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

The Buddhas iv Noble Truths A reproducible Basis for Philosophy     The Buddha Shakyamuni was born in the 6th century BCE in the beapresently known as Nepal. During his 80 year lifetime, he systematicallydeveloped a pragmatic, empirically based philosophy which he claimed would leadits followers towards an enlightened existence. Buddhism is commonly called areligion however, it differs from the wonted(prenominal) definition of a religion in that ithas no deities, does not fire worship of demigods, and is based on logicalreasoning and observation kinda than spiritual faith. At the heart of Buddhisticphilosophy is the Buddhas enumeration of cardinal Noble Truths Dukkha (suffering),Samudaya (origin of suffering), Nirodha (cessation of suffering), and Magga(path to cessation of suffering). The Buddhas quaternary Noble Truths are based onarchetypal traits that were elucidated through careful empirical observance andintensive introspection. These Four Noble Tr uths form a logically coherent setof axioms upon which the square 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 private, or I, according to Buddhistphilosophy, is only a combination of ever-changing sensual and mental forces orenergies...." - Walpola Rahula2     In order to fully witness 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 mind/body conundrum is muchmore advanced than most religious views, and closer to sciences causeof the mind and body. Rather than postulating the existence of an eternal soulwith no natural manifestation, the Buddha taught that the person is really acollection of five skandhas or aggregates. These overwhelm rupa (matter), vedana(sensations), sanna (perceptions), samkhara (mental formations), and vijnana(consciousness). The aggregate of matter encompasses all tangible aspects ofthe world. The aggregate of sensations is akin to the dish out of sensory inpute.g., the activation of retinal cells in the eye. Vedana does not accommodate theprocess of perception, however the act of perceiving the senses, i.e.,recognition of external sensations, is within the realm... ...nbsp The judgement of the cycle of death and rebirth, a central tenet to bothBuddhist philosophy and the Hindu religion, will not be brought into thisdiscussion of the Four Noble Truths. While reincarnation was very important toBuddhas formulation of his beliefs, it is neither a necessary nor sufficientcondition for the Four Noble Truths to establish 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. foliate 25.3     Sherab Chd zin Kohn. The life history 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 Ground Up. Pages 40-41.8     Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught. Page 36.9     Sherab Chdzin Kohn. The Life of the Buddha. Page 19.