Impermanence, Selflessness, And Dissatisfaction Essay

Buddhism is not about God or Gods, it doesn't supply a hypothesis about what may occur in after death, nor does it express perspectives about creation; it is situated in the realm of day by day living. Furthermore, Buddhism is largely associated with the condition of being awaken by the nature of humanity. As the fourth-largest religion in the world, Buddhism has proven to be both influential and significant. While most religions have profound theoretical foundations that they are built upon, and while most individuals within such religions have faith that the theory is true, Buddhism does not address theories; nor does it agree or disagree with any religion, but rather acknowledges religion as a means to live in a positive manner. This religion is about not only living a peaceful life but also about enlightening a person through the regaining of wisdom and grace from within. The purpose of this paper is to examine the depth of Buddhism through Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and karma.

In Buddhism, the three marks of existence are three characteristics of all existence and beings. And they are impermanence, suffering and non-self. Impermanence doctrine is one of the foundational premises of Buddhism, which asserts that all physical and mental events are not metaphysically real, that they are not constant or permanent, they come into being and dissolve. Therefore, Buddhism declares that in this world there is nothing that is fixed and permanent. Everything is subject to change and alteration.

Interbeing, the changeable nature of existence, is closely related to the Buddhist idea of impermanence. Just as the moon is constantly waxing and waning, everything is constantly changing in the world. From Thich Nhat Hanh’s interesting analogy of roses and garbage, one can see the impermanent nature of things. The beautiful roses have to decay and become garbage eventually. Regardless how beautiful things are, they will inevitably fade away one day. Beauty and happiness does not last forever in this world. However, Thich Nhat Hanh also has an optimistic interpretation on the nature

Buddhism is seen as a way of life rather than a form of religion that needs to be closely followed and constantly practiced. The idea of “enlightenment” carries through one’s entire lifetime in an attempt to reach nirvana, which is an end to all suffering. A person’s lifetime is spent being faithful and relying on karma to eventually achieve nirvana and enlightenment, in which people embark on the path of awakening. The awakening is a very crucial aspect of the Buddhist religion, as it was Buddha’s own personal awakening and understanding of how the world works, in which he passed it on to be believed and understood by others. It’s closely related to other religions in the way that rebirth and reincarnation are the beliefs surrounding the idea of the afterlife, however Buddhism in particular is an anatta tradition, or ‘not-self,’ which often sets it apart from other religions.This complex ideal entails that one’s external self, consciousness, feelings

In Buddha’s main teachings there is three marks of dharma. Nothing in our world stays the same; we are always changing, growing, and aging. Every second, something is changing inside of our bodies and in our mind. Technology is always improving and becoming better. The weather changes every time there is a new season. Nothing is permanent, and that is the teaching of anitya, or impermanence. The teaching of anatman, or no self, deals with the impermanence of humans. The last teaching is duhkha, or suffering. This is the main problem that Buddha saw in the world. This suffering is caused from things we want, but cannot have, or keep in our possession. Another part of the Buddha’s teachings is the

Buddhism is defined as “...a way of finding peace within oneself” (About Buddhism 2007). Buddhists work towards finding inner peace, kindness, and wisdom in all their practices in attempt to reach the ultimate goal of happiness (About Buddhism 2007). In this essay I will be discussing how Buddhism is practiced and taught through the process of, meditation, karma and its laws, the significance of the Buddha, and The Four Noble Truths, and finally what it means to be enlightened.

In looking at the human condition, one cannot deny the immutable presence of suffering as a central tenet of life. Nobody, not even the Buddha, walks through life without experiencing pain, anguish, and suffering. However, one cannot experience suffering without also knowing its opposite of love, joy, and happiness. Buddhist terminology refers to these emotional states as dukkha and sukha. Importantly, however, these emotional conditions are impermanent and deeply related to one another. Dukkha comes from the fruitless but eternal human plight of grasping at an ephemeral sense of happiness. Too many live without acknowledging that their endeavors of maintaining a static feeling of bliss, or sukha, is both unrealistic and futile. While some would criticize this life philosophy as deeply pessimistic, the reality is that the Buddha’s observations are an insightful and irrefutable fact of life. The human race’s continuous inability to grasp the concept of life as suffering has led to the erroneous and often western misconception that Buddhism is an inherently cynical religion. This ethnocentric line of criticism, however, ignores the rewarding and deeply spiritual facets of Buddhism that attempt to enrich one’s life by mitigating dukkha. The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths reflects this understanding, and serves to remind adherents that life is suffering and that it arises from the existential plight of impermanence. In this vein, life is dukkha but there are ways to alleviate the

