Buddhism :: essays research papers

Everything is suffering. Humans define their existence by misery and suffering. The four Noble Truths are all about suffering. Suffering, the origin of suffering, Nibbana, and the Path. The word suffering is utilized throughout all the texts and teachings of Buddhism. Suffering is defined as; to feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment. Buddhist uses a deeper meaning of suffering, which is a change or ultimate unsatisfactory. Even if one is happy they can not be happy forever, so when they are no longer happy they are suffering. Birth, aging, sickness, death is suffering. General unsatisfaction of life. Suffering is an elemental fabric of life. Happiness doesn’t last; Buddhism provides ways of increasing it. Life is ever changing, and change is suffering. Spiritual ignorance causes suffering. An origination of all this suffering, a connection to ongoing desire, clinging to material possessions this is suffering. Cling to nothing because there is nothing anywhere solid enough to cling to. The Buddhist path aims not only to limit expression of craving, but ultimately to use calm and wisdom to completely uproot it from the psyche. A more than temporary undefiled state of mind is necessary for enlightenment. Freedom from suffering, the cessation of the unsatisfactory state which everyone is in. Nibbana means extinction of a fire. Nibbana is achieved through the cessation or craving, when there is total non-attachment and letting go. Nibbana is the end of the rebirth cycle, an awakening from suffering. The unconditioned cessation of all unsatisfactory, conditioned phenomena during life or beyond death. Even thought Nibbana is reached consciousness is not non-existent when it stops. Loss of self appears to be part of Nibbana. As well as the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path is eight steps to thinking and acting correct so that enlightenment can be achieved. These paths are as follows; right understanding, right directed thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The path to enlightenment is to overcome human characteristics. For instance, fear a basic human instinct that inhibits and protects us. If there is fear there can not be acceptance of the unknown and in not knowing there can be no learning. Temptation, a very powerful vice. Be it sexual, physical, mental or material temptation is all around. To be able to ignore is the ability to have a clear and pure mind.