Life as suffering or life as joy? Four noble truths.

(Skt. chatvari aryasatyani) - four main provisions (axioms, truths) expressed by the Buddha after achieving enlightenment. These truths are the foundation of all Buddhist schools, regardless of region and name.

Four noble truths

Seeing Siddhartha under a tree, they wanted to say something offensive to him, as they believed that he had betrayed their teachings. However, as they got closer to him, they were unable to say anything other than, "How did you do that? Why are you glowing like that?"

And the Buddha gave his first teachings, which they called the four noble truths:

First truth

Descriptions and explanations in books

Joyful Wisdom book

After completing his observation, he realized that true freedom does not lie in withdrawal from life, but in a deeper and more conscious participation in all its processes. His first thought was, "No one will believe this." Whether motivated, as the legends say, by the calls of the gods or by overwhelming compassion for the people, he finally left Bodh Gaya and traveled west to ancient city Varanasi, where in an open area known as the Deer Park, he met his former ascetic companions. Although at first they almost rejected him with contempt, because he betrayed the path of severe austerity, yet they could not help but notice that he radiated a confidence and contentment that surpassed anything they had achieved. They sat down to listen to what he was going to tell them. His words were very convincing and so logical that these listeners became his first followers and students.

The principles that the Buddha outlined in Deer Park are commonly referred to as the Four Noble Truths. They comprise a simple, direct analysis of the difficulties and possibilities of the human condition. This analysis constitutes the first of the so-called "Three Turns of the Wheel of Dharma," the successive cycles of teachings penetrating the nature of experience, which the Buddha taught in different time during the forty-five years he spent wandering through ancient India. Each of the turns, building on the principles expressed in the previous turn, offers a deeper and more insightful understanding of the nature of experience. Four noble truths form the core of all Buddhist paths and traditions. Indeed, the Buddha considered them so important that he recited them many times before the most varied audiences. Together with his later teachings, they have been handed down from generation to generation to the present day in a collection of texts called sutras. It is generally accepted that the sutras are records of conversations that actually took place between the Buddha and his disciples.

Book Overcoming Spiritual Materialism

These four noble truths are: the truth about suffering, the truth about the origin of suffering, the truth about the goal, and the truth about the path. We will begin with the truth about suffering, which means that we must begin with the delusions of the monkey, with his madness.

We need to first see the reality of dukkha; this Sanskrit word means "suffering", "dissatisfaction", "pain". Dissatisfaction arises due to a special rotation of the mind: in its movement, as if there is no beginning or end. Thought processes go on uninterruptedly; thoughts about the past, thoughts about the future, thoughts about the present moment. This circumstance is irritating. Thoughts are generated by dissatisfaction and are identical to it. It is dukkha, the recurring feeling that something is still missing, that there is some kind of incompleteness in our life, that something is not going quite right, not quite satisfactory. Therefore, we always try to fill the gap, somehow correct the situation, find an additional piece of pleasure or security. The incessant action of struggle and preoccupation turns out to be very irritating and painful; in the end, we are annoyed by the very fact that "we are us."

So, to understand the truth of dukkha is really to understand the neurosis of the mind. We are drawn with great energy first in one direction, then in the other. Whether we eat or sleep, work or play, in everything we do life contains dukkha, dissatisfaction and pain. If we experience some pleasure, we are afraid to lose it; we achieve more and more pleasure or try to keep what we have. If we suffer from pain, we want to get rid of it. We are disappointed all the time. All our activities involve dissatisfaction.

Somehow it turns out that we arrange our life in a special way that never allows us to have enough time to really taste it. We are constantly busy, constantly waiting for the next moment; life itself seems to have the quality of constant desire. This is dukkha, the first noble truth. Understanding suffering and resisting it is the first step.

Acutely aware of our dissatisfaction, we begin to look for its cause, its source. As we examine our thoughts and actions, we find that we are constantly struggling to preserve and sustain ourselves. It becomes clear to us that struggle is the root of suffering. Therefore, we try to understand the process of struggle, i.e. understand the development and activity of the "I". This is the second noble truth, the truth about the origin of suffering. As we have established in the chapters on spiritual materialism, many people make the mistake of thinking that since the root of suffering lies in our ego, the goal of spirituality should be to conquer and destroy this self. They struggle to get rid of the heavy hand of the ego, but as we found out earlier, such a struggle is nothing but another expression of the ego. We go in circles trying to improve ourselves through struggle until we realize that this drive to improve is itself a problem. Flashes of insight come to us only when we stop fighting, when there is a light in our struggle, when we stop trying to get rid of thoughts, when we stop taking the side of pious, good thoughts against bad and impure ones, only when we allow ourselves to simply look at the nature of these thoughts.

