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The 4 Noble Truths And The Eightfold Path

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Both initially originating in the Himalaya and written in Sanskrit, Buddhism and

Hinduism are two of the main religions on the continent of Asia. Many believe that

Buddhism first originated in Northern India in the 5th century B.C.E. when Siddhartha

Guatama (the son of a king) rebelled against his father and went out into the world in

hope of finding a way to end suffering . After trying many things, he eventually sat down

beneath a bodhi tree to meditate. Supposedly by morning he was said to have attained

Nirvana, or enlightenment, which provided answers to suffering and how to end it. The newly enlightened one, excited to share what he had learned, headed home

and started teaching those around him compassion for …show more content…

The Eightfold Path is basically a set of guidelines given to us by the Buddha in

order to be able to end our own personal suffering. The Eightfold Path consists of: Right

View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence,

Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Ideally in Buddhism, in order to achieve

Enlightenment, you must follow the 4 Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the Middle Way.

There are several forms of Buddhism, though Theravada and Mahayana are the

most practiced. After the Buddha died, his teachings were passed down orally for 500 years

and in the late first century BCE they were written down and known as the Pali Canon.

Theravada is the dominant school in Southeast Asia, practiced in Thailand, Burma,

Cambodia and Laos and is the most ancient form of Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism is

centered around the scriptures of the Pali Canon. By studying these ancient texts,

meditating and following the Eightfold Path, Theravada Buddhist believe they will

achieve enlightenment.

Mahayana Buddhism originally developed out of the Theravada tradition. From

Mahayana a number of other schools formed under the banner of Mahayana, such as

Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism focuses on compassion and the help

of bodhisattavas (people who have temporarily stopped their path to enlightenment in

order to help others get there as well) such as Thich Nhat

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