The Hidden Buddha Within Us
In today in America we live in a fast pace society where people take on a lot of responsibilities. Taking on too much can lead to stress and physical illnesses. There are a number of things people can do to reduce stress like exercise and eating healthy. Practicing meditation can be influential on both a person’s physical and mental health.
Meditation is… a systematic technique for taking hold of and concentrating to the utmost degree our latent mental power” (Eknath 9). Meditation originated in Southeast Asia over 2,500 years ago from the Buddha’s teachings. Interestingly enough, the Buddha was not what most artists depict him as today. He was not really some obese man, and the “fat Buddha” actually represents a Buddhist monk who lived long after the Buddha. The Buddha’s were originally given orally, which is why many of his teachings are in list, to be easier to remember. The Buddha’s teachings are followed as a way of life. There are no rules in Buddhism- there are simply steps.
The four noble truths are the main teachings of Buddhism, along with the eightfold path. The four noble truths are meant to be the steps to end suffering. The first noble truth is life means suffering. Suffering is going to happen in life and many believe there is nothing you can do about it. Second, the origin of suffering is attachment. This means suffering is caused when people cling to things, ideas, or even other people. Thirdly, the cessation of suffering is attainable. Which can be translated to mean there is a way to end suffering. And finally, there is a path to the cessation, which means the path to end suffering, is meditation and the eightfold path.
The eightfold path is the way people should live to end suffer...
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..., but when in fact it does not. Many people make the excuse for not meditating because they believe it will interfere with their belief in God, when in most cases that’s not true. For example, depending on the person’s faith, prayer is a personal thing along with meditation. When people pray they often talk to God or think quietly about a prayer. These can also be forms of meditation. Although meditation has its differences. For example, prayer is mostly a type of communication between a “believer” and a God. When in some sorts of meditation, like Transcendental meditation, there is the belief in many Gods. Though its assumed that meditation creates a disadvantage for a “believer” it actually strengthens that relationship between the two. “The purpose for Christian meditation will be to realize the unity of all personality with the personality of Christ” (Swani 96).
In order to understand the concepts of the Four Noble Truths, one needs to understand the aim of Buddhist practice. “The aim of Buddhist practice is to cure craving, the desire conditioned by ignorance that leads to suffering” (Demoss 1).2 Buddhism advocates meditation, and a “…goal of Buddhist meditation is to produce right mindfulness, an alert awareness of what is happening in body, mind, and world at the present moment” (Demoss 318).3 “Traditionally, ‘right action’ is defined in Buddhist ethics by the five percepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in illicit sex, do not lie, and do not become intoxicated” (Demoss 319).4 “According to Buddhism a person does not have an intrinsic permanent changeless identity. There is no core self. The self is empty” (Demoss 1).5 The Four Noble Truths provide a conceptual framework for all Buddhist thought. According to the Four Noble Truths, craving leads to suffering, but craving can cease if one cultivates a path of mental discipline, wisdom, and moral conduct (Demoss 309).6 An understanding of Buddhism is...
However, meditation is not as common within Buddhism as most believe. There is a large assumption “that Buddhism and meditation go hand in hand”, but the majority of Buddhists have focused on “cultivating moral behavior, preserving the Buddha’s teachings (dharma), and acquiring good karma”(Braun 2014, p.1). Meditation and Buddhism are often assumed to be one and same, but this is also not true. As Buddhism has gained popularity among lay people it’s practices have changed Buddha’s teaching of the middle path has adapted to meditation being “possible in the city” rather than with monks in jungles and caves (p.4). As seen in Burma, in less than 75 years Buddhism and meditation were able to grow “from a pursuit of the barest sliver of the population to a duty of the ideal citizen” (p.5). While meditation is not the core of Buddhism it has encouraged the growth of Buddhism as it’s practice of mindfulness has been inspiring an approachable model (p.6). Meditation and mindfulness are easily manipulated to secularization, but still have significance in Buddhism and following the patterns of your
In addition, Buddhism places emphasis on the Four Noble Truths, which is the teaching of Buddha, a guide to enlightenment. These are a set of guidance that basically teaches the followers of Buddha the essence of...
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
Meditation is essentially an umbrella term. It includes basically any practice that helps concentration and reaching enlightenment. In a sense, it includes techniques for self-regulating the mind and your desires. This means that meditation can include a number of different practices like love, compassion, mindfulness, breathing, emptiness, tantra or patience.
Meditation is logical in not only the minds of Buddhist practitioners, but also in those of scientific standpoints. Meditation, however, is not exclusive to Buddhism alone. These brain scan studies showed that Franciscan nuns that spend tim... ... middle of paper ... ... point of view, I do not mind or wish to impose Buddhism on them.
In the Buddha’s first sermon, he laid out the four main ideas that he had been enlightened with; he called them the Four Noble Truths. 1) Everything in life is suffering and sorrow. 2) The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desire for the temporary pleasures of this world. 3)
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Meditation is a way to open up all areas of the body and release anything that may be toxic to the spirit. Channeling the spirit through meditation is another familiar practice due to the fact that is believed that the spirit is never dead, only the shell. Through meditation, people believe that they are able to channel their minds so that they might have a more intimate experience with God. People who practice the religion believe that there are more ways to reach God than through Jesus alone. Yes, Jesus is the central avenue but when a soul sees God in all things then they are able to experience the euphoria that comes with being one with
The first grant proposal addressed the effects of meditation on life-span cognitional developmental processes. From my understanding, there is a strong connection to the mindset and self-awareness, as one chooses to mediate for their own reason. Based on the informed information, meditation is used to decrease stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The provided background information and predicted research study will help determine the pros and cons of the process, using the meditation techniques.
One of Buddha’s idea is called the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are a way to know why suffering happens and how to end it. The last truth is where the Eightfold Path comes in. The Eightfold Path is a “middle way” to get things in life the right way, but in a way that does not bring suffering to one’s life. In Buddhism, they have one main goal, which
In Buddha’s first sermon, after his enlightenment, he explained the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. It is evident that everyone experiences suffering at some point in his or her life and that there is a cause
The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism capture the ethos of the spirituality and its teachings. By just these four lessons, Buddha preaches the principles of tranquility within meditation, not mere concentration. From these truths he developed a guidance referred to as the Eightfold Path, a series of principles that lead to awakening when practiced and understood. He preaches that inevitable suffering comes from desire, however he concludes with a solution to a life lived in nirvana. The first two of the Four Noble Truths are Dukha and Avidya, focusing on the primitive presence of suffering within day to day life.
The four noble truths exemplify the essence of the teachings of Buddha. They represent the beginning of a long journey to inner peace, happiness, and most importantly an end to suffering. Seven weeks after the Buddha reached enlightenment at a place called Sarnath, in India, he gave his first teaching. This is referred to as setting the wheel of Dharma in motion. (Rahula 27). It was here where Buddha first spoke of the 4 noble truths and solidified them as eternal parts of life.
The Four Noble Truths include: suffering is universal, suffering is caused by desire, in order to end suffering you must crush desire, and the only way to end desire is to follow The Noble Eightfold Path. According to C... ... middle of paper ... ... of what you do in life now will later on effect your fate of you future life.