The Doctrine of the Buddha

What is collectively considered as Buddhism today in all of its various forms; philosophic, religious, ethical and social, began as an inspired quest for liberation by a North Indian prince-gone-ascetic who lived in the 6th century BCE. Siddhattha Gautama, while on a tour of his father’s kingdom saw four signs that marked the beginning of his quest for truth, which culminated in his becoming The Buddha “The Awakened One” of the present era; He saw an old man, a sick man, a corpse being prepared for the pyre and he saw an ascetic in meditation under a tree. The first three perplexed him; because of his sheltered life in the palace he had never seen the reality of suffering and death. The last sign, however, kindled in him a resolve to find the way of liberation from these.

What the Buddha discovered on the night of his Awakening is that liberation is found through the purification of the mind through detachment and restraint, training the mind to see clearly the facts of conditional phenomena and through penetrating these facts with wisdom; seeing their impermanence, intrinsic and subjective decline and un-satisfactoriness and the impossibility of an everlasting self or witness to whom these would belong.

Magga “The Path” – The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path:

The Four Noble Truths - catt±ri ariya sacc±ni:

1) The Noble Truth of Affliction - dukkha½ ariyasacca½; “This Noble Truth of Affliction is to be known”.
Because of continuous change, all things are in a condition of unrest. Indeed, everything cognizable that we experience is so, even happiness, due to its temporal nature.

“… this is the Noble Truth of Affliction; Birth is painful, aging is painful and death is painful, sorrow, weeping, pain, mental distress and hardships are painful, associating with what is displeasing is painful, separation from what is pleasing is painful and not having what is desired is painful. In brief, identification with the five bases of conditionality are painful.” [1]

2) The Noble Truth of the Cause of Affliction - dukkha-samudaya½ ariyasacca½; “This Noble Truth of the Genesis of Affliction is to be relinquished…”

“… this is the Noble Truth of the Genesis of Affliction; Whatever desire that leads to further becoming; connected with pleasure and lust enjoyed here and there, such as; desire for gratification of the senses, desire for becoming, desire for not becoming.” [ibid.]

The cause of affliction is ignorant contact with the sense-experience of events. This results in craving and personal identification (up±d±na - lit. “to take up”) with what has arisen. Due to unawareness, the common person assumes that what has arisen is self, “mine” or “I am…” This ‘making things personal’ – “I am, and this experience belongs to me” variously is attachment to what is pleasurable or aversion from what is not pleasurable; for states of becoming, and for states of non-becoming. Because all phenomena are inherently unstable, there is dissatisfaction with what has arisen, even with what is pleasurable because it will not last. When these tendencies of identification are reinforced they become habits; continuing this process of ignorance and frustration.

“Therefore because of these viewpoints this ‘I am’ has not vanished … because this ‘I am’ has not vanished, he is beset with these five characteristics; the eye characteristic, the ear characteristic, the nose characteristic, the tongue characteristic and the body characteristic, … the mind; there exists its phenomena and there exists the factor of ignorance … born of ignorant-contact – Avijj±samphassajena, the untaught-commoner is influenced by sensations; thus it occurs to him ‘I am’, thus it occurs to him ‘I am this’, thus it occurs to him ‘I exist’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall not exist’…” [2]

3) The Noble Truth of the Extinction of Affliction – dukkha-nirodha½ ariyasacca½; “This Noble Truth of the Extinction of Affliction must be realized directly…”

This subjective identification with affliction ends when contact with sensations are known through ultimate mindfulness, mental development and wisdom; seeing sense-experience ‘as it is’ instead of as it seems. When events are not identified with as “I and mine” - no affliction arises.

“ Furthermore, monks, this is the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Affliction: Disenchantment and extinction without remnant, renunciation, relinquishment, release and freedom from just that craving.” [1]

“He does not make fabrications or form ideas about becoming or non-becoming. By not making fabrications or forming ideas about becoming or non-becoming, he does not attach to anything in this world. When he is not attached, he is undisturbed. When he is undisturbed, he has become completely stilled within (parinibb±yat²). Thus he knows, 'Gone is the possibility of rebirth, fulfilled is the renounced life, the goal has been reached, of this existence there is no further goal.” [3]

4) The Noble Truth of the Way leading to the Extinction of Affliction - dukkhanirodhag±min²-paµipad± ariyasacca½; “This Noble Truth of the Way of Progress leading to the Extinction of Affliction is to be cultivated.”

Gotama Buddha had become a Completely Self-Awakened One - having rediscovered the long forgotten Truth of the Nature of Things – Dhamma, which leads to Liberation. In addition to discovering the Truth of Affliction – its Cause and Extinction, The Buddha directly realized the Way leading to Liberation. Here, in the Fourth Noble Truth, He details the concise analysis of The Noble Eightfold Path leading to Liberation.

