To all Buddhism, plz teach me all about Buddha Teaching and of course the prominent one from Him. e.g in Christian: LOVE (Agapau), Love the Lord your God in all your heart, and in all your soul, and in all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Thx.
What is the prominent teaching of Buddha?
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rdwillia
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Hello Heaven Id,
Welcome to CR.
Good question! Difficult question...
Buddha Shakyamuni covered a vast array of teachings. Some would say it is all-encompassing. However, the different schools and vehicles place more or less emphasis on different aspects and/or have different interpretations of his teachings .
Did you read the quick explanation right here on CR? It's very brief, but good.
http://www.comparative-religion.com/buddhism/
Some of the main focuses of Buddha's teachings were his discources on emptiness, meditation, the middle path, mindfulness, ending suffering and cyclic rebirth, etc, etc...
I'm sorry to be so vague but Buddha's teachings were so extensive, it would take much too much space to go into much depth on everything in general. Perhaps we could tailor to your need a little more if you were to do some more research (just a bit) and specify your point(s) of interest and then we could go in to more depth.
I hope that helps. Take care.
Welcome to CR.
heaven_id said:
Good question! Difficult question...
Buddha Shakyamuni covered a vast array of teachings. Some would say it is all-encompassing. However, the different schools and vehicles place more or less emphasis on different aspects and/or have different interpretations of his teachings .
Did you read the quick explanation right here on CR? It's very brief, but good.
http://www.comparative-religion.com/buddhism/
Some of the main focuses of Buddha's teachings were his discources on emptiness, meditation, the middle path, mindfulness, ending suffering and cyclic rebirth, etc, etc...
I'm sorry to be so vague but Buddha's teachings were so extensive, it would take much too much space to go into much depth on everything in general. Perhaps we could tailor to your need a little more if you were to do some more research (just a bit) and specify your point(s) of interest and then we could go in to more depth.
I hope that helps. Take care.
Vajradhara
One of Many
Namaste Heaven_id,
thank you for the thread
Rdwillia has addressed your question to some degree. let me see if i can go about it in a different manner.
as you may know, there are many different schools of Buddhism. in a large degree, you have the same sort of split that you may find in the Christian tradition, i.e. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant.
Buddhisms three views, then, are Hinyana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Generally speaking, these division are predicated on the Vinya (rules of the monastics) and a few philosophical differences.
all schools and Vehicles of Buddhism uphold the same foundational teachings. these are known as the Four Noble Truths, which are:
1. Life is characterized by dukkha.
2. Dukkha has a definite cause, tanha.
3. There is a method to end dukkha.
4. The Noble Eight Fold Path is the way to end dukkha.
dukkha is, often, transliterated as "suffering" in English. it is my view that this is a rather poor choice of terms. dukkha really means that there is a certain sense of physical and emotional unsatisfactoriness with how things are. we have physical pain when we are injured, we have emotional pain when we lose what we love, we have strong feelings of attachment to those we love and things we like. in short, dukkha is the entire range of human emotive experience, both positive and negative.
tanha is a word in Sanskrit which means "intensive craving" and characterizes the emotional and mental grasping and clinging that humans typically engage in. the word also carries the connotation of "thirst" and in this sense is related to how we go about trying to acquire objects and beings to fulfill our thirst.
the Noble Eight Fold Path is the systematic method of putting an end to dukkha as described by Buddha Shakyamuni.
if there is one particular teaching which is characteristic of Buddhism it is either Compassion or Wisdom. it sort of depends on the being in question as both are equally emphasized in the teachings
metta,
~v
thank you for the thread
Rdwillia has addressed your question to some degree. let me see if i can go about it in a different manner.
as you may know, there are many different schools of Buddhism. in a large degree, you have the same sort of split that you may find in the Christian tradition, i.e. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant.
Buddhisms three views, then, are Hinyana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Generally speaking, these division are predicated on the Vinya (rules of the monastics) and a few philosophical differences.
all schools and Vehicles of Buddhism uphold the same foundational teachings. these are known as the Four Noble Truths, which are:
1. Life is characterized by dukkha.
2. Dukkha has a definite cause, tanha.
3. There is a method to end dukkha.
4. The Noble Eight Fold Path is the way to end dukkha.
dukkha is, often, transliterated as "suffering" in English. it is my view that this is a rather poor choice of terms. dukkha really means that there is a certain sense of physical and emotional unsatisfactoriness with how things are. we have physical pain when we are injured, we have emotional pain when we lose what we love, we have strong feelings of attachment to those we love and things we like. in short, dukkha is the entire range of human emotive experience, both positive and negative.
tanha is a word in Sanskrit which means "intensive craving" and characterizes the emotional and mental grasping and clinging that humans typically engage in. the word also carries the connotation of "thirst" and in this sense is related to how we go about trying to acquire objects and beings to fulfill our thirst.
the Noble Eight Fold Path is the systematic method of putting an end to dukkha as described by Buddha Shakyamuni.
if there is one particular teaching which is characteristic of Buddhism it is either Compassion or Wisdom. it sort of depends on the being in question as both are equally emphasized in the teachings
metta,
~v
Thanks to all your response.
