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This lesson will look at some other Buddhist beliefs. Keep in mind, that like any

other religion, some of these have been adapted and changed over time. They

are also affected by culture, geography, which denomination of Buddhism they

are practiced in, and each individual's interpretation.

As mentioned in the last lesson, Buddhist philosophy tends to be practical.

Buddha himself did not seem too concerned with metaphysics, intellectual

theories, or complicated philosophies (though arguably, many sects of later

Buddhists will be). Remember, Buddha was reacting against Hinduism and

therefore really removed the emphasis away from ritual, puja, deity, etc.

T h e A r r o w P a r a b l e

When asked where we came from and if there is a god, Buddha basically

answered by saying, "How do these questions end suffering?" Buddha taught

we need to focus on the here and now. A famous Buddhist parable tells the

story of a monk getting shot with a poisoned arrow. He whines and complains,

wondering who did it, what kind of arrow is was, and why someone would do

this to him. Buddhists point out that the monk could easily die with this kind

of attitude. Instead of worrying about the why's and how's, he should instead

focus on removing the arrow! W h o ca res a b o u t h o w i t h a p p en ed ?

Buddhists say it does us no good to worry about what will happen or where

we came from because we will never know and it doesn't solve the immediate problem of reducing craving

and suffering. So, it may not be surprising to you that Buddhism is one of the only religions w i t h o u t a

distinct, universal and prominent Creation Story.

Note: As Buddhism spreads through different countries, this does change. Pre-existing religions and views

of afterlife will mix in with Buddhism. So, many Buddhist countries like Laos or Burma may have distinct

creation stories, though they are not speci�cally Buddhist in origin.

I n n e r P e a c e

Buddhists teach that the key to Nirvana is w i t h i n o n es el f. You will not �nd it externally. No scripture,

book, person, etc. will give it to you. You must �nd it within. These other things can help, can in�uence, but

ultimately it must come within yourself.

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Arguably, many say the Buddha wanted no disciples. He said that everyone

must follow their own way.

I m pe r m a n e n c e

Everything is in constant change. Nothing is permanent - our relationships, our bodies, personalities, jobs,

people, seasons, etc. Pretty much everything is always changing. Buddhists say: Lea rn t o a ccep t t h i s a n d

yo u ' l l s ave yo u rs el f a l o t o f s u fferi n g .

But most of us hold the illusion of permanence, that everything will always be as it is. And this is part of

what causes our craving and clinging and suffering. We fear any kind of change. We fear old age, death and

disease. We try to hold on to our bodies, to our youth (think of the prominence of plastic surgery and our

out of control obsession with youth and arti�cal beauty in this country).

But every t h i n g ch a n g es . Buddhists say that we grasp onto material

possessions in a poor attempt to have the illusion of permanence and avoid

death. Think of the midlife crisis - why does someone leave their family, job, etc

for a younger mate, a newer car, etc? Buddhists would say that his behavior is a

sorry attempt (and one that causes suffering) to avoid the inevitable - old age

and death.

Thinking about death makes us feel insecure, unsafe, and makes us

acknowledge our own mortality. Buddhists say the problem is we don't accept

death as a natural part of life. We see it as evil, tragic, and something that

should be avoided and conquered. We do all we can to avoid thinking about it.

But, like Hindus, Buddhists say we should consciously acknowledge death and

accept it. We should realize that death is a natural part of life, a transition, a

part of change. They say having this kind of awareness about impermanence

actually makes you appreciate life more.

By realizing life can end at any moment, w e ca n b e m o re m i n d fu l t o m a ke

ea ch m o m en t co u n t . It makes us live each moment to its fullest and not take

any moment for granted.

So, according to Buddhists, it is healthy to contemplate death, not morbid.

Tibetan Buddhists focus on death so much that they wrote a whole book

about it, called "Bardo Thodol" or "Th e Ti b et a n Bo o k o f t h e D ea d ." The

Dalai Lama actually does a meditation in which he imagines his body decomposing after he dies. Some

would say that's morbid. He calmly says it's a way for him to acknowledge the impermanence of everything.

