Harold Ramis’ Five-Minute Buddha Pocket Guide – Item #8: The 4th Noble Truth

The Noble Eight-fold Path is the way to achieve the cessation of Dukkha – 4^th Noble Truth

Recall the 3rd Noble Truth: The Cessation of Dukkha is achieved, not by belief, but by the contemplation, understanding, and elimination of desire and attachment. Initially I thought the 3^rd and 4^th Noble Truths conflicted with each other, but that’s not the case. The 3^rd Noble Truth speaks in general terms of how one eliminates suffering (Dukkha) while the 4^th Noble Truth gives one more details on how to accomplish the generalities outlined in the previous Noble Truth. One can think of the 3^rd Noble Truth as the path to enlightenment while the 4^th Noble Truth are the steps on the path.

Here are the eight steps on the Path:

1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

In order to properly contemplate and understand desire and attachment, one requires the right understanding and right thought. To actually eliminate desire and attachment, one needs to speak and act rightfully, have the right livelihood, have the right effort, be (rightly) mindful, and to have proper (right) concentration.

In my next post, we will get into the specifics of Right Understanding, and then there will be a separate post for each of the remaining seven steps.

For more info on my Buddhist-like publication, “Overcome Any Personal Obstacle, Including Alcoholism, By Understanding Your Ego”, go to http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/leewriter.

For more info on my Buddhist-themed spiritual thriller, “Dead Man’s Plan”, including how to order your copy, go to

http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0060704049/Dead-Mans-Plan.aspx

 

Harold Ramis’ Five-Minute Buddha Pocket Guide – Item #6: The Origin of Dukkha (suffering) is attachment to desire

This is the 2^nd of the Four Noble Truths. For the 1^st Noble Truth, Life is characterized by impermanence and suffering, or Dukkha (insatiable thirst), go to http://wp.me/p2Pija-BB. The attachment to desire organically flows from the ego’s illusionary perception that there is a difference between what is perceived in the unverse and the person who does the perceiving. The person feels a need to bridge the gap between themselves and what they see, hear, feel, or hear. The problem is most people believe they can own or keep whatever it is (or whomever it is) they desire. When they discover they can’t, instead of treating it as learning experience, they try to own something or someone else (i.e. – they desire that thing or person). Or they keep trying to own the same thing over and over.

For example, an alcoholic becomes attached to being in a state of drunkenness so they consume copious amounts of alochol in a misguided attempt to own the experience of being drunk. But experiences can’t be owned, only experienced for a temporary period of time and then it’s over. The abuser of alcohool identifies him or herself with the condtion of being drunk. Likewise with obese person only it’s food instead of drink. In both cases, the individual seeks enjoyment and identity from external sources.

People like this suffer mainly because they’re in an almost perpetual state of longing. They look outward in the world for satisfaction, they rarely get enough of whatever they’re seeking or they don’t get it soon enough to match their desire. Because they believe they are separate from whatever or whomever they’re seeking, that creates dissatifaction and a longing to possess (or to attach themselves to) the object of their longing.

But often times after they consume whatever it is they think they need, they’ve actually consumed too much. The alcoholic feels hung over, gets a DUI, misses time from work, regrets doing foolish things while blacke dout, and so on. The obsese person hates their appearance, is more likely to have a heart attack or suffers any number of health problems, has trouble getting dates, etc.

It’s important to realize it’s not just individuals with obvious obsessions such as abusing alcohol/drugs or overeating who suffer because of attachment to desire. Whenever a person longs for or covets a person, place or thing, that’s attachment to desire. When a person thinks they’ll only be happy if they get a promotion at work, and they want that promotion very much and fear they might not get the promotion, that’s attachment.

In addition, it’s important to remember it’s not the desire itself that’s the problem. It’s the attachment to the desire that results from the person believing they are separate from the desired object or person. That’s not to say it’s wrong to have goals or enjoy achieving one’s goals or enjoying when one gets what they desire. Suffering results when an individual becomes worried or stressed out because they fear they might not get want they want. It’s when an individual is on the Road of Life and they no longer enjoy the ride because they’re overly concerned with arriving at their destination.

For more info on my Buddhist-like publication, “Overcome Any Personal Obstacle, Including Alcoholism, By Understanding Your Ego”, go to http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/leewriter.

For more info on my Buddhist-themed spiritual thriller, “Dead Man’s Plan”, including how to order your copy, go to

http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0060704049/Dead-Mans-Plan.aspx

 

Harold Ramis’ Buddhist Five-Minute Pocket Guide: Item #5: Noble Truth #1 – Life is characterized…

…by impermanence and suffering, or  Dukkha (insatiable thirst).

The Buddha nailed this one. I think that “Groundhog’s Day”, one of Harold Ramis’ films, is largely about Dukkha. In the movie, the Bill Murray character keeps living the same day over and over and over. This repetitive, seemingly endless cycle of misery reflects what most of us feel. It’s like we’re on a treadmill chasing after superficial things like food, water, and sex. Even after we slake our thirst/hunger/sexual desire, we’re not happy for long because the same needs come back to keep us on the treadmill. In the back of our mind, and occasionally in the forefront of our consciousness, we have to ask, “Is this all there is to Life?”

The answer is, “Yes, if you don’t understand the true nature of things, which is that everything is impermanent.” If you understand everything is transitory/impermanent, you realize you can’t possess anything. You can experience things like food, drink, sexual satisfaction, spiritual satisfaction, joy, wonder, hope, sadness, loss, craving, depression, fun, tragedy, etc., but none of these things are permanent and hence, cannot be owned.

Craving, another word for insatiable thirst, results when one believes they are incomplete as they are so the person seeks something — physical sustenance of some sort — from the external world to make them whole. Alcoholics and drug addicts are the most obvious examples but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. Overweight people crave food. Smokers crave nicotine. The wealthy want more and more money. Politicians seek greater power. Celebrities want more and more attention. The list goes on and on. We’re never happy or satisfied for long because we believe we’re incomplete, not whole as we are. So there’s a perpetual state of wanting that we seek to fulfill with stuff, material things and non-material things such as attention from others, power (official power such as high-level positions in business and government but also power over others as in sexual power).

My next post will cover the 2nd Noble Truth — The Origin  of  Dukkha (suffering)  is attachment  to  desire.– but for now, simply reflect on the 1st Noble Truth and how it relates to living in the present moment. Or rather, NOT living in the present moment. If we truly live in the present moment, does that not lessen our craving to NOT be in the present moment by seeking something to make ourselves whole? Isn’t insatiable thirst a result of our non-acceptance of the joy of the present moment?

For more info on my Buddhist-like publication, “Overcome Any Personal Obstacle, Including Alcoholism, By Understanding Your Ego”, go to http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/leewriter.

For more info on my Buddhist-themed spiritual thriller, “Dead Man’s Plan”, including how to order your copy, go to

http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0060704049/Dead-Mans-Plan.aspx