Buddhism :: essays research papers

Buddhism 1.) The First Noble Truth - "Dukkha" A.) The First Noble Truth seems to be an intrinsic understanding that all things are impermanent. This impermanence causes us to feel frustrated when we can't hold on to people or things we think we need. This need helps us feel wanted and/or important. Dukkha can also be described as the suffering we experience and see in our lives. Unpleasant conditions such as being sick, seeing our loved ones get sick and die, getting aggravated over things our children do, losing a job, etc. cause us to experience Dukkha. The Buddha felt that this suffering was brought on by our attachment to people and things. Only by detachment and selfless acts can we become free from the unpleasantness of Dukkha. Another aspect of Dukkha deals with the belief in the importance of oneself. The Five Aggregates are the foundation of this aspect. The "I" saying "I" creates the illusion of "I" which consists of matter, sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. These five items produce the compound being that experiences Dukkha. B.) I Believe I give significance to things or events that aren't intentionally producing Dukkha. I'm leaving my house to go to work and I happen to leave a couple of minutes late knowing that there is a possibility that I might be late. As I'm driving someone pulls in front of me and is maybe doing the speed limit. I immediately go into reaction mode. This is where I have to realize that the person in front of me is not intentionally trying to make me late for work. (not until I flash my highbeams or honk my horn) Looking at situations objectively and being more proactive can help us deal with Dukkha better. I believe the Buddha understood that "Dukkha Happens" so its how we deal with it that can cause the frustration, sadness, and suffering. C.) I have mixed feelings on the concept of Dukkha. Specifically with the element of detachment. I agree with the idea of detachment from material things but I don't agree when it comes to people. Although I believe material things come and go with memories of them fading as time goes on, I feel as people come and go through our lives, the memories of attachment stay with us embedded in our hearts as well as in our mind. (Darshana ?) The idea of everything being an illusion or Maya is tough to conceptualize. I do believe we are the thinker behind the thought. The "I" creates the illusion of who we are and how we behave.