What is unhealthy, Buddhists say, is to maintain the illusion that it won't happen. To fool yourself. This is

what will cause us ultimate suffering. Buddhists say that when you die, what matters is not how much

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money, power, things, or the physical state of your body, but what matters

is your state of mind. If you are at peace and ready, then this is the proper

way to die.

N o n - A t t a c h m e n t

If everything is impermanent, then why do we cling to things and beg them to stay the same? We must �ow

with the change and adapt. Holding onto things as if they were permanent inevitably causes suffering.

Think of the Christian Serenity Prayer, "God grant me the serenity to change the things I can, accept the

things I can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference…"

Buddhists aren't saying that we should suppress our emotions or not feel. Not at all. We can feel things -

that's what it is to be human. Just don't let these feelings/emotions co n t ro l you. Love - love with all your

heart - but realize one day it will change. Feel anger, don't suppress it, but at the same time, don't let it

control you. Don't be attached to that anger - l et i t g o .

Even with happiness and joy - enjoy happiness, but don't cling to it either because then when you lose it, it

will cause you suffering. Be able to rise above a l l em o t i o n s with nonattachment.

Buddhists teach that we may n o t be able to change the world around us or control events that happen to

us, but we ca n control how we rea ct to them! We can choose to get angry, stressed, miserable or we can let

go.

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Think of this example. Someone says or does something that makes you really mad. You go home and spend

the whole afternoon (or rest of the day) steaming, stewing mad, complaining, etc. You could let it go and

enjoy your evening. But, instead you make yourself way more miserable and angry by obsessing about it

than the anger you felt in just that one moment of what the person did or said! H o w m a n y o f yo u h ave

ever d o n e t h i s ?

A n o t h er A rro w P a ra b l e: Tibetan Buddhists have a saying that when someone is angry, it s as if they shot

an arrow at your heart. An arrow with a soft point. It doesn't kill you, but lands at your feet. But then

instead of walking away, most of us choose to reach down and grab the arrow and stab ourselves with it

over and over again! Basically, we often make the suffering much worse by our obsessing and the way we

REA C T to it.

Buddha taught that we should even have nonattachment to Buddhist teachings!

"M y t ea ch i n g i s l i ke a ra ft w h i ch ca n h el p yo u cro s s t o t h e o t h er s h o re. U s e t h e ra ft t o cro s s ,

b u t d o n' t h a n g o n t o i t a s yo u r p ro p ert y. D o n o t b eco m e ca u g h t u p i n t h e t ea ch i n g . Yo u m u s t

l et g o ."

N o se l f

Because all is impermanent, including ourselves, traditional Buddhists teach that there is n o en d u ri n g ,

p erm a n en t s el f. This is usually one of the hardest things for non-Buddhists to accept. Buddhists teach

that we really aren't we at all. Instead we're made up of changing elements, called s ka n d h a s -which consist

of our emotions, feelings, perceptions, body, consciousness. Think of

yourself at 3, at 10, then at 5 years ago, at the age you are now. Were you

the same person all those times? Now, think of yourself 10, 20, 30 years

from now? Do you think you'll be exactly the same?

Buddhists say our illusion is identifying ourselves with those impermanent,

changing elements - the skandhas. We say "I am angry. I am sick. I am

jealous." But t h ere i s n o I . Like an onion, we can peel away the layers and

there's nothing there.

This notion serves well in Buddhism to end suffering. If we can literally be

"s el � es s " in our actions and deeds, then we will truly see ourselves in

everyone else. Instead of viewing ourselves as distinctly separate, "sel�sh" beings, we should realize that

we're all the same. This thought process, according to Buddhists, will help us have more compassion

towards others.

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Think of a car. What do you think of when you picture a car? What is

TH E car? The tires, frame, paint, glass, steel, chrome? Take the parts

away and what do you have? Nothing. The car is just a composite of

its parts. We are too. It's made up of its own skandhas. We are too.

You could look at a tree the same way. What is a tree? Its leaves,

bark, branches, roots, etc. But what is THE tree? These themes are

explored in the movie Th e M a t ri x . We'll get into this notion even