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The Four Noble Truths

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THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

"Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you your self test and judge to be true."
-Buddha

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 …show more content…

In the Second Noble Truth, the Buddha explains the causes of the third type of suffering. Our attachment to sense pleasure is the first cause of suffering. However, the Buddha was not trying to teach about avoiding sense pleasure. Just that we should simply not be controlled by our own desires. (Rahula 22) Again, there is nothing wrong with having views and opinions. We all do. This becomes suffering for ourselves and others when we become attached. The most unrelenting type of suffering is our attachment to self—who we think we are, how we want others to be, and how we want life to treat us. (Hanh) Some people expect life to make them happy; others expect life to make them miserable. Our emotions, and how we view the world and experience life, flow from this attachment.
This is where I find myself to get close to the Buddhist faith. I would say that the majority of the suffering in which I personally experience comes from becoming attached to ideas or views and then blocking out contradicting perspectives. I would almost go as far to say that this represents a suffering of ignorance because you are not allowing yourself to be exposed to truth. The truth is what provides satisfaction and understanding. This understanding could change a lot of things in ones life if they were only to

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