Three Jewels:

  1. Buddha Sanskrit, Pali :   The Enlightened or Awakened One; – the ideal or highest spiritual potential that exists within all beings
  2. Dharma Sanskrit: The Teaching; Pali: Dhamma, – The teachings of the Buddha, the path to Enlightenment.
  3. Sangha: Sanskrit, Pali: The Community; The community of practicing Buddhists, or the community of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Triratna_Symbol_svgSymbol of the triratna, as seen in the Sanchi stupa located in Madhya Pradesh India. (100 BCE)

Four Noble Truths:

    1. We Suffer also referred to as Dukkha things change or are temporary in nature and unsatisfying.
    2. Trishna or craving gives rise to attachment, which leads to Dukkha or Suffering.
    3. If we able to stop this blind passions of craving and clinging we can begin to eliminate suffering;
    4.  We can help ourselves out of this suffering by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path.    

Four-Noble-Truths

 

Noble Eight Fold Path: Has three divisions Wisdom, Ethical Conduct, and Concentration.

  1. Right view: A way of seeing ,which transcends all views. It is a detached way of seeing, free of judgment pure observation.  Observing our existence, suffering, sickness, aging, death, the existence of greed, hatred, and delusion.
  2. Right thinking or intention: Energetic resolve and exertion of our own will to become conscious.  To begin to renounce some of our worldly attachments and have a greater commitment to the spiritual path;  good will; non-violence toward ourselves and all living being to include those seen and unseen.
  3. Right Speech: Abstaining from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter.
  4. Right Action: Abstaining from taking life. abstaining from stealing. abstaining from illicit misconduct.
  5. Right Livelihood: practitioners ought not engage in business that hurt our world and community such as: instruments of killing, slave trade, prostitution, breeding and slaughter of animals, intoxicating substances and poisons that are designed to kill.
  6. Right Effort: Practitioners should make a persisting effort to abandon all the wrong and harmful thoughts, words, and deeds.
  7. Right Mindfulness: Practitioners should constantly keep their minds alert to phenomena that affect the body and mind. They should be mindful and deliberate, making sure not to act or speak due to inattention or forgetfulness.
  8. Right Concentration: Practitioner concentrates on an object of attention until reaching full concentration and a state of meditative absorption.  Traditionally, the practice of concentration or Samadhi can be developed through mindfulness of breathing, through visual objects, and through repetition of phrases or mantras. Jhana is used to suppress the five hindrances.

Wheel of Dharma

Five Hindrances:

  1. Sensory desire – five senses
  2. Ill-will- feelings of hostility, resentment, hatred and bitterness
  3. Slothfulness- heaviness of body and dullness of mind
  4. Restlessness- inability to calm the mind
  5. Doubt-not trusting yourself or conviction

Five Hindrances

Six Paramitas: or perfections

  1. Dana: Generosity, giving of oneself
  2. Sila: Virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct
  3. Ksanti: patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
  4. Virya: energy, diligence, vigor, effort
  5. Dhyana: one-pointed concentration, contemplation
  6. Prajna:  highest wisdom, insight

Three Great Seals of Existence

  1. All compounded things are Impermanent.
  2. All Dharmas are with self-nature.
  3. Nirvana is Perfect stillness.