Buddhism

Introduction

Where did Buddhism come from

Buddhist philosophy was developed by a man called Siddhartha Gautama in (what is now) Nepal, in the 6th century B.C. The term buddha means "enlightened one".

Was Gautama a real person?

Scholars agree that Siddhartha Gautama lived. His father was either a type of king or an elected chieftain of a a small republic or oligarch, so he was born into wealth.

Some other historical events in his life are debatable. There isn't a lot of documentation of his early life.

According to the stories, he grew up in luxury and was sheltered from all suffering, and then one day after witnessing death he left his home to discover the nature of suffering. For many years he lived as an ascetic, but eventually realised that this path was not leading to an ultimate escape. As the story goes, he instead resolved to sit under a bodhi tree and meditate until he knew the the source of his mental suffering. After endless days of meditation, he found the cause. The Four Noble Truths was the first lesson that he taught, and is a fundamental tenet of Buddhism.

Should any of this be believed?

Buddhism is a practical philosophy so the origination of the philosophy isn't so important. From Guatama himself:

"When you know for yourselves that these qualities ... lead to welfare & to happiness — then you should enter and remain in them.”

i.e.: listen to what is said, take on what is useful, and discard what is not.

The Four Noble Truths

Guatama taught his first lesson to the ascetics that he had lived with for many years. In this lesson he explained four key truths:

1. There is suffering, and it is universal
2. There is a cause of this suffering
3. There is a way to end this suffering
4. The way out of suffering - a way for us to live

These are not absolute truths - there cannot be absolute suffering if there is also a cessation of suffering.

First truth: there is suffering

Forms of suffering: suffering, unsatisfying, unreliable.

Dukkha, the Pali word commonly translated as "suffering", has a few addtional qualities beyond just suffering. It also has the qualities of being unsatisfying or unreliable.

At first it could seem that only "unpleasant" experiences can cause suffering. However, because of another fundamental concept - impermanence - even a pleasurable experience will eventually lead to dissatisfaction.

There is also little we can do to recreate pleasurable experiences in the same way and with the same intensity. The pleasure that we derive from an experience will be different or diminished, even if we go through the same process to recreate that experience (if we are able to recreate it at all). All experiences are also therefore unreliable.

Second truth: there is a cause of suffering

Dissatisfaction is not caused by the experiences themselves. The experiences simply exist, as they are. The suffering ultimately comes from our clinging to the experience. There are a set chain of events which occur:

1. We start with an ignorant view of the world, one where we don't understand the unsatisfying nature of the world. We act in accordance to this world view.
2. Through our action, we experience thing through the senses.
3. The sensations give rise to feelings (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral).
4. Craving: We have a desire more pleasant feelings, and seek to avoid pain.
5. Clinging: The craving leads to grasping, leading to a sense of identity (to ideas, possessions, etc).
6. Becoming: this identity, full of ignorance, determines the actions we take.

At it's core, the cause of suffering is our ignorance of the "true nature of reality". In Buddhism, this is referred to as the "Three Marks of Existence". Roughly speaking:

1. Impermanence: nothing is permanent
2. Suffering: the nature of experience is unreliable
3. No-self: we believe ourselves to be a fixed entity. In reality we are just five constantly-changing components (see the [Three Marks of Existence](#three marks of existence)).

Third Truth: Cessation of Suffering

TBD

Fourth truth: the path out of suffering

Eightfold :

• Wisdom
  • Right Understanding
  • Right Aspiration
• Morality
  • Right Speech
  • Right Action
  • Right Livelihood
• Concentration
  • Right Effort
  • Right Mindfulness
  • Right Concentration

The Three Marks of Existence

The true nature of reality and experience:

1. Impermanence: everything is in a constant state of change.
2. Suffering: Life involves dissatisfaction.
3. No-self: There is no permanent, unchanging self.

The first to are relatively easy to experience. Sit for 10 minutes and try to do nothing: in that 10 minutes you will find that nothing has really stayed the same and, more than likely, you've become dissatisfied. These you can experience directly from moment to moment. Through your experience you can project the concepts onto everything else in life.

"No-self" is a bit harder to experience, because there is clearly something that just experienced that 10 minutes of sitting. In reality we are just five constantly-changing components:

1. Form: the physical aspects of existence. For example the body, which is always changing.
2. Feeling: the sensations that arise from physical and mental phenomena. Feelings are in constant flux.
3. Perception: The mental process of of recognizing, labelling, categorizing, etc.
4. Mental formations: the volitional and emotional aspects of our minds: intentions, desires, habits, etc.
5. Consciousness: an awareness function that arises from our senses and mental experiences.

Resources

• Who was the buddha? (opens new window)