At the beginning, Buddhism is a philosophy. Its teachings are not dogmas or articles of faith that have to be blindly accepted. In fact, their basic aim is to help us gain direct insight into the truth of ourselves. Try to practise these teachings out in everyday lives.

1.The Middle Way

Middle way was the first lesson that the Buddha preached to the five ascetics in his first sermon. Middle Way is a principle to live and to practise. We have to leave two extremes of sensual-indulgence and self-mortification. The asceticism is not a good way for the monks and for everybody in their lives. The Buddha gave us some examples. If we hold tight a bird , it will die. If we hold it loosely, it will fly away. If we key up the string of a music instrument strictly, it willbroke. If we key it up loosely, it does not work.

2.The Noble Eightfold Path 

The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhist is the noblest course of spiritual training yet presented to man. It is far more than a code of morality. If the five steps on the Way may be classed as ethics, the last three are concerned with Bhavana, the mind’s development.

1. Right UnderstandingSamma ditthi

2. Right ThoughtSamma sankappa

3. Right SpeechSamma vaca

4. Right ActionSamma kamanta

5. Right LivelihoodSamma ajiva

6. Right EffortSamma vayama

7. Right MindfulnessSamma sati

8. Right ConcentrationSamma samadhi

The Path can be divided into three main elements: Wisdom, Morality and Meditation. They must be developed together in practice. Without meditation, wisdom remains hollow and theoretical; at the same time, the insights that arise in meditation need the informed understanding of wisdom or else they may not be recognized for what they are.

·WISDOM( Panna, Pjana )

-Right Understanding :In order to practise we need to have heard or read the Buddha teachings.

-Right Thought : we must have correct motivation. We have to realize that we are practicing, not

to acquire greater powers and more possessions for ourselves, but rather to move away from the basic egocentric orientation to a new, wider, more selfless one.

·MORALITY:( Sila)

-Right Speech : not telling lies, slandering, backbiting, swearing and using‘harsh’ language.

-Right Action is about decent behaviour generally. We have to undertake to train ourselvesto:

a. Refrain from taking life

b. Refrain from taking that which is not given

cRefrain from misuse of the senses.

d. Refrain from telling lies

e. Refrain from self-intoxication with drink and drugs

-Right Livelihood: The fundamental principle in Right Livelihood is the classic India virtue of ashimsa : harmlessness. The lay people do not cause harm to other people, animals or the environment.

-Right Effort :Too much or too little effort is not good. Our energy should be strictly regulated We have to use our effort to overcome laziness, and to make each activity of our day meditation.

·MEDITATION ( Samadhi)

Right mindfulness and Right Concentration mean meditation. Meditation is specialized activity that help us to fully realize the Buddha’s teachings. At the same time, it sharpens and intensifies our powers of direct perception: it gives us eyes to see into the true nature of things. The field of research is ourselves, and for this reason the laser of attention is turned and focused inwards.

3.The four Noble Truths

The Buddha taught the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths, which, along with the principleof the Middle Way , was the subject-matter of the First Sermon that he preached to his original core of disciplines in the Deer Park at Isipatana: Lord Buddha said: “This is true suffering! This is true cause! This is true cessation! This is true path.” He also said:” Know the suffering! Give up this cause! Attain the cessation of suffering! Follow the true path.”

According to the Madhyamika theory, True Suffering means Samsara, the entire round of existence, of birth and rebirth, arising from Karma( Action and Reaction) and from delusion. True cause means Karma and delusion. True cessation means the complete disappearance of the precedingtwo truths. True path means the method by which true cessation is achieved.

But according to another doctrine, we have another explanation about the four noble truths.

1.Dukkha: suffering.

2.Tanha: Dukkha has an identifiable cause

3 Nirvana.That cause may be terminated

4.Marga .The mean by which that cause may be terminated.

Dukkha means suffering, the dark side of life. Dukkha touches everything that exists although there is the light side sukkha. 

Tanha is the cause of suffering. Tanha means thirst, desire or passion. There are some forms of Tanha like obsessive lust for money and sensual pleasures.

Nirvana or Parinirvana means extinguish.

The fourth noble truth defines this path to liberation : the Noble Eightfold Path. 

4.Dependent Origination

How do phenomena arise? When the other religions believed in a creator God,Buddha taught that all phenomena are thus strictly dependent , conditioned and relative. In human beings and other sentient beings, a circular chain-reaction consisting of 12 conditioned and conditioning ’link’ generates one complete life-cycle:

1.Ignorancegives rise to

2.Volitional action, which in turn gives rise to

3.Conditioned consciousness, which in turn gives rise to

4.Nam and form , , which in turn gives rise to

5.The six bases,i.e the five senses and mind,which in turn gives rise to

6.Sense impression ( contact), , which in turn gives rise to

7.Feelings, , which in turn gives rise to

8.Desire or craving( tanha), , which in turn gives rise to

9.Attachment , which in turn gives rise to

10.Becoming,(the life-or rebirth process) , which in turn gives rise to

11.Birth( or rebirth) , which in turn gives rise to

12.Old age, death- grieve, lamentation, illness, sorrow and despair.

The final link is circularly connected with a new beginning, thus one life-cycle leads inexorably to another- and so on and on.