We begin to understand that within us lies a certain healthy property of wakefulness. In fact, this property is manifested only in the absence of struggle. Thus we discover the third noble truth, the truth about the goal, about the end of the struggle. We only need to drop efforts and strengthen ourselves - and the state of awakening is evident. But we soon realize that simply "leaving things as they are" is only possible for short periods. We need a special discipline that will lead us to what we call peace, when we are able to "leave everything as it is." We must follow the spiritual path. Wandering from suffering to liberation, the ego wears out like an old shoe. Therefore, let us now consider this spiritual path, i.e. the fourth noble truth. The practice of meditation is not an attempt to enter into a special state of mind like a trance; nor is it an attempt to occupy oneself with some particular object.

It is very difficult to accurately translate the concept of "dukkha". Speaking of suffering, we emphasize only a pessimistic view of things, a tendency to notice only the bad, and do not take into account the good that happens to us in the process of acquiring experience. It is important to understand that the main keyword the word "experience" appears. The Buddha points out that it is necessary to value the idea of ​​life as a whole, that is, to see life in all its fullness and complexity - the way a person lives it, and not snatch it from life experience only pros and cons. The Buddha's insight can only be fully understood if we realize that the first three noble truths together constitute a comprehensive analysis of the conditions of human existence. Whatever we strive for and no matter how much we achieve, in the end it is not enough for us to feel satisfaction with what we have achieved. Dukkha is a deep-rooted feeling of dissatisfaction with a world in which we cannot fulfill our longing desires. One way or another, it is not in our power to change the world around and thereby achieve self-fulfillment. Rather, we should look for a cure for dissatisfaction within ourselves. One of the main reasons for this is that the world - known to us through the experience of samsara, as the Buddhists call it - is characterized by impermanence. Everything that is impermanent (anigga) in this world is therefore subject to constant change. This is the second aspect of dukkha that the Buddha points out in his discourse. The variability of the world is its essence, which is the cause of dukkha

Second Noble Truth: Cause of Suffering (Samudaya)

The second noble truth reveals to us an even more important meaning of dukkha. We make a fairly clear distinction between ourselves and the world around us, which is filled with things, events, people. The truth, says the Buddha, is that nothing is at rest: time is in motion. We are part of a universe in continuous becoming; there is no rest in the universe, but only constant change underlying becoming. Here we are talking about the Buddhist concept of anatta (negating the self of a person), which is the third aspect of dukkha. The Buddha said that we are a combination of ever-changing forces or energies that can be divided into five groups (skandhas or aggregates: substances, sensations, awareness aggregate, mental formation aggregate, consciousness aggregate).

Third Noble Truth: Cessation of Suffering (nirodha)

The word "nirodha" means "to control". The exercise of control over craving or desire for attachment is the third lesson.

Nirodha is the quenching of craving or craving, which is achieved through the eradication of attachment. The result will be a state called "nirvana" ("nibbana") in which the fire of desire has ceased to burn and in which there is no more suffering. One of the difficulties that arise in front of us in trying to clarify the concept of nirvana for ourselves is that the word "nirvana" denotes a state. in which something happens, but does not describe what that state actually looks like. Buddhists argue that there is no need to think about the signs of nirvana, because such an approach will not give anything at all: our attitude to karmic conditioning is important here. In other words, the state of nirvana means liberation from everything that causes suffering.

The Fourth Noble Truth: The Path to End Suffering (magga)

This is known as the so-called middle path, which avoids the two extremes, such as indulging in sensual pleasures and torturing the flesh. It is also known as the Noble Eightfold Path because it indicates the eight states by which one can achieve purification of the mind, tranquility and intuition.

These eight steps represent the three aspects of Buddhist practice: moral conduct (sila); discipline of the mind (samadhi); wisdom (panya or prajna).

Eightfold Path

1) Righteous comprehension; 2) Righteous thinking; 3) Righteous speech; 4) Righteous action; 5) Righteous life; 6) Righteous work; 7) Righteous vigilance and self-discipline; 8) Righteous concentration.

A person who lives by these provisions gets rid of suffering and reaches nirvana. But to achieve it is not so easy, you need to overcome ten obstacles that lie in wait for a person throughout his life: 1- the illusion of personality; 2- doubt; 3- superstition; 4- bodily passions; 5- hatred; 6- attachment to the earth; 7- desire for pleasure and tranquility; 8- pride; 9- complacency; 10 - ignorance.

