My Introduction To Buddhism

I began my curiosity into Buddhism when I was a teenager. The ideals and ethics that my Midwestern, Christian parents raised us with were very much in line with everything I was free-reading about Buddhism while loitering in the local Barnes & Nobles. Also, as a result of may Dad’s many business travels throughout the Orient, we had more Asian influence in our household than we did of our own heritage. In fact, my life defining moment came at nine years old, when he and I traveled for a month through Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China.

However, it was not until my late twenties that I was formally introduced to an organized Buddhist practice when a friend brought me to her Nichiren Buddhist community center, where I learned to chant the Daimoku (devotional chant to the Buddha’s teaching called the Lotus Sutra), and later received my Gohonzon (a scroll inscribed with Japanese calligraphy containing a devotional to the Lotus Sutra). More than anything, I enjoyed getting to learn the Dharma in a welcoming environment. I got to hear from people and how their lives where enriched as a result of their Buddhist practice.

Later, I moved away and found another, similar community center in another part of the country. The feel of a “community” seemed lost in this center. This one felt more clique-ish. The testimonies of their practice were not of personal development, or building a stronger family, or community. They were testimonies of how chanting brought them a new BMW, a motorcycle, or money. This seemed to be the opposite of the Buddha’s story that I had come to know.

Buddha, Siddartha Gautama, was a prince who left his family and opulent kingdom to find the cause of, and relief from suffering. He had witnessed the sorrow of poverty, the ravages of old-age, sickness, and death. In order to find the meaning to it all, he brought himself to starvation and near death. It was under a Bodhi tree, while in intense meditation, that he finally found enlightenment and discovered the teachings known as The Four Noble Truths, as listed below:

1.    The Truth of Suffering (known in Sanskrit as Dukkha)

We all experience suffering by way of aging, illness, and death – it is unavoidable. If you are reading this, you are alive, and not getting any younger! You’ve become sick at some point… in fact, I’m typing this whilst suffering a painful sinus infection! And, sadly, unless technology somehow invents a really practical, and affordable brain-transplant-into-cyborg-body technology, we are all going to die one day.

2.     The Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya)

Our attachments are the root of our suffering.

Consider that new BMW that person chanted for? Imagine him the first time he finds a dent or scratch from an inconsiderate door ding in the parking lot! "Right Thought," or "Right Speech" may not be top of mind for him!

3.     The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha)

Once we recognize that we are flawed and that we suffer – and often from our own choosing – we can seek a path to reckoning with our suffering. Like it is often said: the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

4.     The Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga)

                     This is where the hard work comes:

                                               The Noble Eightfold Path

Now get ready, because once you read the first three, you will say to yourself, “I’m screwed!” I know I did… and still do!!!

1.     Right Understanding

2.     Right Thought

3.     Right Speech

4.     Right Action

5.     Right Livelihood

6.     Right Effort

7.     Right Mindfulness

8.     Right Meditation

Luckily, The Buddha was a master teacher. He took the Noble Eightfold Path and broke it down into threes. This is something I do on a daily basis whether it is organizing personal goals/chores, or planning my day at work.

He divided the Noble Eightfold Path into the following categories:

1.     Ethics:

Right Speech, Right Conduct, and Right Livelihood

2.     Concentration:

Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation

3.     Wisdom:

Right Understanding, and Right Thought

When you read the Noble Eightfold Path in this way, it makes it seem much more attainable.

In future posts, I will break down each step, and how each relates to the other, and how they may be applied to daily life.

I would love to hear from you, and how the Noble Eightfold Path has benefitted you in your daily life. Feel free to comment below or by emailing me.

Meanwhile, I’d like to share with you a few books that you can find on Amazon that I have enjoyed in my study of the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path:

The Four Noble Truths by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

Fundamentals of Buddhism by Peter D. Santina