Buddhism For Beginners

Could it be your guide to happiness?

Photo by Sahil Pandita on Unsplash

We all want to be happy, don’t we? And yet, so often, we find ourselves stressed out and overwhelmed. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a guide to happiness that we could follow?

Well, believe it or not, there is! The guide is called Buddhism, and it’s been around for over 2,500 years. In this post, I’ll introduce you to the basics of Buddhism so that you can start living a happier life today.

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths are the essence of Gautama Buddha’s teachings. It is considered an essential part of Buddhist philosophy. It may be found in some form in all Buddhist schools (though their interpretation is widely debated).

1. The first noble truth is that life is suffering.
   Life entails suffering due to the necessity to experience unpleasant circumstances such as pain and sickness.
2. The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is desire.
   Desire (in the sense of ‘craving’) and attachment towards pleasurable desires cause suffering. These objects or experiences are impermanent, constantly changing, and therefore cannot provide complete or lasting happiness.
3. The third noble truth is that there is a way to end suffering.
   Buddhist practice aims to completely…