Early on a disciple of the Buddha asked: ‘Are you a god?’ ‘No!’ ‘Are you an angel?’ ‘No!’ ‘What are you then?’ ‘I am awake!’ [NOTE: the literal meaning of the word Buddha, from the Sanskrit root budh, to wake up.]
I see the Buddha as a physician to the world, the clear-seeing healer whose all abiding love embraces all creatures. With the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path the Buddha provides us with his clinical observations regarding our human condition. Then the Buddha provides us with his diagnosis. Finally the Buddha provides us a prognosis and offers us a cure. [NOTE: Personally, for a number of reasons, I like this metaphor of ‘Physician’ – Gentle Reader, perhaps this metaphor will also resonate with you – perhaps not.]
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
- ‘The First Truth, brothers, is the fact of suffering.’ Each of us seeks ‘happiness’ and each of us also experiences that to live means to suffer.
- ‘The Second Truth, brothers, is the cause of suffering.’ ‘Life’ does not bring suffering – the demands we make causes our suffering. Our demands are rooted in egocentric desire: ‘I want what I want in my own way!’ We believe that if our desires are met then we will be happy. Too often, perhaps most often, when our desire has been met we utter these fate-full words: ‘Is this all there is?’ I call this ‘The Big Let-Down.’ This ‘Big Let-Down’ opens the pathway to depression, if not despair, if not apathy. I am thinking of two prominent men who achieved a ‘high-goal’ and actually uttered the words ‘Is this all there is?’ Both became deeply depressed (and over time both emerged from their deep depression and changed their ‘view of life’).
- ‘There is a Third Truth, brothers: Any ailment that can be understood can be cured.’ When the mind is free of egocentric desire what remains is the state of wake-fullness – a state of joy, health, peace (this is called ‘Nirvana’).
- ‘The Fourth Truth, brothers, is that egocentricity can be extinguished by embracing and following the Eightfold Path.
THE EIGHTFOLD PATH
- Right Understanding. This is the discipline of seeing life as it is. To know that happiness cannot come from anything outside (it begins ‘in here, not out there’) and that all things that come into being have to pass away – this is ‘right understanding’ and it is the beginning of wisdom.
- Right Purpose. This follows from ‘Right Understanding.’ ‘Right Purpose’ means willing, desiring and thinking that is in line with life as it is. Given this, order your life around learning how to live even though all changes.
- Right Speech, Right Action & Right Occupation. These follow from ‘Right Purpose.’ Together they mean living in harmony – speaking kindly, acting kindly, living not just for oneself but for the welfare of all. All creatures love life; All creatures dislike pain. Therefore treat all creatures as you want to be treated. The purpose of being human is not to harm but to help and to heal.
The Buddha says that ‘the last three steps, brothers, deal with the mind. Everything depends on the mind. Our life is shape by our mind; we become what we think.
- Right Effort. ‘Right Effort’ involves a commitment to discipline oneself in thought, word and action. Remember: Discipline and Practice DO NOT make perfect; they do, however, make permanent.
- Right Attention. ‘Right Attention’ follows from ‘Right Effort.’ The wise develop the mind to give complete attention to one thing at a time, here and now. The Buddha says: ‘Hard it is to train the mind, which goes where it likes and does what it wants.’
- Right Meditation. ‘Right Meditation’ is the means for training the mind. Remember egocentric passions will seep through the untrained mind.
Remember: The Buddha only shows the way. I am called to choose ‘a Way’ – I will, indeed choose. The question is: Which ‘Way,’ with Path, will I choose?