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Buddhism

If you are interested in finding out more about Buddhism then you can join us for discussion after our weekly meditation.

It is debatable whether Buddhism can be called a religion at all. Although it has religious elements within it, it has much more in common with philosophy i.e. the attempt to determine man’s place in the universe and a reason for being, the search for truth and meaning.

Unlike ‘Descartes’ who is considered by some to be the father of modern philosophy, the Buddha didn’t take a theory or an assumption as the basis for his analysis e.g. “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think therefore I am). He took an actual experience common to all beings everywhere i.e. that of suffering.

The Buddha pointed out that all beings are subject to conditions and, as such, liable to change. For a human being this can be characterised by birth, growth, sickness, old age, loss and ultimately death. The truth of suffering, or unsatisfactoriness, is all around us and yet we largely ignore this inconvenient truth until it is forced upon us.

Through several years of meditation and reflection the Buddha found the source of this un-satisfactoriness. In his view, this is the forces of craving, hatred and delusion. In doing so he also realised a state that was beyond the conditioning that results in this suffering and a way out of the never ending cycle of mundane existence.

The Four Noble Truths are at the very heart of Buddhist Philosophy: suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the way to the cessation of suffering or Buddhahood.

The first step in overcoming our limitations and becoming truly human is to recognise where we are now and this is where meditation is in-dispensible. Through the practise of ethics, and meditation one moves towards wisdom, one awakens to reality, one attains Buddhahood.

For free listening, downloads and podcasts of Triratna Buddhist Order talks on Buddhism and meditation see freebuddhistaudio.

We can provide talks on Buddhism &/or meditation, individual classes, courses and school visits. Please contact us if you are interested.