Pure Mountain Tao

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

1. There is suffering, discontent, stress

2. Suffering, discontent and stress are caused by desire, cravings, greed, attachment

3. Suffering can be ended by stopping desire, cravings, greed and attachment.

4. Follow the eight-fold path to reduce and minimize suffering.

THE EIGHT FOLD PATH-

1.Right View-the ability to distinguish wholesome from unwholesome. A deep understanding of the four noble truths.

2.Right Thinking-three practices, are you sure, eliminate wrong perceptions? What am I doing? This overcomes the habit of wanting to complete things quickly. Smile to yourself and practice mindfulness Realize habitual emotions and actions! When we accept our ingrained thoughts, they lose their power over us.

3. Right Mindfulness-when we are mindful, our thinking is right thinking, our speech is right speech, and so on. Mindfulness is concentrating on the just now. Do not lose yourself in the past or in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment.

4. Right Speech- speaking truthfully, not gossiping, not speaking cruelly, avoiding idle chatter. For many of us, the most difficult part of practicing right speech lies in how we express our sense of humor. We often find it easy to get laughs with exaggeration, sarcasm, and pure silliness-all classic examples of wrong speech.

5. Right Action- the practice of preventing harm, practicing non-violence, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not ingesting toxins such as alcohol, drugs, violence from books, television, movies.

6. Right Effort- Live deliberately! Walk like an elephant. Do not be diligent for possessions.

7. Right Concentration- active concentration is when we welcome what comes along. We don’t think about or long for anything else. Selective concentration is when we choose one object and hold onto it. If our concentration is on one thing, we don’t watch television or talk on the phone at the same time. Look deeply at your intentions. Just ‘being there’ is a concept.

8. Right Livelihood- you must find a way to earn your living without compromising your wholesome and mindful life. Our vocation can nourish our understanding and compassion, or erode them. We cannot find inner peace with a livelihood that disturbs the mind.

THE FIVE REMEMBERANCES

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

2. I am of the nature to have ill-health. There is no way to escape having ill-health.

3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.

Although Buddhism has far more and far deeper teachings, I beleive these to be the most relevant and important of them. There is no need for metaphysical debates or abstract thoughts as is often the case among the ’schools’ of Buddhism. Do your best to follow these guidelines and you will be on your way to inner peace.