But a few another questions plz :
1. Is dukkha refer to every living in flesh?
2. How about karma and reincarnation?
3. How to reach the Noble Eight Fold Path? hmm maybe some standard?
4. Are there any mens interfered through this day Teaching of Buddha?
5. Could you also be a Buddha when you reach the NEFP?
But a few another questions plz :
1. Is dukkha refer to every living in flesh?
2. How about karma and reincarnation?
3. How to reach the Noble Eight Fold Path? hmm maybe some standard?
4. Are there any mens interfered through this day Teaching of Buddha?
5. Could you also be a Buddha when you reach the NEFP?
u need to know, many people on this site ENJOY going into large discussions on the subject at hand, and others akin to it. whats important isnt the 10,000 methods to attain nirvana or this school or that philosophy etc etc
the heart of the buddhas teaching was;
AVOID* evil
DO* good
PURIFY* the mind
the first two are by no means easier, but do not require a method as "vajradhara" would insist. for instance, you dont need to be told what is right and what is wrong, avoiding evil isnt easy in any sense like i stated before, but it is easy to discern good and evil. some people arent as intelligent as others, albeit they may need to rely on a method or system to guide their thoughts and actions along the way(either to guide or remind them), but by no means is such a thing neccesary. in any case the first 2 are more for dealing with the karma of the individual and those around him/her
purifying the mind for the most part requires a master, although im not going to say that a master is neccesary, but the pitfalls and tribulations of such practice can be harmful to ones health and spiritual growth. espcially if you are to engage in meditation or some form thereof which is the primary tool for buddhism
the heart of the buddhas teaching was;
AVOID* evil
DO* good
PURIFY* the mind
the first two are by no means easier, but do not require a method as "vajradhara" would insist. for instance, you dont need to be told what is right and what is wrong, avoiding evil isnt easy in any sense like i stated before, but it is easy to discern good and evil. some people arent as intelligent as others, albeit they may need to rely on a method or system to guide their thoughts and actions along the way(either to guide or remind them), but by no means is such a thing neccesary. in any case the first 2 are more for dealing with the karma of the individual and those around him/her
purifying the mind for the most part requires a master, although im not going to say that a master is neccesary, but the pitfalls and tribulations of such practice can be harmful to ones health and spiritual growth. espcially if you are to engage in meditation or some form thereof which is the primary tool for buddhism
Vajradhara
One of Many
Namaste Heaven,
thank you for the post.
dukkha is only applicable to sentient beings, thus, animals, humans and so forth. it is association with the beloved, it is losing that which we love, it is growing old, sickness and the experience of the death of our loved ones. now, dukkha is typically inferred to have a negative connotation, however, this would be incorrect.
dukkha is, in fact, the total emotional experience that a sentient being undergoes, from the lows to the highs, as it were.
karma, in the Buddhist sense, is summed up well enough with the phrase "you reap what you sow" and this sowing is through verbal, mental or bodily actions.
reincarnation is actually not a Buddhist teaching, our teaching is called rebirth. in truth, the difference in these two concepts is fairly recondite and, for most discourse, isn't all that relevant. in any event, there are several operative views that one could have in this regard. there is a linear sort of view wherein the next arising commences upon the ending of this arising. there is another view which says that each moment, we undergo rebirth. essentially, each arising moment of consciousness is our mental stream and physical form being reborn.
the Noble Eight Fold path is a method of practice rather than a destination, per se.
Buddha Shakyamuni describes the path in this manner:
Prajna means Wisdom, Sila means Ethics and Dhyana means Meditation
i'm a bit unclear what you are asking here, can you clarify it some?
what is NEFP?
the arising of a Buddha in a world system is, all things considered, a fairly rare event. though our own world system is said to be in a fortunate kalpa since we will have many Buddhas arising.
metta,
~v
thank you for the post.
heaven_id said:Thanks to all your response.
