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Üß²Ü Þ² Þß  buddhists believe that  when one dies, their "soul" does not  ßÜß²  totally extinguish with the b ody, and that it passes on to a new  ²²ß ßÜ life form. m ost people have the idea, that if they were to be   ²ßÜ Þ² reincarnated, say f or example, as a dog, that they would be a   ° ²ß° person trapped in a dog's body , and as if they could perceive and  ²Üß Þ²° still think as  the person they are, but like i said just in a  °Þ²Üß° dog's body. that is incorrect . if one was reincarnated as a  Üß ßÜ dog, the only thing in common that that dog and person would have,  ޲ܲ²² is the same soul o r what-not.  °Ü߲߲  ²Ý Þ²² however, the dog would  be a normal dog and not see things as the   ß Üß² human would have, not th e fictitious idea of the person's mind  °Ü²°ßÜ° living on as a dog. the only  common ground the two (dog + person)  ²Ý ² Þ² would have, is bein g manifestations of the soul.  °ßÜ ß°  Üß²Ü  aside from that, buddhis ts also believe that we are reincarnated  Þ² Þß  not once, but many  times over and over again. this cycle of  ßÜß²  birth, death, and rebirth is known as samsara (sanskrit). most  ²²ß ßÜ people, when uninformed of the buddhist view-point, would find   ²ßÜ Þ² this information pl easing, for the fact that they don't totally   ° ²ß° "die off" and that they get to  live over and over again (in a  ²Üß Þ²° sense, yes). however samsara and the wheel of life are not °Þ²Üß° perceived as something positive, in fact, they are seen as very  Üß ßÜ negative and pessimistic. ޲ܲ²²  °Ü߲߲ why?  because buddhists view life as suffering , which i will get  ²Ý Þ²² into later. okay, so you know that all of us are stuck in this   ß Üß² big cycle of death, and continual rebirth over and over again, and  °Ü²°ßÜ° what can one do about it? ba sically we are all subject to  ²Ý ² Þ² suffering, and deat h, and all sorts of things, over and over again  °ßÜ ß° in a nearly infinite cycle o f existance. does this sound like  Üß²Ü  fun? hell no. and, wha t can be done about it? how can one  Þ² Þß  escape this pit of hel l?  ßÜß²   ²²ß ßÜ .. well, several thousan d years ago, there was an indian prince   ²ßÜ Þ² named siddha rta gautama. its sorta a long story, so i won't go   ° ²ß° into it. but, he did not unde rstand suffering and why all this  ²Üß Þ²° terrible shit had to happen, and wanted to know why and how to  °Þ²Üß° make this stuff come to an end, and a release from the cycle. so,  Üß ßÜ he set out to find this ultimate tr uth and reality, and meditated  ޲ܲ²² with some ascetics  and practically starved himself and did all  °Ü߲߲ sorts of extreme p ractices, in search of this ultimate truth. ²Ý Þ²²  ß Üß² after he had established  the "middle path" and realized that you  °Ü²°ßÜ° don't have to be too extreme or too lose in practicing, he set  ²Ý ² Þ² out again, this tim e refreshed and more determined. eventually,  °ßÜ ß° he attained true enlightenment and perceived nature and things as  Üß²Ü  they truly are, and he h ad achieved the final stage of nirvana  Þ² Þß  (sanskrit).  ßÜß²   ²²ß ßÜ when one attains  nirvana, (or nibbana in pali) they are at a   ²ßÜ Þ² totally different s tage, in which they are not subjected to   ° ²ß° birth, nor death anymore. onc e you have attained nirvana, you are  ²Üß Þ²° out of the cyc le of samsara, you are free. once siddhar ta  °Þ²Üß° attained nirvana, he was known as sakyamuni buddha (buddha  Üß ßÜ meaning enlightened one ). thus, siddharta found a way to  ޲ܲ²² liberation, and to  get out of this cycle that we are all damned  °Ü߲߲ to. this way is k nown as buddhism. ²Ý Þ²²  ß Üß²  °Ü²°ßÜ° + no ble truths, and other stuff + ²Ý ² Þ² °ßÜ ß° the world, however, is given to ple asure, delighted with pleasure,  Üß²Ü  enchanted with pleasure.  obviously, such beings will hardly  Þ² Þß  understand the law of conditionality, the dependant origina tion  ßÜß²  (paticca-samuppada ) of everything; incomprehensible to them will  ²²ß ßÜ also be the end of all f ormations, the forsaking of evey   ²ßÜ Þ² substratum of rebir th, the fading away of craving, detachment,  ° ²ß° extinction, nirvana.  ²Üß Þ²°  °Þ²Üß° however, there are beings whose eyes  are only a little covered  Üß ßÜ with dust, they will understand the  truth. ޲ܲ²²  °Ü߲߲ --- ------------------ ²Ý Þ²² the first no ble truth  ß Üß²  life is s uffering. °Ü²°ßÜ° ²Ý ² Þ² what does suffering  entail, what defines suffering? °ßÜ ß° Üß²Ü  birth is s uffering, decay is suffering;  de ath is suffering;  Þ² Þß  sorrow, lamentation, pain, g rief and despair are suffering;   not  ßÜß²  to get what one desire s is suffering;  basically, the five  ²²ß ßÜ aggregates of existance are suffering.  ²ßÜ Þ²  ° ²ß° the five aggregates connected with cleaving are: bodily form,  ²Üß Þ²° perception , feeling, mental formations  and consciousness. °Þ²Üß° Üß ßÜ "whoso delights in bodily form , or feeling, or perception, or  ޲ܲ²² mental format ions, or consciousness, he delights in suffering;  °Ü߲߲ and whoso del ights in suffering, will not be freed from  ²Ý Þ²² suffering, thus i  say," - sutra nipata  ß Üß²  °Ü²°ßÜ° (dharmapada 14 6-48) ²Ý ² Þ² how can you find delight and mirth °ßÜ ß° where there is burni ng without end? Üß²Ü  in deepes t darkness you are wrapped! Þ² Þß  why do you not seek for light? ßÜß² ²²ß ßÜ look at t his puppet here, well rigged,  ²ßÜ Þ² a he ap of many sores, piled up,  ° ²ß° diseased and fu ll of greediness, ²Üß Þ²°  unstable and impermanent! °Þ²Üß° Üß ßÜ  devoured by old  age is this frame, ޲ܲ²²   a prey of sicknes, weak and frail; °Ü߲߲   to pieces breaks this putrid body, ²Ý Þ²² all lif e must truly end in death.  ß Üß²  °Ü²°ßÜ° -------------- -------- ²Ý ² Þ² the secon d noble truth °ßÜ ß° the noble truth of the or igin of suffering. Üß²Ü Þ² Þß  the cause or origin of  suffering is desire. it is that craving  ßÜß²  which gives rise to fresh reb irth, and bound up with pleasure  ²²ß ßÜ and lust, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight.  ²ßÜ Þ²  ° ²ß° there is sensual craving, the craving for eternal existance, the  ²Üß Þ²° craving for te mporal happiness. °Þ²Üß° Üß ßÜ therefore, whatever kind of feeling  one experiences, pleasant,  ޲ܲ²² unpleasant, or ind ifferent -- one approves of and cherishes the  °Ü߲߲ feeling, and by do ing so clings to it; and while clinging t o  ²Ý Þ²² it, lust  springs up; but lust for feelings means clinging for   ß Üß² existance and, on clingi ng to existance depends the process of  °Ü²°ßÜ° becoming (ka rma-bhava); and that process depends on bir th (jati);  ²Ý ² Þ² and dependent on bi rth are decay and death, sorro w, lamentation,  °ßÜ ß° pain, grief a nd despair. and when you take into account a ll of  Üß²Ü  this, you can see how th e whole mass of suffering arises. Þ² Þß ßÜß²--------------- ²²ß ßÜ the third trut h  ²ßÜ Þ² the noble  truth of the extinction of suffering.  ° ²ß° ²Üß Þ²° what is the no ble truth of the extinction of suffering?   it is the  °Þ²Üß° complete fading away a nd extinction of this craving/desire, its  Üß ßÜ forsaking and giving up, the libera tion and detachment from it. ޲ܲ²²  °Ü߲߲ by the total fadin g away and extinction of craving, clinging to  ²Ý Þ²² existance is extinguis hed; and through the extinction of the   ß Üß² clinging to existance th e process of becoming is extinguished; and  °Ü²°ßÜ° through that being extinguish ed, the process of rebirth is  ²Ý ² Þ² extinguished; and t hrough extinguishing the process of rebirth,  °ßÜ ß° you extinguish decay and death, sor row, lamentation, suffering,  Üß²Ü  grief and despair. ther efore, the extinction of the whole mass of  Þ² Þß  suffering comes about. ßÜß² ²²ß ßÜ this, truly is the peace, this is the highest, basically the  end   ²ßÜ Þ² of all formations, the forsaking of every substratum of rebirth,   ° ²ß° the fading away of craving, de tachment, extinction, nirvana. ²Üß Þ²° °Þ²Üß°  ---------------- Üß ßÜ  the fourth truth ޲ܲ²²  the  noble truth of the path that leads to the °Ü߲߲  ext inction of suffering. ²Ý Þ²²  ß Üß² what is the path  that leads to the extinction of suffering? °Ü²°ßÜ° ²Ý ² Þ² it is the noble eig htfold path, °ßÜ ß° 1. samma-ditthi , right understanding Üß²Ü  2. samma- sankappa, right mindedness Þ² Þß  3. samm a-vaca, right speech ßÜß²  4. samma-kamma nta, right action ²²ß ßÜ 5. samma- ajiva, right living  ²ßÜ Þ² 6. s amma-vayama, right effort  ° ²ß° 7. samma-sati , right attentiveness ²Üß Þ²° 8. samma-samadhi, right concentration °Þ²Üß° Üß ßÜ truly, like this path there is no o ther way to purity of  ޲ܲ²² insight. if you f ollow this path, you will put an end to  °Ü߲߲ suffering. ²Ý Þ²²  ß Üß²  °Ü²°ßÜ° okay, there you have it, some  of the basics of buddhism. if i  ²Ý ² Þ² were to fully expla in all of this in depth, it would take an  °ßÜ ß° immensely large amount of time and effort, neither of which i  Üß²Ü  have at the moment :) Þ² Þß ßÜß²  i apologize if this was banal  and monotonous, religion has many  ²²ß ßÜ dull aspects to it. oth erwise, i hope this was not your same   ²ßÜ Þ² trite, hackneyed, t ypical article, and that maybe you learned   ° ²ß° something. i'm out,  ²Üß Þ²°  °Þ²Üß° -rza Üß ßÜܲ ޲ܲ²²  Ü °Ü߲߲  ß²° ²²²°° ²Ý    Þ²°ß ßßßßßßß²ÛÛ ²²²²ÛÛÛÛ²°²²Û²ÛÛÛ² ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ°°°°²²°Û°Û °ÛÛ²²Þ²±Þ °   °² °°   ²  Ü ß  °  SAUCE00BUDDHISM & THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS THE RZA SAMSARA 199607315rPù