4.2. "Four Noble Truths" of Buddhism

The Buddha himself formulated his religious program in the form of four main provisions (“four noble truths”).

1. Life is suffering.

2. There is a reason for suffering.

3. Suffering can be ended.

4. There is a path leading to the end of suffering.

The cause of suffering is a terrible thirst, accompanied by sensual pleasures and seeking satisfaction here and there; it is the desire for sense gratification, for well-being. The changeability and inconstancy of a person who is never satisfied with the fulfillment of his desires, starting to desire more and more, is the true cause of suffering. According to the Buddha, truth is eternal and unchanging, and any change (including the rebirth of the human soul) is evil, acting as a source of human suffering. Desires cause suffering, since a person desires what is impermanent, changeable, and therefore subject to death, because it is the death of the object of desire that causes the greatest suffering to a person.

Since all pleasures are transient, and false desire arises from ignorance, then the end of suffering comes when knowledge is achieved, and ignorance and false desire are different sides of the same phenomenon. Ignorance is a theoretical side, it is embodied in practice in the form of the emergence of false desires that cannot be fully satisfied, and, accordingly, cannot give a person true pleasure. However, the Buddha does not seek to substantiate the need to obtain true knowledge, as opposed to those illusions that people usually entertain themselves with. Ignorance - necessary condition ordinary life: there is nothing in the world worth truly striving for, so any desire for by and large is false. In the world of samsara, in the world of constant rebirths and variability, there is nothing permanent: neither things, nor the "I" of a person, because bodily sensations, perception and awareness of the world external to a single person - all this is only an appearance, an illusion. What we think of as "I" is just a succession of empty appearances that appear to us as separate things. By isolating the individual stages of the existence of this stream in the general stream of the universe, considering the world as a collection of objects, not processes, people create a global and all-encompassing illusion, which they call the world.

Buddhism sees the elimination of the cause of suffering in the eradication of human desires and, accordingly, in the cessation of rebirth and falling into a state of nirvana. For a person, nirvana is a liberation from karma, when all sadness ceases, and the personality, in the usual sense of the word for us, disintegrates to make room for the awareness of its inseparable involvement in the world. The very word "nirvana" in Sanskrit means "fading" and "cooling down": damping resembles complete destruction, and cooling symbolizes incomplete destruction, accompanied not by physical death, but only by the dying of passions and desires. According to the expression attributed to the Buddha himself, “the liberated mind is like a fading flame,” that is, Shakyamuni compares nirvana to a fading flame that straw or firewood can no longer support.

According to canonical Buddhism, nirvana is not a state of bliss, since such a sensation would only be an extension of the desire to live. The Buddha is referring to the extinction of false desire, not of the whole existence; destruction of the flames of lust and ignorance. Therefore, he distinguishes between two types of nirvana: 1) upadhisesha(fading of human passion); 2) anupadhisesha(fading along with passion and life). The first kind of nirvana is more perfect than the second, because it is accompanied only by the destruction of desire, and not by the deprivation of a person's life. A person can achieve nirvana and continue to live on, or can achieve enlightenment only at the very moment when his soul is separated from the body.

Deciding which path is preferable, the Buddha came to the conclusion that the true path cannot be traversed by those who have lost their strength. There are two extremes that one who has decided on liberation from the constricting bonds of samsara should not follow: on the one hand, the habitual commitment to passions and pleasures derived from sensually comprehended things, and, on the other hand, the habitual commitment to self-mortification, which is painful, ungrateful and useless. There is a middle path that opens the eyes and endows with reason, leading to peace and insight, higher wisdom and nirvana. This path is called in Buddhism noble eightfold path, because it includes the required eight stages of perfection.

1. Right View are in the first step because what we do reflects what we think. Wrong actions come from wrong views, therefore, the best way to prevent wrong actions is the right knowledge and control over its observation.

2. Right aspiration is the result of right seeing. This is the desire for renunciation, the hope of living in love with all things and beings that are in this world, the desire for true humanity.

3. Correct speech. Even right aspirations, especially in order for them to lead to proper results, must be expressed, that is, they must be reflected in correct speech. It is necessary to refrain from lying, slander, rude expressions, frivolous conversation.

4. Right Action do not consist in sacrifice or worship of the gods, but in the renunciation of violence, active self-sacrifice and the willingness to give one's life for the good of other people. In Buddhism, there is a provision according to which a person who has secured immortality for himself can help another person achieve enlightenment by transferring some of his merits to him.

