“Whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a disciplined mind leads to happiness and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering, and in fact it is said that bringing about discipline within one’s mind is the essence of the Buddha’s teaching.”
Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness
Table of Contents
Enlightenment of Lord Buddha
Lord Buddha just after attaining Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at the present-day Bodhgaya at Bihar realized the importance of spreading the wisdom he had gained from his profound meditation. Seeing the constant attachment of sufferings with every life activity, Lord Buddha sensed the need for every sentient being to free themselves from the clutches of sufferings. To do that, a certain amount of ways and wisdom were necessary to be free from it.
Why Pali language?
At that time, the Sanskrit language was used mainly among the higher elite peoples including that of the priest whereas the Pali language was practiced mainly by the common peoples. Understanding the influence and the familiarity of the Pali language over the general masses, Lord Buddha decided to preach his precious wisdom through the Pali language.
Sermon to how many people?
After long hardship and strenuous effort, Lord Buddha attained nirvana with enormous wisdom which he wanted to share with the general masses.
“Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good”
Lord Buddha
However, he felt that the general peoples were not in a position to understand the importance of his philosophies as they were entangled deeply within the world of attachment, desire, greed, and jealousy. So he initiated his first sermon to his five chief disciples, namely Kaundinya, Bhadrika, Vashpa, Mahanaman, and Ashvajit at Benaras which we now call Varanasi at present.
Lord Buddha during his first sermon emphasized to his disciples the importance of avoiding two extremes; indulgence in sense pleasures and self-mortification. He warns:
“Bhikkhus (monks), these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life. What are the two? There is devotion to the indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, common, the way of ordinary people, unworthy and unprofitable; and there is devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable”.
Lord buddha
Hence Lord Buddha stressed the need for one to adopt a new middle path away from the world of sense pleasures and self-mortification. This new middle path allows oneself to have a calmer, more insightful vision in route to salvation. These are “The Eightfold Noble path” which are right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation.
The Four Noble Truths
From the birth of an individual to that of death, our cycle of life constantly revolves around suffering ( Dukkha). Our constant source of attachment to worldly things is the source of our sufferings and the suffering is constant. The relative impermanence of our pleasures, happiness makes us crave and yearn more thereby causing more amount of attachment which will somehow become the ultimate source of our sufferings. Hence Lord Buddha wanted to impart his wisdom in letting us away from the world of sufferings. but before implementing any actions to prevent further discouragement, an individual needs to understand the ultimate truth about the sufferings which Lord Buddha delivers in his religious discourse in his first sermon at Benares.
First Noble Truths: The Truth of Suffering
“Birth is pain, old age is pain, sickness is pain, death is pain; sorrow, grief, and anxiety is pain. Contact with the unpleasant is pain. Separating from the pleasant is pain. Not getting what one wants is pain. In short, the five assemblies of mind and matter that are subject to attachment are pain”.
Being born in this life has made suffering an inevitable part of our life. In life we go through a different process of sickness, grappling with the loss and devastation of near ones, subtle state of stress, tension, and the milder forms of discomfort, distress, and frustration. As long as we were jammed in these mortal realms, suffering will be an inseparable part of our life.
Second Noble Truths: The Truth of the Cause of Suffering
“It is the desire that leads to rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and passion, seeking pleasure here and there; that is the desire for pleasures, the desire for existence, the desire for nonexistence”.
When we ask ourselves; why do we suffer? The primary reason that reflects why we suffer is our ability to cling, crave, desire, and attachment to something we hold dear. In the Pali language (Tanha) meaning “Thirst” is the root cause of our suffering.
Any gross or subtle forms of craving for your loved things can generate a form of unpleasantness, tension, and a stressful situation. Understanding the impermanence nature of all things, be it living or non-living doesn’t last forever. For example; when we were having a relishing moment with our near ones and you wanted it to last more longer which is relatively impossible considering the impermanence nature of it. But your craving or the desire to last more longer robs the enjoyable experiences you have now.
“Being, brief, ephemeral, Who fiercely cling to what is also passing, Will catch no glimpse of happiness in this life”.
Shantideva
The absolute universal nature of reality is that “Nothing lasts forever that everything changes. Every single moment changes instantly into something else”. Our ability to crave onto those uncertainties is the truth of the cause of the suffering.
You may see these cravings in many forms. The craving for money. We work too hard thinking that if we have money we will be more comfortable. We desire love, we feel depressed and lonely without it. We desire acceptance. We desire material things. We desire power. We desire many things and as a result which WE SUFFER.
Third Noble Truth: The Truth of the Freedom From Suffering
“With the complete non-passion of cessation of this very desire, with its abandonment and renunciation, with its liberation and detachment from it”.
In this Lord Buddha give us hope for all sentient beings to be away from the world of sufferings. There is a way to escape from the suffering. Lord Buddha advises all sentient beings to cease their craving or desire. Because all things whether it’s living or non-living are impermanent by nature. So we should let go of our fear, desire, and cravings. Yes, life is precious, but we need not be afraid of death, hunger, and holding onto something.
Exactly Lord Buddha knew the difficult nature of removing our desires and craving as we all were deeply entangled in this world of materialism. Hence Lord Buddha finally initiated his final teaching of the fourth noble truth which was the truth of liberation from suffering.
Fourth Noble Truth: The Truth of the Path of Liberation from Suffering
Being born as a human, we are continuously exposed to a various source of sufferings like desires, pain, delusion, and anger. For one to escape from the world of sufferings, one should be able to follow the eightfold path created by Lord Buddha in leading a very holy and pious life.
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