“… this is the Noble Truth of the Way of Progress leading to the Extinction of Affliction; Indeed just this Noble Eightfold Path as follows; Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Exertion, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.” [1]

Noble Eightfold Path - ariyo aµµhaªgiko maggo:

Noble Eightfold Path, can be summarized into three groupings:

“ Friend Vis±kha, here - Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood are arranged within the collective of Virtue (s²la). Right Endeavor, Right Mindfulness and Right Development of the Mind are arranged within the collective of Mind Development (sam±dhi). Right view and Right Intention are arranged within the collective of Wisdom (paññya).” [4]

1. Virtue - S²la:

• Right speech – samm±-v±c±:

“Monks, what then is Right Speech? – Monks, it is abstaining from speaking falsely, abstaining from malicious speech, abstaining from unkind speech, abstaining from frivolous speech.” [5]

• Right action – samm±-kammanta:

“Monks, what then is Right Action? - Monks, it is abstaining from taking life, abstaining from taking what is not given and abstaining from unchastity.” [ibid.]

• Right livelihood – samm±-±jivo:

“Monks, what then is Right Livelihood? - Monks, it is where a disciple of the noble ones, abandoning wrong livelihood, maintains his life with right livelihood.”

• “And what is wrong livelihood? – Monks, a lay-follower should not be involved in five types of livelihood. Which five? Trade in weapons, Trade in living beings, Trade in meat, Trade in intoxicants and Trade in poison. - These are the five types of livelihood that a lay-follower should not be involved in.” [6]

2. Mind Development – Sam±dhi:

• Right Endeavor – samm±-v±y±ma:

“Monks, what then is Right Exertion?

Monks, it is where a monk, through mental exertion, actively takes up and upholds with endeavor and resolve, to bring forth the non-manifestation of evil and unwholesome natures that are not yet manifest.

Through mental exertion, actively takes up and upholds with endeavor and resolve, to bring forth the abandonment of evil and unwholesome natures that have manifested.

Through mental exertion, actively takes up and upholds with endeavor and resolve, to bring forth the manifestation wholesome natures that are not yet manifest.

Through mental exertion, actively takes up and upholds with endeavor and resolve, to bring forth the steadfast, non-perplexed, exceedingly abundant, fullness, cultivation and fulfillment of wholesome natures that have manifested.

Monks, this is called Right Exertion.” [5]

• Right Mindfulness – samm±-sati:

“Monks, what then is Right Mindfulness?

Monks, it is where a monk, concerning the body - abides contemplating the body intently, focused and attentive, laying aside grasping and mental distress over the mundane.

Concerning sensations – abides contemplating sensations intently, focused and attentive, laying aside grasping and mental distress over the mundane.

Concerning the mind – abides contemplating the mind intently, focused and attentive, laying aside grasping and mental distress over the mundane.

Concerning mental phenomena – abides contemplating mental phenomena intently, focused and attentive, laying aside grasping and mental distress over the mundane.

Monks, this is called Right Mindfulness.” [ibid.]

• Right Development of the Mind – samm±-sam±dhi:

“Monks, what then is Right Concentration?

“Monks, it is where a monk, completely removed from sensual gratification, removed from unwholesome natures, enters and abides in the first jh±na – of bliss and pleasure arisen from removal. With sustained thought and examination.

Sustained thought and examination are calmed. He enters and abides in the second jh±na – of bliss and pleasure arisen from concentration, with one-pointedness of mind, with inward serenity, freed from sustained thought and examination.

Bliss falls away. He abides in equanimity, mindful and attentive, sensitive to pleasurable feelings of the body. He enters and abides in the third jh±na – which the Noble Ones proclaim, ‘Composed and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding’.

Pleasure is abandoned and pain is abandoned, just as before with the disappearance of mental ease and distress. He enters and abides in the fourth jh±na - not pleasure - not pain, purity of equanimity and mindfulness.

Monks, this is called Right Concentration.” [ibid.]

3. Wisdom – Paññya

• Right view – samm±-ditthi:

“Monks, what then is Right View? – It is knowledge of affliction, knowledge of the genesis of affliction, knowledge of the extinction of affliction, knowledge of the way of progress leading to the extinction of affliction. Monks, this is called Right View.” [5]

• Right resolve – samm±-sankappa:

“Monks, what then is Right Intention? - Monks, it is intent on dispassion, intent on benevolence, intent on mercy. Monks, this is called Right Intention.” [ibid.]

~~~

[Prepared by Khantijayo Bhikkhu – 2007]

1. SN.56.11
2. SN.22.47
3. MN.140
4. MN.44
5. SN.45.8
6. AN.5.177