The Four Noble Truths: The Central Tenets Of Buddhism

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The religious figure we call Buddha, whom originally had the clan name of Gotama, was born into the Sakya people. The Sakya people were a tribal republic ruled by oligarchies or a council of elders. After renouncing the world as he believed the material world and heaven to be a hollow charade of suffering. He left his home in order to experience different walks of life and to gain an understanding of himself and the world around him, he believed that “life in the home is cramped and dirty” (20), whereas a life of homelessness is “wide open” (20). He held public meetings for sermons that would promote practices such as “begging, wandering, celibacy, and self-restraint” (24). After leaving home, Buddha traveled to populace cities and spoke …show more content…
He was a believer in the Indian belief of reincarnation, that one experiences the life an animal, a god, or a common man, but also that one but must stay true to the path of enlightenment while living these lives. The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths is a crucial component of the central tenets of Buddhism. The Four Noble Truths mainly concern personal misery and liberation. They are based on the pattern of a medical diagnosis in that, “this is the disease, these are the causes of the disease, this is the judgement of whether it is curable, this is the method of treatment” (55). This teaching shows a fundamental principle for solving any problem, one must identify the problem exists, determine the cause, find if a solution is possible, and to achieve said solution. These teachings lay groundwork for people seeking freedom from suffering, by giving them the tools to create their own future not horribly dissimilar to the modern scientific …show more content…
One must not live a life of total devotion to the teachings of Buddha to be considered a Buddhist, as it is believed a god, believed to be a character of human self-transformation, came to Buddha and plead for him on behalf of all people not fully aware of the world of suffering that would gladly hear his message. Buddha left a legacy of understanding the human condition and he strived to find any method to experience every walk of human life in order to gain an understanding of suffering. This understanding of suffering and the belief that our actions have weight in the grandest scale of our journey through the human

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