Introduction to Buddhism

Sidhartha Gautama was Buddha's original name. He was born into a rich family over two thousand years ago. As he was growing up he was very advantaged. Sidhartha realized that life included various struggles  The main struggles he recognized were old age, sickness, and death. He spent a long time trying to figure out why these harsh things happened. He had a huge question on the meaning of life. He left his family, his palace and all of his material things behind, while he tried to find the meaning of life. He became a wandering ascetic. The word Buddha means one who is awake. Buddha was never considered a God or someone to be worshiped. He was simply considered a enlightened human being. 

Three Jewels

The Three Jewels is also known as the Three Treasures. There is a yellow jewel, a blue jewel, and a red jewel. The yellow jewel is the Buddha. The blue Jewel is the Dharma, and the red Jewel is the Sangha. In order to be a Buddhist these jewels have to be the center principles of your life. 

Threefold way

The Threefold Way is another path to Buddhism. It includes ethics, meditation, and wisdom. Ethics is supposed to clear your conscience and meditation is supposed to clear the way for wisdom to develop. 

4 Noble Truths

The 4 noble truths are believed to be given by the Buddha. The first noble truth is the dukka. The second noble truth is the origin of the dukka. The third noble truth is the cessation of the dukka. The fourth noble truth is the path that leads to the cessation of the dukka. 

Noble Eightfold path. 

The noble Eightfold path is a further understanding of the threefold way. The first is the Right Understanding or Perfect Vision. The second is the Right Resolve or Perfect Emotion. The third is the Right Speech or Perfect Speech. The fourth is the Right Action or Perfect Action. The fifth is the Right Livelihood or Perfect Livelihood. The sixth is the Right Effort or Perfect Effort. The seventh is the Right Mindfulness or Perfect Awareness. The sixth is the ​Right Meditation or Perfect Samadhi.