Buddhism

Megan
Mr. Sanchez
February 10 2013

Intro: 
Buddhism allows one to understand the true nature of reality. Buddhism uses meditation, which develops qualities like awareness, kindness and wisdom. It is not a religion of a western view, for there is no real "god" or thing to be worshiped. 
Teachings:

There is constant change in Buddhism, and it takes advantage of this. Through meditation, Buddhists develop methods of working through the mind. 
Three Jewels:
The Buddha: The Buddha refers both to the historical Buddhaand Buddhahood. Going to refuge to Buddha is a symbol of your devotion and you see him as the ultimate teacher and spiritual example. 
The Dharma: is the primary teaching of the Buddha, or how he understood things. It means truth. They include records of Buddha's life. it is the practices outlined within scripture. 
The Sangha: The spiritual community. It is people who share in the same spiritual lives. this goes to the idea of Buddhism being a way of approaching life.
The Three Fold Way: there are three stages: Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom. Another formulation of the path is the Threefold Way of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. This is a progressive path, as ethics and a clear conscience provides an indispensable basis for meditation, and meditation is the ground on which wisdom can develop.
The 4 Noble Truths: All existence is dukkha. The word dukkha has been variously translated as ‘suffering’, ‘anguish’, ‘pain’, or ‘unsatisfactoriness’. The Buddha’s insight was that our lives are a struggle, and we do not find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience. This is the problem of existence. The cause of dukkha is craving. The natural human tendency is to blame our difficulties on things outside ourselves. But the Buddha says that their actual root is to be found in the mind itself. In particular our tendency to grasp at things (or alternatively to push them away) places us fundamentally at odds with the way life really is. The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving. As we are the ultimate cause of our difficulties, we are also the solution. We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change our responses.  There is a path that leads from dukkha. Although the Buddha throws responsibility back on to the individual he also taught methods through which we can change ourselves, for example the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Buddha’s ‘Noble Eightfold Path’ is a further ‘unpacking’ of the ‘Threefold Way’ and is perhaps the most widely known of the Buddha’s teachings. It is ancient, extending back to the Buddha’s first discourse and is highly valued as a treasury of wisdom and practical guidance on how to live our lives. Traditionally the teaching is seen as highlighting eight areas or ‘limbs’ of ‘right’ practice (Sangharakshita prefers ‘perfect’ to ‘right’), which sit in mutual relationship to one other and are each essential elements in an integrated approach to the Dharma:

1.      Right Understanding or Perfect Vision

2.      Right Resolve or Perfect Emotion

3.      Right Speech or Perfect Speech

4.      Right Action or Perfect Action

5.      Right Livelihood or Perfect Livelihood

6.      Right Effort or Perfect Effort

7.      Right Mindfulness or Perfect Awareness

8.      ​Right Meditation or Perfect Samadhi