But a few another questions plz :
1. Is dukkha refer to every living in flesh?
dukkha is only applicable to sentient beings, thus, animals, humans and so forth. it is association with the beloved, it is losing that which we love, it is growing old, sickness and the experience of the death of our loved ones. now, dukkha is typically inferred to have a negative connotation, however, this would be incorrect.
dukkha is, in fact, the total emotional experience that a sentient being undergoes, from the lows to the highs, as it were.
karma, in the Buddhist sense, is summed up well enough with the phrase "you reap what you sow" and this sowing is through verbal, mental or bodily actions.
reincarnation is actually not a Buddhist teaching, our teaching is called rebirth. in truth, the difference in these two concepts is fairly recondite and, for most discourse, isn't all that relevant. in any event, there are several operative views that one could have in this regard. there is a linear sort of view wherein the next arising commences upon the ending of this arising. there is another view which says that each moment, we undergo rebirth. essentially, each arising moment of consciousness is our mental stream and physical form being reborn.
the Noble Eight Fold path is a method of practice rather than a destination, per se.
Buddha Shakyamuni describes the path in this manner:
(Prajna)
1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
(Sila)
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
(Dhyâna)
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
(Sila)
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
(Dhyâna)
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
i'm a bit unclear what you are asking here, can you clarify it some?
what is NEFP?
the arising of a Buddha in a world system is, all things considered, a fairly rare event. though our own world system is said to be in a fortunate kalpa since we will have many Buddhas arising.
metta,
~v
Vajradhara
One of Many
Namaste Zazen,
thank you for the post.
fyi, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that there are 84,000 different methods to enter the Dharma. 84,000 is a symbolic number in Sanskrit and is meant to indicate the various capacities and aptitudes of sentient beings, in toto.
i think, Zazen, that you have me confused for someone else. i do not insist on a method in the least, especially with regards to engaging in skillful or unskillful moral actions.
nevertheless, for the cessation of dukkha, Buddha Shakyamunis teachings indicate:
"And what is the cessation of dukkha? From the cessation of craving is the cessation of dukkha; and just this noble eightfold path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration — is the path of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha.
"Now when a disciple of the noble ones discerns dukkha in this way, the cause by which dukkha comes into play in this way, the diversity of dukkha in this way, the result of dukkha in this way, the cessation of dukkha in this way, & the path of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha in this way, then he discerns this penetrative holy life as the cessation of dukkha."
— AN VI.63
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress'... 'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed'... 'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.'
— SN LVI.11
"In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration... I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of birth... becoming... clinging... craving... feeling... contact... the six sense media... name-&-form... consciousness, direct knowledge of the origination of consciousness, direct knowledge of the cessation of consciousness, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of consciousness. I followed that path.
"Following it, I came to direct knowledge of fabrications, direct knowledge of the origination of fabrications, direct knowledge of the cessation of fabrications, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of fabrications. Knowing that directly, I have revealed it to monks, nuns, male lay followers & female lay followers, so that this holy life has become powerful, rich, detailed, well-populated, wide-spread, proclaimed among celestial & human beings."
— SN XII.65
we are, of course, called to test these teachings for ourselves before we adopt and uphold them as related in the Kalama Sutta.
metta,
~v
thank you for the post.
Zazen said:
fyi, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that there are 84,000 different methods to enter the Dharma. 84,000 is a symbolic number in Sanskrit and is meant to indicate the various capacities and aptitudes of sentient beings, in toto.
i think, Zazen, that you have me confused for someone else. i do not insist on a method in the least, especially with regards to engaging in skillful or unskillful moral actions.
nevertheless, for the cessation of dukkha, Buddha Shakyamunis teachings indicate:
"And what is the cessation of dukkha? From the cessation of craving is the cessation of dukkha; and just this noble eightfold path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration — is the path of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha.
"Now when a disciple of the noble ones discerns dukkha in this way, the cause by which dukkha comes into play in this way, the diversity of dukkha in this way, the result of dukkha in this way, the cessation of dukkha in this way, & the path of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha in this way, then he discerns this penetrative holy life as the cessation of dukkha."
— AN VI.63
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress'... 'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed'... 'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.'
— SN LVI.11
"In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration... I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of birth... becoming... clinging... craving... feeling... contact... the six sense media... name-&-form... consciousness, direct knowledge of the origination of consciousness, direct knowledge of the cessation of consciousness, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of consciousness. I followed that path.
"Following it, I came to direct knowledge of fabrications, direct knowledge of the origination of fabrications, direct knowledge of the cessation of fabrications, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of fabrications. Knowing that directly, I have revealed it to monks, nuns, male lay followers & female lay followers, so that this holy life has become powerful, rich, detailed, well-populated, wide-spread, proclaimed among celestial & human beings."