5. Right life. Right action leads to a moral life free from deceit, lies, fraud and intrigue. If up to now we have been talking about the outward behavior of a saved person, here attention is drawn to the inner cleansing. The goal of all efforts is to eliminate the cause of sadness, which requires subjective purification.

6. Correct force consists in exercising power over passions, which should prevent the realization of bad qualities and contribute to strengthening good qualities with the help of detachment and concentration of the mind. To concentrate, it is necessary to dwell on some good thought, assess the danger of turning a bad thought into reality, divert attention from a bad thought, destroy the cause of its occurrence, divert the mind from the bad one with the help of bodily tension.

7. Right thinking cannot be separated from right effort. In order to avoid mental instability, we must subdue our mind, along with its tossings, distractions and absent-mindedness.

8. Proper calmness - the last stage of the noble eightfold path, which results in the renunciation of emotions and the attainment of a contemplative state.

Buddhism is one of the world's religious teachings, becoming more and more popular every year and winning new hearts. A radical change takes place in the consciousness of those who have come to this religious and philosophical direction, since Buddhism looks at life and its manifestations differently. Christianity, Judaism and Islam provide for the unquestioning leadership of the divine essence over the human will. God has absolute power and obeying him is the sacred duty of every believer. In these religions, human thoughts and aspirations are directed outward, from the self-personality to the ideal god, who must be served by submission, prayers, offerings, a righteous life built according to the canons dictated by the church. Buddhism, on the other hand, provides for spiritual quests directed inside one's own consciousness in search of truth and unity with the spiritual principle common to all things.

What are the Four Basic Noble Truths of Buddhism

Buddhist teachings (Dharma) are based on four basic postulates, or truths. Here they are listed briefly:

1. Dukkha or suffering.
2. Samudaya or the cause of Dukkha.
3. Nirodha, or the cessation of Dukkha.
4. Magga, or the road to the cessation of Dukkha.

All truths are four stages passed on the way to nirvana.

Dukkha

We must immediately make a reservation that "suffering" in the Buddhist interpretation is devoid of the meaning that is given to it in Christianity. For us, suffering is pain, loss, misfortune, death. In Buddhism, this concept is much broader and includes all spheres of life, not having a direct relationship to its physical manifestations. Yes, dukkha is suffering, but not necessarily physical, but spiritual, associated with the imperfection of human existence. People always have disharmony between the desired and the actual. Roughly speaking, life always has some drawback: if you live richly, you lose loved ones, relatives are alive, but someone is sick, health does not mean financial well-being, and so on ad infinitum. From the point of view of Buddhism, suffering is dissatisfaction with what you have, the inability to achieve the ideal. In this respect, suffering fills life, that is, "everything is Dukkha." Man cannot change the laws of nature, but he can reach agreement with himself. The next stage in comprehending the four truths is understanding the causes of your problems.

Samudaya

The cause of suffering is dissatisfaction, that is, the inability to get what you want. We crave wealth, we get it, but we understand that having achieved our goal, we begin to passionately desire something else. Getting what you want does not eliminate suffering, but only increases it. The more you want, the more you become frustrated or fed up with what you have achieved. Even a state of happiness is inseparable from dissatisfaction. Bringing a child into this world, a woman is absolutely happy, while experiencing physical and spiritual torment from fear for the future of her baby.

There is not only no stability in life, there is also no constancy in the global sense of the term. Everything is in constant motion, constantly changing, transforming and transforming. Even human desires change and are rethought over time. What we passionately desired and strived for with all our soul with the last of our strength turns out to be unnecessary and uninteresting at the next stage of life. As a result, we experience disappointment - one of the varieties of suffering from the point of view of Buddhism. In this sense, the cause of suffering is ourselves, or rather what lies in the depths of us, our passions, desires, aspirations and dreams.

Nirodha

The word itself means control. The only way change your condition and get rid of torment - stop suffering. To do this, you need to get rid of the cause that gives rise to these feelings. These are our desires, passions, attachments, dreams. Property also gives rise to dissatisfaction, since it is associated with fears of losing it, hopes of increasing it, and the need to maintain it in a decent condition. Dreams create problems both when they come true and when they collapse. To stop feeling torment, you need to get rid of fruitless dreams and enjoy what you have - the very fact of being. Passions must be controlled, for the fire of desire is the cause of the greatest frustration and dissatisfaction in this life. How often do we strive to take possession of a loved one and how quickly sometimes enthusiastic love and affection turns into its complete opposite - denial and hatred. There is a way not to suffer from passions - to subordinate them to your control.

