The Life and Teachings of the Buddha

The Buddha

The Four Signs: age, sickness, death; and finally, freedom from this suffering

Symbolic Meaning of the Four Signs

Quest for Enlightenment

	Practice of Yoga

	Practice of Asceticism

	Finding a Middle Way (between existence and nonexistence)

	Enlightenment

	The Buddha’s Optimism

The Buddha’s Teachings

	The Fourfold Noble Truth
		
		1) The truth of what suffering (dukkha) is: suffering, unsatisfactoriness...
		
		2) The truth of the conditioned arising of suffering; 
		
		3) The truth that suffering can be eliminated by eliminating its conditions; 			and 
		
		4) The truth that the way to remove the conditions that give rise to suffering 			is to follow the Middle Way, constituted by the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path

1) Right View

2) Right Intention		WISDOM (1&2)

3) Right Speech		

4) Right Action		MORAL CONDUCT (3-5)

5) Right Livelihood		

6) Right Effort

7) Right Mindfulness		MENTAL DISCIPLINE (6-8)		

8) Right Concentration