth: Life is suffering
The Buddha taught that life is suffering. From the moment of birth we are faced with pain, growing old, illness, sorrow, lamentation, despair, emotional stress, anxiety, disappointment, sadness, wanting to rid oneself of it sadness, , happiness and the desire to want to have it last forever, the changing aspects of life accompanied by a desire to have things stay the same, and of course death. There is an unsatisfactoriness to life that permeates all of our experiences.
2. The Second Noble Truth: The Cause or Origin of Suffering
The Buddha taught that the cause of suffering is craving or desire. We constantly and continuously crave or desire: material things, relationships, more of whatever we have, less of what we have that we don't want, more and bigger and better, recognition, education, prestige, spiritual aspirations, etc. This unending craving to try to satisfy the inherent feelings of unsatisfactoriness is the root of our suffering.
3. The Third Noble Truth: The Cessation of Suffering
The Buddha taught that it is, indeed, possible to decrease and even rid oneself of suffering by ridding ourselves of craving. It is possible to relinquish, let go of and reject craving.
4. The Fourth Noble Truth: The Noble Eightfold Path
The Buddha taught that we can rid ourselves of suffering caused by craving through diligently following The Noble Eightfold Path.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
This is the path described by the Buddha as the way to rid ourselves of all suffering.
1. Right or Wise View: Knowledge of the cause and origin of suffering.
2. Right or Wise Intention: Intent to rid oneself of ill-will, cruelty and craving.
3. Right or Wise Speech: Engaging in constructive speech and avoiding harsh, malicious speech and idle chatter.
4. Right or Wise Action: Abstaining from killing living beings, abstaining from taking what is not given, and abstaining from sexual misconduct.
5 Right or Wise Livelihood: Abandoning wrong livelihood and engaging in right livelihood.
6. Right or Wise Effort: Strenuous zeal for maintaining wholesome states of mind.
7. Right or Wise Mindfulness: Contemplates regarding the body as body, feelings as feelings, mind as mind and mind-objects as mind-objects.
8. Right or Wise Concentration: Upon relinquishing unwholesome states of mind and body, is able to abide in sustained thought states accompanied by sensations of bliss.
