What Are The Core Teachings Of Buddhism?
Category: Buddhist Path | Recent Meditation Posts
Buddhism teaches the practice of ethics, meditation and wisdom as a means of liberating oneself from suffering. But what, exactly, are the core teachings of Buddhism, and are they true? Learn more about the following foundational Buddhist teachings.
Buddhism’s Three Main Disciplines
After his enlightenment, the Buddha taught for approximately 45 years. During that time, he gave teachings to different groups of people from various backgrounds and with diverse levels of understanding. While the details or topics may have varied to suit the Buddha’s audience, every Buddhist teaching offers guidance on how to free ourselves from the cycle of suffering.
Buddhist teachings are commonly organized into three higher trainings of ethics, meditation and wisdom. It is necessary that we develop all three to progress on the path to liberation. Moral conduct, meditation and wisdom are interconnected, each supporting the others. To make it easier for us to practice, these three Buddhist pillars are also presented linearly in many of the core Buddhist teachings.
The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
The first teaching the Buddha gave was on the four noble truths. This teaching speaks to the existence of dukkha, frequently translated as discontentment or suffering. We might think of the four noble truths as the foundation of our practice. The truth is, we are not at all content with our human existence. In our attempts to overcome this pervasive experience of dukkha, we turn to the wrong things, further exacerbating our suffering.
Once we realize this, we become motivated to seek a different solution. The Buddha taught that the solution to our pain is not outside of us, but within. By generating merit from ethical behavior, practicing meditation and developing wisdom, we can free ourselves from suffering. This is the path to liberation within the core Buddhist teaching of the fourth noble truth.
The Buddhist Eightfold Path
The foundational Buddhist teaching of the eightfold path offers us a map to the end of suffering. When we think, speak and act as an enlightened being, by following the eight right, noble or beneficial actions laid out in this path, we begin to transform ourselves and our experience of the world. We cultivate the moral conduct, stability of mind and insight that place us into the right relationship with reality. No longer at odds with the way things are, we find much more peace and ease in our daily lives.
The eightfold path begins with elements of wisdom, such as (1) right view and (2) right intention. This wisdom motivates us to act in more beneficial ways, practicing (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood and (6) right effort. As we train the mind in (7) right mindfulness and (8) right concentration, we better stabilize our newfound, beneficial world view and maintain our more helpful, selfless behavior.
Buddhist Teachings On Compassion
Buddhist teachings on compassion are connected to all three disciplines of ethics, meditation and wisdom. The Buddha taught that to act compassionately is not only morally favorable, but the wisest thing to do. Acting compassionately helps us generate the karma and merit that transforms our minds, allowing us to transcend our pain.
Buddhist compassion teachings include ethical trainings such as the 5 precepts, compassion meditation practices and wisdom trainings on generating bodhicitta, the wish to free all beings everywhere from their pain and suffering. Compassion in Buddhism is not limited to Mahayana trainings, but is a core Buddhist value that is reflected in all Buddhist teachings.
Buddhist Wisdom Teachings
A foundation in ethics and meditation, which includes the embodiment of genuine compassion, paves the way to understanding Buddhist wisdom teachings. In Buddhism, wisdom is the ability to see things as they are. Typically, our perception is clouded by our past experience, biases, and expectations. To be wise is to accept reality as is. From this clear point of view, we can respond more appropriately to reality, minimizing suffering for ourselves and others.
Wisdom is not something we absorb by simply listening to or reading a Buddhist teaching. We have to experience it for ourselves. The Buddha taught wisdom by inspiring us to investigate our experience, by encouraging us to behave ethically and train the mind with meditation.
Is Buddhism True?
The core Buddhist teachings are still with us after 2,600 years because people continue to find them beneficial. To discover the truth of the Buddhist teachings is dependent on one’s own willingness to engage in critical self-reflection. The Buddha himself warned his followers not to blindly accept his words, but to test the teachings for themselves.
The Buddhist teachings explain that when we engage in moral behavior, stabilize the mind with meditation, open the heart to compassion and discover our innate potential for wisdom, we are not only happier and more content, but more beneficial to others as well.
