The foundation of Buddhism as laid out by Buddha Siddharthe Guatama is summarized by The Four Noble Truths and The Eight-Fold Path. The Four Noble Truths deal primarily with the suffering and negative aspects of the human condition. The first three Truths include 1) All life entails suffering, 2) The cause of suffering is desire, 3) Removing desire removes suffering. While these three deal only with the flaws of the human condition and fail to offer a viable solution, the fourth Noble Truth attempts to lead the believer on the right path to nirvana. The way for removing desire is to follow the Eight-Fold Path.
The Eight-Fold Path is a step-by-step "program" that if followed correctly should eventually lead a Buddhist to freedom and existence in an eternal state, known in the religion as nirvana. This system has been so effective because as the years continue to go the guidelines laid out in the Path are still practical today.
Dhamekh Stupa, where the Buddha gave the first ser...
Read the text. A symbol of the eight fold path "Ar...
DSCN5443The Eight-Fold Path can be broken down into three smaller categories. Right views and right intentions, the first two steps on the Path, deal with attaining wisdom. The next three, dealing with speech, action, and livelihood, deal with the ethical ways we interact with the world around us. Possibly the most important three Truths, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, deal with developing a strong mind which is crucial to Buddhism.
While some religions would think it wrong to incorporate Buddhist teachings in their everyday life, I believe that the Eight-Fold Path could be beneficial to anyone who attempted to follow it. You don't necessarily have to be Buddhist to live by these standards, in some ways they even mirror many values that Christianity and other religions teach followers. If everyone tried to follow these guidelines laid out...