The Eight Fold Path

As Siddhartha finally finds his enlightenment after a long years of searching, the historical Buddha’s also finds his enlightenment. After his negative experience with the self-denial of the world and the body, he suddenly comes to a realization that one must live life the way he or she is destined to live. He also believes that a teaching or religion can only help guide a person to the right path; but it is the person’s decision to find his or her own enlightenment on their own. “He did not force His followers to be slaves either to His teachings or to Himself, but granted complete freedom of thought and admonished His followers to accept His words not merely out of regard for Him but after subjecting them a thorough examination…”12 This set of teaching is compelling to me because the historical Buddha learns that one must live life their own way in order to find their own peace and happiness.

The Kosala Buddhist Center in Carrboro, North Carolina helps preserve the Buddhism tradition in American by assisting current and newly reformed Buddhist participants through a variety of programs each day of the week. At the Kosala Buddhism Center, the instructor for Meditating 101, Gunther Huang, is originally from China and is in the Chapel Hill area on a scholarship visa. His since of humor and sincerity is an excellent trait to exhibit when welcoming people into the practice for the first time to gain a sense of welcome and comfort. However, Gunther Huang is not the only person who welcomes people with open arms, all of the instructors of the programs have an underlying goal to teach others the original traditions and beliefs of Zen Buddhism

Conclusion: The mind is substantively different from the body and indeed matter in general. Because in this conception the mind is substantively distinct from the body it becomes plausible for us to doubt the intuitive connection between mind and body. Indeed there are many aspects of the external world that do not appear to have minds and yet appear none the less real in spite of this for example mountains, sticks or lamps, given this we can begin to rationalize that perhaps minds can exist without bodies, and we only lack the capacity to perceive them.

Unfittingly, the most popular portrayal of Buddha’s attitude towards philosophy is illustrated by his “Parable of the Poisoned Arrow”. The parable is a response to the skeptic’s enquiries into the Buddha’s metaphysical views. To summarize this parable; a poisonous arrow wounds a man. His companions and relatives wish to provide him with a surgeon. But, the man says, “I will not have the arrow removed until I know who it was that wounded me.”

In “The Buddha’s Message” by Christopher Gowans, we are presented with an overview of the Buddha’s teaching. Gowans expounds on certain central aspects of Buddhism, namely the idea of suffering, the 4 Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and Nirvana providing examples and analogies to elucidate these ideas. In this paper, I shall argue in agreement with the sentiment that life is suffering on two main fronts, those being that I agree with the idea that the universe possesses an impermanent nature, causing happiness gained from fulfilling all desires impermanent as well and thus suffering inevitable, followed by my belief that flesh naturally begets suffering, that is, our physical existence is a source of suffering so long as we physically exist.

In Stephen Batchelor’s book, Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening he goes into depth about the idea that Buddhism is not a religion or something to believe in, but rather a mindset that is a way of living with a course of action. Throughout the book he gives examples and tells stories to defend the idea that Buddhism is more than just something to believe in, but it is a way of living. Batchelor noted that when it comes to viewing Buddhism as a religion it is important to know the way Buddha viewed himself “Instead of presenting himself as a savior, he saw himself as a healer” (6). His ‘job’ was not to convert people to believe in his beliefs, rather, he wanted to show them through actions how fulfilling his way of living

Because of the necessary condition of the suffering

The concept of transcendence in Buddhism refers to the process of transcending the limitations of the ego and gaining a deeper understanding of the nature of reality. Through practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and the cultivation of wisdom and compassion, Buddhists seek to cultivate inner qualities that can help them transcend the limitations of the ego and gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings. Enlightenment, on the other hand, refers to the ultimate state of spiritual realization and liberation from suffering that can be attained through the practice of Buddhism. The Buddha's teachings emphasize the importance of cultivating inner qualities such as wisdom, compassion, and equanimity as a means of achieving enlightenment. These characteristics are also exhibited on Sarnath Stambha.

For someone new to Buddhism, you will find the path as a paradox. It is the process of learning how to unlearn, the way to use conditions to attain the unconditioned. To make it easier for you, you must first understand what ‘awakening’ is. Awakening is a heightened state of wisdom and spirituality where you realize your true nature.

 Its practice does not mean going into a trance, since the attempt is not to leave or change the experience of this moment, but to be present within it.  Mindfulness is not only for monks or priests – it is a way of connecting with the natural quality of awareness and presence, which all humans have.

1.2 Cause of suffering Suffering or evil could be divided into two major categories: physical and moral. Both have their own cause. Every action or deed has its own particular motive to do or to present. Whatever happens in the life, immediately we ask “why” and we search the reason for it. Especially when man faces trials and tribulations, he asks why all these things are happening in his life and what he has done to undergo this.

After I done meditating, I became more familiar of what my body tried to

Instead, other people can still perceive the body and interact with it, despite not being possessed by a mind. As humans near the possibility of developing technologies that can manipulate how the mind and body interact with the physical world, discussions intensify on whether such a feat is plausible or not. So, the final question is: can the body live without the mind? The conclusion that has been reached here says yes. Through an ideal set of physics, physicalism can be reliable enough to prove that the body is a material substance.

Zen Buddhism can be fairly confusing to the average person; the teachings and stories may come across as arbitrary or nonsensical. However, do not let that deter you from getting to experience a religion that offers a highly different perspective of the world. The focus will be on analyzing some of the common themes of Zen Buddhism that comprises the Zen Slogan (associated with the First Patriarch). The phrase is: “a special transmission outside of the teachings not established upon words and letters; it directly points to the human mind and seeing one’s Nature one becomes a Buddha.”

The Second Noble Truth is that the suffering that you feel on earth all comes from desire. The Buddha noticed that the suffering that all people go through seemed to have one common link the desire or craving to have what we cannot have; much like an addiction or fear of losing what we have. Some desires are more apparent to us such as the desire to have food, sleep, shelter, and sleep while others are much more indirect such as the desire for privacy, friendship, security, and respect. Other desires tend to come from the standards of society such as fashion, alcohol and drugs, entertainment, and high-class foods. Everyone deals with some type of desire in their life and these desires ultimately causes one to suffer.