My thoughts and prayers have been with Aung San Suu Kyi and the monks of Myanmar (Burma) and all of the people involved fighting for JUSTICE on behalf of the people of Burma against the OPPRESSIVE Junta Military Regime! Darkness can NOT exist where there is LIGHT! God WILL give you JUSTICE! Help is on the way. If the Junta knows what's good for them they better re-think their actions and immediately RELEASE Aung San Suu Kyi and her two maidservants from prison. God PLEASE restore Burma to its RIGHTFUL leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Jesus Mighty name AMEN!"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9 NKJV]
There is a common misguided teaching amongst religions regarding Buddhism. I've heard it preached incorrectlty many times and I would like to enlighten my readers to the truth. "It is often said that Buddhists worship statues, in the sense that they believe that Buddha statues actually are the Buddha or that they have some inherent power. But such ideas are quite incorrect. Buddhists do not 'worship' Buddha statues any more than Christians worship the cross or Muslims the Kabba, which they face when they pray. Like the cross etc. the Buddha statue is seen as a symbol that can be seen as helpful in creating devotion, uplifting the mind and focusing attention." [source: Buddhanet] Buddhism is NOT a religion, it is a way of life just the way Christianity is SUPPOSED to be.
With that being said, if you are SECURE in your walk with the LORD, then you will NOT FEAR expanding your level of awareness and understanding of others. Therefore, I would like to introduce my readers to the Buddhist teaching called 'The Four Noble Truths'. I have taken the following description of 'The Four Noble Truths' from the Buddhapia website.
The Buddha first preached the Four Noble Truths immediately after his enlightenment. These truths are accepted by all schools of Buddhism and are considered the essence of Buddhist doctrine. Understanding the Four Noble Truths is essential to understanding Buddhist doctrine and practice.
1. Suffering (duhkha) - The First Noble Truth:
What does suffering mean in Buddhist terms? The Sanskrit word duhkha is usually translated as “suffering” or “sorrow.” But the word conveys a much more comprehensive meaning than its standard English rendition.
Duhkha is perhaps best expressed as “unsatisfactoriness.” It encompasses a whole range of perceived imperfections including impermanence, and unease at the inherent fragility of life. All pleasurable experiences in life inevitably end, often in sorrow and longing. All living beings are doomed to die eventually. This “unsatisfactoriness” of life is identified as the First Noble Truth and expressed in the common Buddhist phrase “life is suffering.” Suffering may arise from the following four main conditions and causes.
1. Birth, Aging, Sickness and Death. 2. Being separated from your loved ones or experiencing financial loss. 3. Failure to get what you want or expect. 4. Meeting someone you dislike, living somewhere you dislike, or having to do work you dislike.
A primary reason for the persistence and universality of suffering is the mistaken belief in “I.” Because of excessive attachment to the thought of “I”, sentient beings experience desire leading to suffering. As the Korean Zen Master Daehaeng said, “As long as the thought of ‘I’ remains, the mind habit also tenaciously lingers on. But if the thought of ‘I’ ceases to exist, the mind habit will not be able to go anywhere. Anyone who is ignorant of the truth cannot avoid delusions and sufferings."
2. The Origin (samudaya) - The Second Noble Truth:
The Sanskrit word samudaya means “cause” or “origin”. The origin elucidated in the Buddha’s Second Noble Truth is the “origin of suffering.” The Buddha knew sentient beings must understand the origin of suffering to bring about its complete cessation. Thus the teaching of Second Noble Truth is likened to a doctor determining the source of an illness before deciding on a specific treatment. The Buddha explained that the origin of suffering can be found in attachment to the thought of “I.” Ignorance is when people mistake their conception of “I” for the truth. Such mistaken thoughts of “I”, give rise to cravings.
These cravings for pleasure and love become attachments which lead to rebirth and the endless cycle of reincarnation. It is said vast crowds of delusions arise when we thirst for love, pleasure, and other delights. The body of one who craves after pleasure is likened to damp rotting ground where delusions spring up like weeds. Delusion arises from the thought that my physical body is “I.” Attachment to thoughts of “I” cause ceaseless strivings for pleasure and sense-objects which inevitably end in suffering. Thus mistaken thoughts of “I” and self-centeredness become the root cause of all kinds of sufferings. Only when we can take control of our minds can we shape our lives as we want.
The Buddha first preached the Four Noble Truths immediately after his enlightenment. These truths are accepted by all schools of Buddhism and are considered the essence of Buddhist doctrine. Understanding the Four Noble Truths is essential to understanding Buddhist doctrine and practice.
1. Suffering (duhkha) - The First Noble Truth:
What does suffering mean in Buddhist terms? The Sanskrit word duhkha is usually translated as “suffering” or “sorrow.” But the word conveys a much more comprehensive meaning than its standard English rendition.
Duhkha is perhaps best expressed as “unsatisfactoriness.” It encompasses a whole range of perceived imperfections including impermanence, and unease at the inherent fragility of life. All pleasurable experiences in life inevitably end, often in sorrow and longing. All living beings are doomed to die eventually. This “unsatisfactoriness” of life is identified as the First Noble Truth and expressed in the common Buddhist phrase “life is suffering.” Suffering may arise from the following four main conditions and causes.
1. Birth, Aging, Sickness and Death. 2. Being separated from your loved ones or experiencing financial loss. 3. Failure to get what you want or expect. 4. Meeting someone you dislike, living somewhere you dislike, or having to do work you dislike.
A primary reason for the persistence and universality of suffering is the mistaken belief in “I.” Because of excessive attachment to the thought of “I”, sentient beings experience desire leading to suffering. As the Korean Zen Master Daehaeng said, “As long as the thought of ‘I’ remains, the mind habit also tenaciously lingers on. But if the thought of ‘I’ ceases to exist, the mind habit will not be able to go anywhere. Anyone who is ignorant of the truth cannot avoid delusions and sufferings."
2. The Origin (samudaya) - The Second Noble Truth:
The Sanskrit word samudaya means “cause” or “origin”. The origin elucidated in the Buddha’s Second Noble Truth is the “origin of suffering.” The Buddha knew sentient beings must understand the origin of suffering to bring about its complete cessation. Thus the teaching of Second Noble Truth is likened to a doctor determining the source of an illness before deciding on a specific treatment. The Buddha explained that the origin of suffering can be found in attachment to the thought of “I.” Ignorance is when people mistake their conception of “I” for the truth. Such mistaken thoughts of “I”, give rise to cravings.
These cravings for pleasure and love become attachments which lead to rebirth and the endless cycle of reincarnation. It is said vast crowds of delusions arise when we thirst for love, pleasure, and other delights. The body of one who craves after pleasure is likened to damp rotting ground where delusions spring up like weeds. Delusion arises from the thought that my physical body is “I.” Attachment to thoughts of “I” cause ceaseless strivings for pleasure and sense-objects which inevitably end in suffering. Thus mistaken thoughts of “I” and self-centeredness become the root cause of all kinds of sufferings. Only when we can take control of our minds can we shape our lives as we want.
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