The Buddhist Attitude to Sensuality

By Ajahn Brahm

Denial of the senses, labelling them evil or even completely prohibiting sense indulgence is not the Buddhist way. Meditation and mindfulness allow practitioners to deal with sensuality wisely, particularly if it is destructive to one's self or others.

And, according to Ajahn Brahm, those who *really* want to be deviant and head towards nibbana (enlightenment): "Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side..." - and try celibacy.

The Three Jewels of Buddhism

By Aazdak Alisimo

There are many items that are sacred within the dharmic religion of Buddhism, but the Three Jewels of Buddhism are the very cornerstones of this religion and its beliefs.

Several parts of Buddhism make up the core of this religion. They include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, both of which are beliefs that were developed by the Buddha when he was enlightened by meditation. The Three Jewels of Buddhism are similar, but they can also be seen as the three things that Buddhists actually "give" themselves to in order to belong to this religion. The Three Jewels are Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

The Three Jewels are also known as the "Gachchamis". The first of these, Buddha, is stated as Buddham, sharanam, gachchami and means "I go to the feet of the Awakened One". The Buddha, as referenced in this jewel, can be taken to mean the historical Buddha, or to mean the Buddha's nature or ideal within everyone. Buddha can also be taken to mean Buddhahood or the attainment of Buddhahood, meaning finding the pinnacle of your spiritual and life potential. The name the Three Jewels or the Three Gems also comes from the Buddha, who was known as the Diamond Mind.

The second of the Three Jewels of Buddhism is Dharma, and the Gachchami for this is Dhammam sharanam gachchami, which means "I go to the feet of Dharma, the Eternal Law". The word Dharma literally translates into "the Teaching", and it is the laws and teachings that were handed down to Buddha's followers by Buddha himself. In the Theraveda tradition, Dharma consists only of these laws, but in Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism, there are other parts of Dharma that are recognized. These include not only Kangyur (the teaching of the Buddha) but also Tengyur (the commentaries of Buddhist practitioners).

The third Jewel is Sangha. Sangha translated into English literally means "the Community", and the Gachchami for Sangha is Sangham sharanam gachchami, which means "I go to the feet of the Sangha, the Awakened One's community". In Tibetan Buddhism, Sangha is used to refer to all of the people who practice Buddhism and use the Buddha's teachings to benefit themselves and others. In other sects of Buddhism, such as Theraveda, Sangha means the community of practitioners and devotees that have fully realized the nature of their mind - "Realized Sangha" as well as those who are working towards that goal "Ordinary Sangha".

The Three Jewels of Buddhism are often seen represented within a lotus flower within a circle, or surrounded by the dharmic wheel and placed on a representation of the Buddha's foot. This important aspect of Buddhism is one that all sects subscribe to.

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The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

By Aazdak Alisimo

Every religion has their most sacred teachings - for example, the Ten Commandments in Judaism and Christianity - and one of these is the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism are perhaps the most important teachings within the religion. They are seen multiple times in the sacred texts of Buddhism, known as the Pali Canon - and they are among the truths that Buddha discovered during his journey of enlightenment. These truths are not supposed to be seen as being theoretical or just as ideas to go by, in fact, the Buddha states that the Four Noble Truths are actual, which is why they are called noble.

Most Buddhists see the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism as the way to Nirvana, and all sects of Buddhism hold them sacred. The Mahayana Buddhist sect does have a variation to the Four Noble Truths, but still holds them to be the word of Buddha and the path to enlightenment. The first Noble Truth is the Nature of Dukkha - All life is suffering. This Truth reflects on the nature of suffering and all of the contexts in which it is seen throughout life. Some people believe that a more accurate translation of this Truth is that "Life is full of suffering".

The second of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism is the Origin of Dukkha (Samudaya) - which translates to Suffering is caused by desire. Basically, this Truth states that our lives are filled with desire - sexual, desire for objects, for life, even for death. We suffer because we desire many things but we may not always get what we want. This leads to the third Noble Truth - the Cessation of Dukkha (Nirodha). This means To eliminate suffering, eliminate desire. This Truth relies on the fact that suffering can be eliminated, and that people can stop desiring all that they long for within the earthly realm.

The final of the Four Noble Truths is The Way Leading to the Cessation of Dukkha (Magga). This final Truth translates to the statement To eliminate desire, follow the Eightfold Path. Buddhists believe there is only one way to stop desire, and that is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism may be hard to understand at first, but once one undertakes the process of studying Buddhism and learning about this belief system, they will gain insight into how these Truths fit into life.

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The Different Types of Buddhism

By Aazdak Alisimo

Just like there are many different denominations of Christianity - including Protestant churches and Catholicism, the different types of Buddhism reflect the way that this religion is practiced.

Buddhism is a dharmic religion and form of spirituality that revolves around certain beliefs and practices - all of which are aimed at bringing the participant closer to Buddhahood - the highest level of spiritual awareness. However, because the religion has gained followers in several different parts of the world (mostly in Asia), the way that Buddhism is practiced has split into several different sects. All of the Buddhist sects believe certain things in common: all accept Buddha as their teacher, use the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path in their teachings, and believe that Buddhahood is the highest attainment.

Most scholars divide the different types of Buddhism into three sections. The first of these is Southern Buddhism, or Theraveda Buddhism. The word Theraveda is a word in the Pali language (thought to be spoken by the Buddha) that means "the Doctrine of the Elders". The biggest aim in the Theraveda practice is to use meditation to train the mind, and to encourage freedom of the mind from suffering. This freedom from suffering will allow you to reach the greatest spiritual goal - Nirvana. Theraveda Buddhism is the only surviving school from the earliest years of Buddhism, and it is mostly practiced today in Sri Lanka, Laos and Cambodia.

The second type of Buddhism that is mentioned is Eastern Buddhism, also known as Mahayana Buddhism. This sect not only teaches the Pali Canon (which is the religious text of Theraveda Buddhism) but also includes additional texts and beliefs. In order to reach Nirvana, Mahayana Buddhists believe that a person must practice universal compassion, which is the altruistic quest of the Bodhisattva to attain the "Awakened Mind" of Buddhahood. Mahayana Buddhism also has a level of mysticism involved. This type of Buddhism is practiced in China, Korea and Japan, as well as parts of other Asian countries.

The third of the different types of Buddhism is Northern or Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is also considered to be a type of Mahayana Buddhism, but it also embraces other teachings, texts and practices that are not seen in the Eastern type of Mahayana Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is also sometimes called Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana. This type of Buddhism uses both the Mahayana and Theraveda scriptures, as well as a number of Buddhist Tantras - all of which are aimed at attaining Buddhahood in just one lifetime instead of requiring many reincarnations.

While all of the different types of Buddhism have the same goal and same basis for their beliefs, the way that Buddhahood is obtained varies from sect to sect. It is important to understand the way that each sect works before choosing to practice a type of Buddhism.

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