Posted by Jai Narayan on April 9, 2004, at 9:40:16
In reply to Re: Buddhism and the first of the Four Noble Truths, posted by gardenergirl on April 9, 2004, at 1:20:01
Here I go....
The first step on the Buddhist path. Understanding suffering is know as duhkha. Everything is duhkha: birth is suffering, aging is suffering and death is suffering both physical and mental. This suffering is our natural tendency to constantly crave that which we do not have. All is impermanent....happy moments of joy pass, joyfull experiences pass...saddness is inevitable. So the first step is to see and understand this suffering and impermanence within our lives.
Once suffering is fully understood then comes the path to the cessation of duhkha. This path airms to end every form of duhkha and help one attain nirvana.
Nirvana is the eradication of greed, hatred and delusion.
**Now for my own sharing**.
I have been meditating upon my suffering and all the suffering around me.
We are all suffering.
I have noticed my joy and happiness is fleeting.
I used to see suffering as a comfortable place to live because it was familiar...
I had gotten used to suffering and pain and I had a hard time letting my pain go.
I call that my blue period.
I was so sad all the time. That was my normal.
I know that sounds strange but it's true.Now I have moved into my red phase and I am open to other emotions, as well as, saddness. All my emotions are all still connected with desire and suffering.
I am so aware of my tendency to crave that which I do not have.
I think about something I might want and the desire for this thing spins out of control till I have the object of my desire.
This object doesn't seem to deliver the imagined satisfaction but there is a momentary feeling of happiness and joy.
Almost immediatly I become dissapointed.
I go on to the next desire and the same thing happens.
I have tried to narrow the desires down to very few but that only makes the desire stronger and the satifaction more unattainable.
So my next step is continue to observe suffering and hope that I can understand and embrace nirvana.Buddha is said to have attained nirvana after many rebirths.
He said,"I remembered many, many former existences I had passed through: one, two births, three, four, five....fifty, one hundred...a hundred thousand, in various births."
So this was a long process.I have heard an enlightened friend say that at this time our ability to move through our spiritual lessons is open to us like never before.
there's more if you are still into this.
poster:Jai Narayan
thread:334040
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20040408/msgs/334465.html