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 ho ...