The Forum for Contemplative Studies – The Buddhist Path very succinctly…
The Forum for Contemplative Studies
The Buddhist Path very succinctly..Nigel Wellings. 2006.
____________________________________________________________________How things are – the three marks of existence
We start with how we and the entire universe are, this is described as having “the three marks of existence”. Firstly everything is impermanent, nothing lasts. Secondly, because of this we too do not last and so there is nothing about us, no self, that is eternal and unchanging. And lastly, because of this essential quality of transience, any one who attempts to found their happiness on the assumption that things will remain unchanging is bound to experience suffering. The three marks of existence: transience, no self, suffering.The Base
How things are may also be put positively. Our underlying, fundamental and true nature, our Buddha nature, is already perfect and is only obscured by our ignorance of it. This nature is identical with the fundamental nature of the entire universe.The illness, diagnosis, cure and the medicine – the Four Noble Truths
The noble truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the eightfold path leading to the cessation of suffering. Buddhism perceives physical and emotional life as ultimately unsatisfactory and the source of all suffering. It is the source of suffering because we are driven by desires that may never be completely fulfilled. The cure for this is to be no longer driven and alternatively to rest in our awakened nature. The medicine to realise this is the Buddhist path.The canon of teachings – the Buddhist Tripitaka
The heart motivation behind all Buddhist writing is to bring the three root passions, greed, hatred and ignorance to an end. There are three collections of writings, called the Tripitaka: 1. Rules conditioning the living of a monastic life that supports the Buddhist path, the Vinaya. 2. Stories of the Buddha and his students meeting other people and talking about the path, the Sutras. 3. And all the teachings contained in these conversations condensed and abstracted into a theory of how everything arises and dissolves. This last steers the path between believing things have something timelessly real about them, eternalism, and the opposite, that they do not exist at all, annihilationism, the Abidharma.Buddhist practice – refuge and the eightfold path
This always begins with our taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The teacher, his teaching and the community who practice the teaching. It then continues with the eightfold path which may be divided into three sections: 1. Conduct consisting of generosity and not harming others through our speech, actions or livelihood. 2. Meditation consisting of developing through effort, concentration and mindfulness. This is also called concentration and insight. 3. And these two leading to wisdom – in the Theravada tradition this is the profound experiential knowledge of the three marks of existence that leads to awakening and liberation from suffering. In the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions this is the recognition of the “nature of mind”, our always, already awakened Buddha nature, achieved through the generation of compassion and the recognition of shunyata, emptiness.The fruit – the end of the path
Different traditions envisage this slightly differently. The Theravada holds an ideal of becoming spiritually enlightened and passing away beyond any further rebirths and consequent suffering. The Mahayana and Vajrayana hold an ideal of pausing at the last step of this journey and lingering in the world, over countless lifetimes, until such a time that ones actions have enabled all sentient beings to reach enlightenment. The paths of the Arhat and Bodhisattva respectively.N.W. January 2006