— SN XII.65
we are, of course, called to test these teachings for ourselves before we adopt and uphold them as related in the Kalama Sutta.
metta,
~v
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"fyi, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that there are 84,000 different methods to enter the Dharma. 84,000 is a symbolic number in Sanskrit and is meant to indicate the various capacities and aptitudes of sentient beings, in toto."
i know, thats why i said 10,000. any big number would do i could have said 10000000000000000000000000000000, because there is no set method, path, or way. "the tao that can be named is not the true tao" etc etc
like i said before the noble 8 fold path is just an intricate and more or less the "easy" way to describe what is to be done as a person who follows the heart of the buddhas teaching, it doesnt describe any differences from what christ, krishna or mohammed, lao tzu whomever taught, in the end.. its the same 'stuff', and imho, you dont need to be shown the way for right speech, right action, right mindfullness etc.
for the most part, ok, some depending on 'karma' arent entitled to the same intellectual capacity most are but most espcially in this day and age, are capable of truly understanding whats good, and whats not on their own, no one needs to tell you..oh you shouldnt be thinking about stealing that gold, or yea itd be bad if you set that bum on fire and laughed at him
the 'noble eight fold path' is the easy way of transmitting whats expected of a 'holy' or devote religious person. its not the only way, or a good way, or a bad way, its just a way
i know, thats why i said 10,000. any big number would do i could have said 10000000000000000000000000000000, because there is no set method, path, or way. "the tao that can be named is not the true tao" etc etc
like i said before the noble 8 fold path is just an intricate and more or less the "easy" way to describe what is to be done as a person who follows the heart of the buddhas teaching, it doesnt describe any differences from what christ, krishna or mohammed, lao tzu whomever taught, in the end.. its the same 'stuff', and imho, you dont need to be shown the way for right speech, right action, right mindfullness etc.
for the most part, ok, some depending on 'karma' arent entitled to the same intellectual capacity most are but most espcially in this day and age, are capable of truly understanding whats good, and whats not on their own, no one needs to tell you..oh you shouldnt be thinking about stealing that gold, or yea itd be bad if you set that bum on fire and laughed at him
the 'noble eight fold path' is the easy way of transmitting whats expected of a 'holy' or devote religious person. its not the only way, or a good way, or a bad way, its just a way
Hi zazen. If your point was that most can intellectually discern esssentially universal morals without being specifically taught them or a method to achieve them, probably true. But, oh if it were only true that we could always and "effortlessly" do good and avoid evil without paticular methods. "Easy?" No. The third dictum, "to purify the mind," is what over time allows for the increasingly spontaneous and "effortless" expression of the other two. In fact, the increasing awareness or "purity" of view that comes with meditative growth actually allows one to become increasingly aware of finer and deeper degrees of how we are not doing all the good we could or avoiding all the evil we can. Buddha, as i believe Vajradhara had implied by 1 of his recent posts here regarding how Buddhist schools can train from outside in and/or vice versa, elaborated that ethics ("sila") were essential for the training from the outside in as they enabled one's mind to be distrubed and distressed less often and thereby allowing for deeper awarenesses to develop-so in his view "ethics" were as much for one's own welfare as those around us. As to whether you might find elements of the eight-fold path, albeit using different terminology, in any number of other religious traditions-no doubt-and every single one of them advised their own methods to attain their end results as well. Buddhism does allow though for some rare individuals to have come into this life "ripe" for enlightenment to occur-nearly there already- and therefore needing little else by way of instruction to attain this full realization. But, I did say "rare" & pprobably theoretical only.Zazen said:
Have a good one, Earl
Vajradhara
One of Many
heaven_id said:Dear Vajradhara,
The fourth question means, every people has his own needs so has the king of ancient Hindia, could this may interfere the Teaching of Buddha?
NEFP = Noble Eight Fold Path
Namaste Heaven,
thank you for the post.
yes, each being has their own needs and capacaties. indeed, any secular ruler, a king for instance, has the power to interfere with the Dharma. however, the Dharma, per se, isn't thereby effected. if i understand your question properly.
Namaste Earl,
thank you for the post.
agreed. there are some beings which are taking their last rebirth. the Suttas relate that this was the case for Shakyamuni Buddha when he arose in this world system. the Vajrayana teachings, in particular, tend to emphasize the "immediate" sort of Awakening experience.
actually, i find it very interesting to compare the two views in this manner, gradual or immediate. i suppose that one could make the case that through the gradual approach, over successive rebirths, the ground has been tilled for the immediate experience.
Namaste Zazen,
thank you for the post.
i try to stay within the normitive cultural strictures when relating various things, as such, i use the 84,000 number since it is already an established reference.
of course, you can hold whichever view that you'd like regarding the Dharma, the Buddhas or anything related.
with regards to the Path, all three Vehicles uphold the foundation of this practice. clearly, the particulars of said practice are subject to individual inclinations and capacaties.
metta,
~v