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May I offer a great big greeting to all. We are very fortunate to be able to gather at a place such as this so that we can exchange ideas, and share our common stories.
I am Buddhist, but I do not worship Buddha because he is a man not a god.
I will say that again,
I do not worship Buddha because he was a man, a teacher nothing more. Buddha is simply a word meaning "Awakened One" his birth name is Siddhartha Gautama so it's understandable why we go with Buddha. In fact he was noble born and was a prince that was taught the way of warriors yet he let go of his fame, fortune, and ideas about himself to bring about an end to suffering. So Siddhartha was a man that became a teacher and he never asked to be worshiped so Buddhist don't. What you will see is Buddhist paying respect to his teachings. Or you will see Buddhist doing prostrations to humble and remind us that we are not the most important beings in creation or many other small things to pay respect or generate good merit. I am not free to speak for others but I feel secure that we do not pray for the destruction of our enemies or for anyone for that matter. Nor do we beseech or grovel or ask for a new refrigerator. But I have been known to ask for a heart full of loving kindness and understanding, and I have prayed that peace (not an end to war but everlasting peace) and an end to suffering comes to all people.
Buddha was a man that realized; life is suffering, that there are causes of suffering, that the end of suffering is attainable, and that there is a path to end suffering.
These are The Four Nobel Truths.
1. Life means suffering.
Because nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in we will encounter suffering. We will endure physical suffering such as pain, tiredness, old age, and eventually death. We will also suffer psychological pain like sadness, and fear. Although there are comfort and happiness at times in our lives life is still imperfect and incomplete. That is because our world is changing and nothing is permanent. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
The origin of suffering is attachment to things or ideas. Ignorance keeps us blind to our attachment, clinging, and cravings. Attachment to worldly items, clinging to the notion of fame or popularity, or craving wealth, passion or love all end in suffering because nothing is permanent. Cars rust and break down, as you age your beauty no longer opens doors, passions fade, and fortunes can be lost or stolen. Their loss is inevitable. Even clinging to the idea of "self" is a delusion and is just an imagined entity that you will lose some day.
3. An end to suffering is attainable.
The end of suffering can be attained by letting go of attachments. By eliminating ignorance and seeing the true nature of reality you find that when clinging attachment is released you obtain freedom. Free from worries about your looks, your car, or your loved ones brings about the end of suffering. You still love your family and you still strive for comfort and good health but armed with wisdom you become dispassionate and leave suffering behind. This is an extremely simple explanation of Nirvana.
4. There's a path to end suffering.
The path to end suffering is one of gradual self improvement (described in more detail in the Eightfold Path) and is commonly known as the Middle Way. This path travels between two extremes, hedonism or self-indulgence, and asceticism or self-denial. It's a fine line that separates the two and one may walk it over many many lifetimes that will each be subject to ignorance and cravings but these delusions will diminish as progress is made.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I hope that my own lack of understanding did not diminish this experience for you
Om Ah Hung
G Zebel
I am Buddhist, but I do not worship Buddha because he is a man not a god.
I will say that again,
I do not worship Buddha because he was a man, a teacher nothing more. Buddha is simply a word meaning "Awakened One" his birth name is Siddhartha Gautama so it's understandable why we go with Buddha. In fact he was noble born and was a prince that was taught the way of warriors yet he let go of his fame, fortune, and ideas about himself to bring about an end to suffering. So Siddhartha was a man that became a teacher and he never asked to be worshiped so Buddhist don't. What you will see is Buddhist paying respect to his teachings. Or you will see Buddhist doing prostrations to humble and remind us that we are not the most important beings in creation or many other small things to pay respect or generate good merit. I am not free to speak for others but I feel secure that we do not pray for the destruction of our enemies or for anyone for that matter. Nor do we beseech or grovel or ask for a new refrigerator. But I have been known to ask for a heart full of loving kindness and understanding, and I have prayed that peace (not an end to war but everlasting peace) and an end to suffering comes to all people.
Buddha was a man that realized; life is suffering, that there are causes of suffering, that the end of suffering is attainable, and that there is a path to end suffering.
These are The Four Nobel Truths.
1. Life means suffering.
Because nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in we will encounter suffering. We will endure physical suffering such as pain, tiredness, old age, and eventually death. We will also suffer psychological pain like sadness, and fear. Although there are comfort and happiness at times in our lives life is still imperfect and incomplete. That is because our world is changing and nothing is permanent. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
The origin of suffering is attachment to things or ideas. Ignorance keeps us blind to our attachment, clinging, and cravings. Attachment to worldly items, clinging to the notion of fame or popularity, or craving wealth, passion or love all end in suffering because nothing is permanent. Cars rust and break down, as you age your beauty no longer opens doors, passions fade, and fortunes can be lost or stolen. Their loss is inevitable. Even clinging to the idea of "self" is a delusion and is just an imagined entity that you will lose some day.
3. An end to suffering is attainable.
The end of suffering can be attained by letting go of attachments. By eliminating ignorance and seeing the true nature of reality you find that when clinging attachment is released you obtain freedom. Free from worries about your looks, your car, or your loved ones brings about the end of suffering. You still love your family and you still strive for comfort and good health but armed with wisdom you become dispassionate and leave suffering behind. This is an extremely simple explanation of Nirvana.
4. There's a path to end suffering.
The path to end suffering is one of gradual self improvement (described in more detail in the Eightfold Path) and is commonly known as the Middle Way. This path travels between two extremes, hedonism or self-indulgence, and asceticism or self-denial. It's a fine line that separates the two and one may walk it over many many lifetimes that will each be subject to ignorance and cravings but these delusions will diminish as progress is made.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I hope that my own lack of understanding did not diminish this experience for you
Om Ah Hung
G Zebel
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