The four noble truths in Buddha’s teachings

The core of Buddha’s teachings are the four noble principles. They’ve been roundly attacked for being nebulous for a very long time. Despite the opposition, they have endured and gained acceptance. The four noble truths, which different scholars allude to variously, are;

The reality of pain

The real reason why people endure

The reality of suffering’s conclusion

The reality of the road leading to relief from pain

The four noble truths’ impact on the family’s perception of Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana, monks, and nuns is discussed in the article that follows.

The pain is real.

Starting with Theravada, the most conservative and strict branch of Buddhism holds firmly to the theme that humans existence is full of suffering, that nothing on earth is ever permanent. For this reason, Buddha taught that nothing on this earth should be held tightly or even desired. He instructed his followers to stay away from evil, seek only what is good and work continuously to purifying their minds. Thus according to the teaching, one must live ethically, meditate and seek wisdom. Next is Mahayana Buddhism which differs from Theravada.They have constantly made an alteration from Buddha’s original teachings. They believe that enlightenment is universally accessible to everyone. This is also the case with monks and nuns (Browning & Green).

The cause of suffering

Buddhism believes that the cause of suffering is caused by thirst and craving which come in three different kinds; a sense of pleasures, bhava tanha, and vibhava tanha. Bhava is the desire to continue with life, the business of life. Because the world is imperfect, impermanent, and not separate, we are forever clinging to things, each other, and ourselves, in a mistaken effort at permanence (Browning & Green).

The Truth of the end of Suffering

The Buddha taught that through diligent practice, it is possible to bring an end to craving. Ending the hamster wheel chase after satisfaction is enlightenment or rather Bodhi which means awakened. Overcoming the attachment referred to as nirvana in Buddhism which means blowing out. It refers to letting go of clinging, hatred, ignorance and full acceptance of imperfection, impermanence; and interconnectedness.

The truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering

The last one is the path also known as dharma. Buddha called it the middle way, which is understood as meaning the middle way between such competing philosophies as materialism and idealism and asterism. This path is further elaborated as the eightfold path. The first two are referred to as wisdom and they are the right view as the true understanding of the four noble truths. The second is the right aspiration as the true desire to free oneself from attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness. Right speech involves abstaining from lying, gossiping, or hurtful while the right action involves abstaining from hurtful behaviors; such as killing, stealing and careless sex. Those are the third and the fourth teaching respectively.

Avoiding dishonest and hurting others including animals is the fifth right livelihood.

The last three are known as meditation. They teach that bad quality should be abandoned and prevented from arising again and good qualities should be natured and enacted to ensure that we shall arise after death.

Family Perspective

About the families, Theravada teaches on absolute dedication and thus views the family as an unwanted attachment that hinders one from total commitment. Therefore, it advocates for practitioners to enter into a monastery and become an Arhat. On the other hand, Mahayana gives an individual an opportunity to engage in family and society duties. Thus, both husband and wife can participate in the mutual study of Buddhism canons and engage in an enlightenment path together (Browning & Green, 75).

Conclusion

All the four noble truths have very important values emulated by Buddhism family. They teach that everything is impermanent and changes. They also teach the importance of togetherness; there is no separate individual self, this is an allusion.

Works Cited

Browning, Don S, et al. Sex, Marriage, and Family in World Religions. Columbia UP, 2009.