The cessation of suffering by controlling one's passions, desires and attachments frees the follower of Buddhism from the fetters and plunges him into a special state called "nirvana". This is the highest bliss, free from Dukkha, merging with the divine spirit and the universal self. A person ceases to feel like a specific person and becomes a part of the spiritual and material Universe, a part of the total deity.

Magga

Trying to get rid of Dukkha, one person throws himself into the abyss of passions, trying to drown out the pain of loss and disappointment with new connections, things and dreams. The other, being in constant fear of Dukkha, renounces everything in general and becomes an ascetic, exhausting and torturing his flesh in vain attempts to escape from a series of losses and pain, to find happiness. Both of these paths are extremes, carrying nothing but self-destruction and only multiplying sorrows and sorrows. True Buddhists choose the so-called middle path, which lies between two extremes. It is aimed not at external manifestations, but at the concentration of one's own internal forces. It is also called differently, since it consists of eight states, after passing through which you can reach the state of nirvana. All these states can be divided into three stages, which must be passed gradually and systematically: shila (morality), samadhi (discipline) and panya (wisdom).

Noble Eightfold Path

On the way to nirvana, many obstacles are scattered, which are not so easy to overcome. They are connected with the earthly, carnal essence of a person and interfere with his spiritual emancipation and liberation. They can be briefly summarized as:

• Illusory personality
• Doubts
• superstition
• carnal passions
• Hatred
• Attachment to earthly existence
• Thirst for pleasure
• Pride
• Complacency
• Ignorance

Only by overcoming these obstacles can the Eightfold Path be considered completed. Three aspects of Buddhism are indicators of this:

Panya - wisdom

1. Right view.
2. Right thinking.

Shila - morality

3. Correct speech.
4. Correct behavior.
5. The right way of life.

Samadhi - discipline

6. Right diligence.
7. Proper self-discipline.
8. Correct concentration.

Going through all these stages, a person gains well-being, happiness and solves his problems. life problems, and then enters nirvana, getting rid of all kinds of suffering.

Despite the heterogeneity and diversity of currents within Buddhism, which sometimes contradict one another, they are all based on four basic noble truths. These principles are believed to have been understood, defined and formulated by the Buddha himself. He associated the four truths with the relationship between the doctor and the patient, in which he himself acted as a doctor, and all of humanity - as suffering from numerous diseases. The first truth in this light appears as a statement of the fact of the disease, the second is the establishment of a diagnosis, the third is an understanding of the possibility of a cure, the fourth is the prescription of a course of drugs and therapeutic procedures. Continuing the chain of associations, we can say that the Buddha and his teachings are an experienced doctor, the four noble truths are the method and method of healing, and nirvana is complete health, physical and psychological.

The Buddha himself insisted that his teaching was not a dogma that must be followed unquestioningly by his disciples and followers. He came to his conclusions on his own, analyzing himself and his life path and offered to question and verify all his words. This is fundamentally opposed to the traditions of other religions and beliefs, where the word of God is unshakable and unshakable and requires unconditional acceptance without the slightest hesitation. The rest of personal opinions and rethinking of divine writings are heresies and are subject to radical eradication. This is what makes the Buddhist teachings so attractive in the eyes of his modern students and followers - freedom of choice and will.

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

“Our whole life is suffering,” says in. Probably everyone who is at least a little familiar with Buddhism has heard about this.

But what does this mean? What is suffering? How are the causes of suffering explained in Buddhism and how to deal with them? That is what we propose to talk about today. Answers to eternal questions - in the article below.

What is suffering

Suffering, from the point of view of Buddhist philosophy, permeates our entire life. In Sanskrit, it is denoted by the term "dukkha". It means desires, addictions in our lives that lead to unpleasant sensations and become painful.

There are four noble truths associated with the concept of suffering. They are mentioned in one of the first sermons, which was recorded in the Dhamma-chaka-pavattana-sutta in the Pali language, better known to us now as the Sutra of starting the Dharma wheel.

These truths say that in the world:

• there is suffering;
• the cause of suffering is also present;
• the cessation of suffering is possible;
• there is a path that leads to it.

The first noble truth, the truth about dukkha, speaks of suffering. On the way to the main goal - enlightenment - a person invariably encounters anxiety, dissatisfaction, disorders, which in the language of Buddhist philosophy can be called in one word - "suffering".

