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Buddhism
Dukkha
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Dukkha is the first of the Four Noble Truths: Life is
suffering.
It is one of the three marks of conditioned existence.
It is part of the Buddha’s analysis of the human condition
it is generally translated as unsatisfactoriness
There are three different levels of dukkha
First is ordinary suffering and includes: birth, death, grief,
physical pain mental anguish etc.
Not getting what we want and the limits of human
existence are dukkha
Dukkha is caused by craving or attachment to impermanent
things
The Three Root Poisons
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The poisons are emotions: greed, hatred and
ignorance
Represented by three animals a pig an snake and
a cockerel
They are depicted at the centre of the Wheel of
Life or samsara
They are like the axel of the wheel; they keep it
turning
Being attached to the 3 poisons will mean that
beings remain trapped in the cycle of samsara
They are depicted biting each other’s tails to
show that they feed each other
Tanha
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Tanha translates as thirsting or craving
It is the root cause of dukkha and is the second
Noble Truth
Tanha binds the unenlightened to samsara
All things are impermanent and will pass away
Nothing lasts forever, but ignorance of the true
nature of reality causes the unenlightened to
cling and hold on to things wishing that they will
last
Anicca
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The Doctrine of Impermanence
All things change, nothing at all stays the same
Change can be seen on different levels because some things
change quickly while others change so slowly that we cannot see
the change
We change from babies to toddlers, to adolescents then to adults
Cells change all the time, we are not the same as we were
yesterday and we will be different tomorrow
The sun seems to stay the same but it too is constantly converting
helium to hydrogen and will one day cease to exist
The Buddha said that there is nothing that comes into existence
which does not have within it the capacity to decay
As soon as we are born we are heading towards death
Anatta
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The doctrine of no self
It can be said that it is anicca applied to humans
There is nothing that continues from one life to the next
Nagasena explains anatta to King Milinda with the Chariot
analogy
There is no part of the chariot that is called chariot
Sentient beings are comprised of the Five Skhandas: body,
feelings, sensations, mental formations and consciousness
At death the skhandas are shattered, nothing remains
except kamma and consciousness
Anatta 2
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Holding on to the belief in a self means that one
cannot be free from the cycle of Samsara
They will act in a selfish way and not for the sake
of others
For lay Buddhists, not accepting anatta will affect
future rebirths
If they act from a selfish perspective they will
have a less favourable rebirth in the future
The illusion of a self means that the person goes
through life focussed on the self, they ignore
other more important things that will bring them
closer to enlightenment
Samsara
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The cycle of birth, death and rebirth
The wheel of life
Release from samsara is possible by following the
Noble eight Fold Path
The state of dependent origination
The aim is to live in such a way as to ensure a
better rebirth especially for lay Buddhists
Rebirth depends on kamma
A flow of ever changing consciousness
Six states of existence all dependent on karma
Kamma
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kamma or karma means action
The law of karma is the law of cause and effect related to
intentional action
Karma can be good or bad
The motivation behind the action causes either good or bad karma
If the motivation is to do good the kamma will be positive
If the motivation is to cause harm, the karma will be negative
Kamma affects rebirth
the consequences of one’s actions may not be felt in this life but
in future lives
Bad circumstances in this life can be seen as a result of bad
kamma from a previous life
Kamma is not a punishment for wrong it is the consequence of our
action
Kamma is not administered by a god, it is a natural law of cause
and effect
The Three Jewels
Sometimes referred to as the Three Refuges
 The Three Jewels are the Buddha, dhamma and sangha
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All Buddhists accept the Three Jewels, they are the
foundation of Buddhism
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A Buddhist takes refuge in the Jewels when he/she is
ordained into the monastic sangha
I take refuge in the Buddha: the Buddha was the first to
become enlightened and he shows what is possible. He is a
role model and inspiration to others. The Buddha revealed
the dhamma, he created the sangha which pass on the
dhamma. The Sangha keeps the dhamma alive by teaching
it to new generations. The dhamma is the teachings of the
Buddha. The dhamma is not the source of enlightenment
but a guide, individuals have to make the effort. The Three
Jewels are inseparable as the basis of Buddhism
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