Buddhism, as a religion, has spread throughout India, into several other parts of Asia, and has even gained a steady following in Europe and the Untied States. For something to grow so large, and to touch so many people's lives, there must be a basis of faith with some reasonable foundation. The Buddha, the original teacher of Buddhism, promoted two basic teachings in his lifetime, adding to them a final teaching on his deathbed. Known as the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path, the two initial elements support the Buddha's final teaching as well.
At the age of eighty, the Buddha, or Gautama Siddharthaa, lay dying from spoilt food. With his final breaths he issued his last, and perhaps most important teaching: “You must be your own lamps, be your own refuges. Take refuge in nothing outside yourselves. Hold firm to the truth as a lamp and a refuge, and do not look for refuge to anything outside yourselves” (Molloy, 129). This statement advises his students to be independent, and to reject the necessity of relying on others for guidance and support. He is saying that the truth, and the individual, are the most important aspects of life, and without one or another the refuge one seeks may very well be misplaced.
There are two aspects of the Buddha's teachings which are highly emphasized, and remain essential to the Buddhist faith. The first is the idea of the four noble truths of life. This is a set of ideas that aim to establish a platform for understanding life and the world we exist in, as well as establishing a starting point for how one might attain happiness. The path that one would take to achieve said happiness, according to the Buddha, is the noble eightfold path. It is not set up as e sequential series of steps, as many modern self-help programs are, but rather as an encompassing manner of behavior and actions that, when utilized, may bring peace, nirvana, and true happiness.
The four noble truths that the Buddha set forth are to live is to suffer; suffering comes from desire; to end suffering, end desire; and release from suffering is possible and can be attained by following the noble eightfold path (Molloy, 133-4). The first of these truths appears, on the surface as incredibly negative, and even depressing. One must look into the deeper meanings, however, to discern the truth of the matter. When the Buddha said that to live is to suffer, what he meant was not that all life is suffering. Instead, a more accurate interpretation would be that to live, to be alive, one will encounter suffering and pain. The world is not comprised of pure happiness and pleasure all the time. There are all types of suffering, from the physical ruination of our body due to age or mistreatment, to the spiritual ache of losing loved ones and being disappointed in the cosmic order of the universe. While this neither refutes nor supports the Buddha's last teaching, it brings one to the second noble truth, which is more relatable.
Suffering comes from desire is the second noble truth. This means that all of the suffering and pain we experience in the life originates from the want for something that we cannot reasonably attain. As Molloy points out, the translation of the Sanskrit word trishna, often translated as desire, may be better read as thirst, or craving (33). Thus, it would make sense to say that suffering comes not from desiring what one can achieve, but from craving what is out of one's reach. When the Buddha advised his students to take refuge only in themselves, he could have had this concept in mind. When one derives solace from the race after something they will never be able to attain, that solace is really only pain, because they will never achieve that goal, and will be constantly striving for something that will be continually denied them.
The third noble truth states that to end suffering, one must end their desire, or thirst. One must detach themselves from those unattainable goals, or peace will never be within reach. This again relates to the idea of taking refuge only in oneself, letting oneself be the only guide in life. That is to say, dropping the craving for something outside oneself will bring peace closer, and would therefore be a worthy goal. The last noble truth states that release from suffering is possible if one follows the noble eightfold path. Akin to the second noble truth, this does not have much direct relation to the Buddha's last teaching, but does lead one to the next aspect in the search for peace, the eightfold noble path.
As stated before, the eightfold path is not set up as one might originally expect. Instead of being a step by step path, it is a path that one ascribes to throughout each and every day. The eightfold path consists in embracing these eight attributes of decorum: right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right work, right effort, right meditation and right contemplation (Molloy, 136). As Molloy points out, the word right in this context is also a bit different than what may originally be assumed, translating more accurately as complete or correct (135).
