Buddhismis not so much a religion as it is a way of life. Dating back well over two-thousand years, this belief has grown and spread throughout the world. Although there are many different forms of Buddhism, due to the specific cultures of each area Buddhists are welcomed, their main principles remain the same; these are called the Dhamma or Truth and can be broken down into four Noble Truths.
The First Noble Truth states that life is suffering. It is easy to look at this first truth and see it as pessimism, on the contrary, this first truth tells it how it is and explains that this suffering can be avoided, to an extent. These avoidable sufferings are varied and found in our daily lives they include: fear, loneliness, disappointment, physical pain, embarrassment and anger.
The Second Noble Truth states that our outlook on things causes suffering. By constantly wanting things, we are caused to suffer. Wanting people to like us, wanting to be loved, wanting what someone else has etcetera; it all causes suffering. This truth suggests changing, moderating our “wanting” so that it is matched by what we receive, supply, and demand of sorts.
The Third Noble Truth states that happiness can be found through the removal of suffering. By letting go of all the needless worries that can plague us and by living in the moment, we are able to help others around us and let go of many of the sufferings that we face daily, this is called Nirvana. Nirvana is a Buddhist form of transcendence and can only be achieved by constant mindfulness.
The Fourth Noble Truth states that the 8-Fold Noble Path will lead a follower to an end of suffering. This path is comprised of: finding one’s true morality through thoughts and deeds, being so focused of mind as to become fully aware of our thoughts and actions.
As well as the Noble Truths, Buddhists also hold true to the belief that Karma is everywhere. Karma is the Buddhist law of cause and effect. It takes in to account the motive behind the action, the effect it has on others as well as the effect it has on one’s self.
Buddhism it a belief and, as such, has many teachings. One of the beautiful things about Buddhism is the fact that one can test these teachings for one’s self and reject those that do not work for them. They can simply form the belief to fit them, so long as it actually works for them. In fact, The Buddha even encouraged this idea. This has led to there being many versions of the practice worldwide and has created a much more formfitting experience for those devout to this mindset.