The Buddhas Four Noble Truths: A Logical Basis For Philosophy Essay

The Buddhas quartet impressive Truths A Logical Basis for Philosophy     The Buddha Shakyamuni was born in the sixth century BCE in the arapresently known as Nepal. During his 80 year lifetime, he systematicallydeveloped a pragmatic, empirically ground philosophical system which he claimed would leadits followers towards an enlightened existence. Buddhism is commonly called areligion however, it differs from the usual definition of a religion in that ithas no deities, does not promote worship of demigods, and is based on logical reason out and observation rather than spiritual faith. At the heart of Buddhistphilosophy is the Buddhas enumeration of quartet Noble Truths Dukkha (suffering),Samudaya (origin of suffering), Nirodha (cessation of suffering), and Magga(path to cessation of suffering). The Buddhas Four Noble Truths are based onarchetypal traits that were elucidated through careful empirical watching andintensive introspection. These Four Noble Trut hs form a logically recollective setof axioms upon which the whole of Buddhism is based, and provide a solidfoundation for a philosophy which is applicable several millennia after itsformulation.1"What we call a being, or an individual, or I, according to Buddhistphilosophy, is only a faction of ever-changing physical and mental forces orenergies...." - Walpola Rahula2     In vow to fully understand the Four Noble Truths, it is necessary toinvestigate the Buddhist view of the individual and its makeup. In somerespects, the manner in which Buddhism deals with the top dog/body problem is muchmore advanced than most spiritual views, and closer to sciences understandingof the mind and body. Rather than postulating the existence of an eternal spiritwith no physical manifestation, the Buddha taught that the person is really acollection of fin skandhas or amasss. These include rupa (matter), vedana(sensations), sanna (perceptions), samkhara (mental forma tions), and vijnana(consciousness). The aggregate of matter encompasses all tangible aspects ofthe world. The aggregate of sensations is akin to the process of sensory inpute.g., the activation of retinal cells in the eye. Vedana does not include theprocess of perception, however the act of perceiving the senses, i.e.,recognition of extraneous sensations, is within the realm... ...nbsp The idea of the cycle of death and rebirth, a central teaching to bothBuddhist philosophy and the Hindu religion, will not be brought into thisdiscussion of the Four Noble Truths. While reincarnation was very definitive toBuddhas formulation of his beliefs, it is neither a necessary nor sufficientcondition for the Four Noble Truths to hold true. When examined from a purelylogical and empirical basis, the Four Noble Truths are still valid without theintroduction of reincarnation.2     Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught. rascal 25.3     Sherab Chdzin K ohn. The Life of the Buddha. Page 19.4     Sherab Chdzin Kohn. The Life of the Buddha. Page 19.5     Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught. Page 29.6     Sherab Chdzin Kohn. The Life of the Buddha. Page 19.7     B. Alan Wallace. Tibetan Buddhism From the grease Up. Pages 40-41.8     Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught. Page 36.9     Sherab Chdzin Kohn. The Life of the Buddha. Page 19.