Buddhist Response to Burma

May 9th, 2008  ·  1 Comment

The military government in Burma is receiving an outpouring of emergency aid offers from the international community. The death toll from Saturday’s cyclone continues to rise. Foreign aid workers were told they could enter the country to assess needs and distribute supplies but now a full week after the devastating cyclone, the humanitarian aid workers are still waiting for visas. We must ask ourselves where is the effort by the government itself in helping the people of Burma. The delay in allowing foreign aid workers damages the already tarnished reputation of the Burmese government and its supporters the Chinese government…

The Purpose of Life

March 16th, 2008  ·  2 Comments

What is the purpose of life? All religions attempt to answer this question. Buddhism is no different. The only difference is the answer that Buddhism offers

“One thing I teach: suffering & the end of suffering. It is just I’ll and the ceasing of Ill that I proclaim.”
–The Buddha

The primary goal of most humans is to find a way to happiness. For the Buddhist faith the answer to the question, “What is the purpose of life?” is “To end suffering.” The Buddha teaches us is that human suffering is the result of attachment. We have been in a …

The Four Noble Truths

February 25th, 2008  ·  No Comments

1. All life is suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. Cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering. The Eightfold Path is the way for cessation.

1. To live means we suffer.Because human nature is not perfect and the world we live in is not perfect we inevitably endure suffering. Suffering comes in many forms; sorrow, aggravation, sickness, injury, old age, and death. In life we also endure psychological sufferings, as well. Some of these are sadness, fear, disappointment and frustration and finally, depression. It must be said that even …