CHAPTER 4

Buddhist beliefs


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
The Three Jewels
The Buddha
(the person)
The dhamma
(the teaching)
The sangha
(the community)


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
The Four Noble Truths
1. All is suffering.
2. The cause of suffering is desire.
3. There is a way out of suffering.
4. The way out is the Noble Eightfold Path.

Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
All is suffering
The first noble truth
Dukkha translates as suffering
or anguish
Suffering is part of multiple
existences
Life then has some perspective

Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
The cause of suffering is desire
The second noble truth
The origin of suffering is desire or the
attachment to life
We seek to have our senses satisfied
Feeling satisfied, or unique, is illusory
Such illusions lead to suffering




Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
There is a way out of suffering
The third noble truth
The cessation of dukkha is nirvana
Nirvana is the state of not desiring
A state of nothingness (or heaven), where
the individual ceases to exist and is one with
the world

Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
The way out is the
Noble Eightfold Path
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
The fourth noble truth which consists of the avoidance
of extremes the Middle Way:
Right seeing/understanding
Right thought
Right speaking
Right concentration

The marks of existence
According to Buddhist teachings, the Buddha
distinguished three features of existence:
Anicca impermanence
Dukkha suffering
Anatta the absence of the individual self

Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Anicca
There are no
certainties or realities
in life.
As things come into
existence, they are
already fading.
Nothing is permanent.

Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Dukkha
Translates to suffering or anguish
Linked to the human needs
These are illusions
Anguish or suffering is the common human
condition


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Anatta
The principle that there is no self
Consciousness is constantly changing
Nothing separates oneself from every other
part of existence


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Karma
This can be seen as a natural law the law of
moral causation.
Actions and attitudes have natural
consequences.
The accumulation of Karma influences the
reincarnation cycle.


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Samsara
The Hindu concept of rebirth and reincarnation
In Buddhism, metaphorical system that
illustrates the endlessness of unenlightened life
Nirvana or enlightenment is the way to escape


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Nirvana
Nirvana is the end point of all
evolved souls, where desire is
extinguished, and the self ceases to
exist and is one with the world.


Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Buddhist belief relates to the impermanence
of existence and the idea of cause and effect.

If suffering (anguish) is the effect,
Buddhism aims to eliminate the cause.

Cambridge University Press Hartney, Noble 2012
Buddhist belief