Kenko, the Buddhist monk and author of Essays in Idleness, took great satisfaction in the idea of impermanence. A hefty amount of this work deals with Kenko talking about Buddhist values and the beauty of change. He felt that “if man was never to fade like the dews of Adishino, never to vanish like the smoke over Toribeyama, but lingered forever in the world, how things would

There are three people in a room, and Person One has a gun. Person Two is tied to a chair, about to get shot, and Person Three can either take the bullet or let Person Two die. An entirely selfless person, one who will readily give for others, would take the bullet without hesitation because in their mind, nothing matters more than saving a human being’s life. On the other hand, a selfish person would let Person Two die because their safety and well being takes priority over that of others. It is natural instinct for humans to avoid dangerous situations and do what it takes to stay alive. Even though everyone has aspects of selflessness and selfishness woven in them, one is usually more prevalent than the other. Being selfless can lead to good karma, a sense of satisfaction, and feelings of wholeheartedness. Karma is the idea that what comes around goes around; therefore, people tend to believe that if they help others, the favor will be reciprocated. At times, being selfless leads to stress and fatigue due to excessive obligation to help others and not having enough time to fulfill self-interest. Selfishness, however, allows people to act freely while following their own instincts. While the word “selfish” typically has a negative connotation, people must first learn to care for themselves before they can care for others. While it is very rewarding to be selfless, selfishness is more practical and realistic because it ensures survival and is ultimately part of human

The second concept of Buddhism is embedded in the doctrine of cyclic rebirth until one reaches the final stage of nirvana (Szűcs, Geers, Jezierski, Sossidou, Broom, 2012). In breaking the cycle of rebirth, a Buddhist has finally mastered the four distinct virtues of

Buddhism analyzes human existence as made up of five aggregates: the material body, the feelings, the perceptions, the predispositions, and the consciousness. A person is only a temporary combination of these aggregates, which are subject to continual change. No one of these aggregates remains the same for any two consecutive moments. Buddhists deny that the five aggregates (our material body, our feelings, our perceptions, our predispositions, and our consciousness), individually or in combination, may be considered a permanent and independently existing self or soul (atman). They regard it as a mistake to conceive of any lasting unity behind the elements that constitute an

In a world where selfish people are easier to find than selfless people, it makes it wonderful to have selfless people around. Being selfless not only benefits you, but as well as the others around you. As an example, take a moment to ponder the decision of Jonas Salk. He created an effective vaccine for polio, and was pinned between two choices.

According to the Buddha “there is simply no self” and there is no personal self other then the body that is left behind when death occurs and the soul moves on from the deceased. Buddhists believe in all controlled things not being permanent and they are constantly changing such as what’s around us and us as human beings from being a newly born baby to our bodies becoming timeworn and weak. On the other side, after death when the soul leaves the body, the existence of a consistent and independent self stays in this world while the body is left selflessness. Buddhists believe that the approach to a permanent self is one of the main

The concept of self and selflessness is prime to all Indian philosophies. Two of India’s most popular religious systems, Jainism and Buddhism, teach renunciation of the self in order to reach Samadhi and Dharma (i.e. enlightenment, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and correct living) (Collins, 1990). While Jainism vehemently espouses denial of self, both as an ideological concept and as a tangible reality, Buddhism teaches renunciation of self by way of still using the self as a vehicle for such understanding. While this may seem paradoxical, Buddhism uses the Four Noble Truths to espouse how the mind and sensory system can be used by the budding Buddhist to learn that the phantasmagorical and phenomenological aspects of the world are truly illusory. In this sense, Jainism represents absolutist denial of the self while Buddhism represents paradoxical renunciation of the self by way of utilizing the self towards understanding the porous nature and falseness of such a construct. Thus, many Indian philosophies take the denial of the self as a prime tenet of life. However, the gradations between such systems are intriguing, as is the case with Jainism and Buddhism.

Both Buddhism and Hinduism would like to end reincarnation, the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. However, they have different views from Hinduists in understanding the purpose of ending such endless cycle. Buddhists believe that the life is always suffering unless dispelling one’s cravings and ignorance completely by realizing the Four Noble Truths and practicing the Eightfold Path. Once detaching all desires successfully, one man will gain the ultimate state Nirvana, which is place of perfect peace and happiness, like heaven. In such transcendent state, there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self