The Principles of Buddhism: A Beginner’s Guide to Dharma

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Out of the five major world religions, Buddhism is one of the most mysterious and profound. This is because its path towards spiritual enlightenment is quite radical and transformational. The spiritual practice of Buddhism is based on the Dharma, the eternal teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who brought to his disciples the lessons of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

A Beginner’s Guide to Dharma

While concepts of Buddhism have come to the West, not many people know. What they know are fragments. As such, this will be a guide to the basic principles of Buddhism.

The Principles of Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths

At the core of the Buddhist perspective is that of the Four Noble Truths. This basic framework was the first ever lesson of the Buddha. These are four essential statements of the true state of things: how things really are when they are seen from the correct standpoint.

1. The first truth is that suffering is an inherent part of existence. Humans suffer. Animals suffer. Plants suffer. Everything suffers. This suffering is physical, mental and spiritual. The suffering of all entities speaks of inherent dissatisfaction that comes with living an impermanent and meaningless life.

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1. The second truth is that suffering comes from attachment. Things suffer because they desire impermanent things. When one gets to eat, they are fulfilled but that fulfillment is merely transient. It vanishes as soon as it is achieved, and one begins to crave once more.
2. The third truth is that like most things this suffering is impermanent. But this is only possible through severing one’s attachments to the world and their commitment to destroying their cravings. This state of potent selflessness is otherwise known as Nirvana, which people know from pop culture as some form of enlightenment. It is actually a transcendental state of liberation from suffering and the endless cycle of rebirth.
3. The fourth truth is that the road to Nirvana is the Eightfold Path.

The Principles of Buddhism: The Eightfold Path

Like every path toward spiritual enlightenment, Buddhism has commandments that followers should strive for to bring them closer to their goals. This is the Eightfold Path. While other faiths have tens or hundreds, Buddhism only has eight:

• The Right View is understanding the true nature of reality as it is laid out according to the Four Noble Truths.
• The Right Thought is the deliberate engagement of positivity and the avoidance of negativity.
• The Right Speech is to always ensure truth and kindness in communication.

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• The Right Action is the commitment to interact with the world and all things in it in an ethical and compassionate manner.
• The Right Livelihood is to live in a way that one does not create or intend harm on the world and others.
• The Right Effort is to act without negativity and to always proceed with positivite qualities.
• The Right Mindfulness is to be in tune with the world all times, to have full awareness of one’s inner workings, from thoughts to sensations.
• The Right Concentration is the cultivation of inner peace and clarity.

These are what a Buddhist should strive for daily.

The Principles of Buddhism: The Three Poisons and the Five Precepts

According to Buddhism, there are three primary ways that people are led to suffering. These are the Three Poisons.

The first poison is that of Greed. When one desires excessively, one is easily taken in by these desires, acting only in their fulfillment without regard for the consequences. The second poison is Hatred. When one is fueled by anger, they act accordingly, and in seeking to damage others, they only damage themselves. The third poison is ignorance. When one is blinded to the reality of the world, one suffers always with every course of action.

The Five Precepts are guidelines on how to avoid the Three Poisons. They are as follows: abstain from killing, abstain from stealing, abstain from sexual misconduct, abstain from lying, and abstain from intoxication.

Only when one adheres to these can one diminish and take control of one’s suffering.

The Enlightened Path of Buddhism

This article only provides the barest of Buddhist principles. It is a surface-level understanding of Buddhism. Actual knowledge can only be gained from experience.

For more articles on how to seek spiritual guidance, click the link to take you to the blogs page.