Beings in all worlds suffer: both gods and spirits in hell. The degree of their suffering varies: life in the heavenly worlds and the world of people is happier, while in hell it is completely filled with pain. They suffer because that is the nature of life.

However, happiness is not the opposite of suffering. On the contrary, happiness also eventually leads to suffering, because it, like everything in this life, tends to end.

The teaching describes 4 main sufferings:

• birth;
• aging;
• disease;
• death.

It turns out that we are born in this world and already suffer. Moreover, the last three sufferings are combined into the most powerful form of suffering. Next in strength are impermanence and conditioning, along with the rules that follow from it, the norms of life that do not depend on us.

“And what is the noble truth about suffering? And birth is suffering, and old age is suffering, and death is suffering, and sadness, groaning, pain, despondency, despair - suffering. Relationship with the unloved is suffering, separation from the beloved is suffering, and not getting what you want is suffering.

At the same time, according to Buddhist philosophy, one cannot simply run away from suffering or stop thinking about it. It is important to come to an understanding of its nature.

What is its reason

This question is answered by the second noble truth, dukkha samudaya. It reveals the origin, the appearance of suffering.

And here we learn that attachment is the cause of all suffering. And attachment, in turn, consists in constant thirst, aspirations, inclinations - “tanha”.

They can be expressed in the most ordinary desires (physical and material), for example, to eat well, sleep well, buy a house or new car, and in more sublime - the will to life itself, in the pursuit of happiness. After all, if a person wants something very much, it means that he lacks it very much, which often causes such feelings as sadness, envy, fear or anger.

At the same time, desires also include their complete opposite - hatred. Attraction to what seems beautiful, and aversion to what is unpleasant - this, to one degree or another, characterizes the life of people, animals, birds, insects, fish and all living beings.

In addition, the nature of man is such that he is insatiable in his desires. Having achieved the fulfillment of one, people already begin to dream of another. In such a stream of ever-growing drives, they cannot become fully satisfied, which leads to disappointment, and hence suffering.

Desires make you do things, materialize thoughts, good or bad. This leads to the appearance of karma, which binds cause and effect. Karma, on the other hand, does not allow one to escape from the endless series of rebirths.

Negative karma is a consequence bad thoughts, disgust and even affection. And their source, in turn, lies in ignorance - "avidya", delusion, misunderstanding of the true nature of the universe.

Dalai Lama XIV, leader of Tibetan Buddhists

The current Tenzin Gyatso once wrote an essay on the Buddhism of Tibet. There he named two causes of suffering:

• clouded actions;
• filth.

Darkened actions are bad deeds that were committed under the influence of gloomy thoughts, evil intentions, clouded consciousness.

Defilements are negative feelings that cloud the mind. The most important filths are anger and desires. They also include selfishness, pride, falsity of views, arrogance.

How to stop it

The Third Noble Truth tells us that suffering can be ended. First of all, you need to renounce desires, cleanse yourself of the polluted consciousness - attachments, filth, disgust.

But a theoretical understanding of truth is not enough. It is necessary to constantly practice meditation, to calm the mind in order to be completely cleansed. The Fourth Truth will tell us how to achieve this.

It is worth understanding correctly the difference between renunciation of desires and renunciation of needs. After all, even Teacher Buddha had needs: to eat, to sleep, to go towards the truth. On the path of the Buddha, it is important to follow the "Middle Way". Needs are dictated by necessity - this is something without which life is impossible. However, most of what we desire is not a necessity.

To adhere to the "Middle Way" means to avoid extremes from complete asceticism and self-denial to satiety with pleasures and material wealth. In your life you need to find a balance between the material and spiritual world.

This path is also called "". It suggests eight components that must be correct from a Buddhist point of view and become the basis life path person:

• understanding - views that are built on the four noble truths;
• thought, determination - the intention to follow the right path, to go to liberation;
• speech - words filled with kindness, sincerity, truth and rejecting lies, intolerance, abuse;
• action - behavior that denies doing evil, lying, stealing, adultery, alcohol;
• lifestyle - only honest sources of income, peaceful ways of earning;
• effort - continuous improvement, self-education;
• attention - rejection of passions, calming the mind;
• concentration - constant practice, meditation, contemplation.

When a person succeeds in the eightfold path, he can get rid of suffering, subsequent rebirths, which means he will achieve complete liberation, or nirvana.

By the way, the word "nirvana" is translated from Sanskrit as "the gradual extinction of fire."

Conclusion

Today we have considered in more detail the causes of suffering. We will definitely continue this topic in future articles.

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