Today is Vesak day, the day that Buddhists commemorates the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of Gautama Buddha who left a life of comfort in the palace, searching for the truth. I'll spend the day meditating and watching Venerable Master Sheng Yen, Ajahn Keng and Venerable Guan Cheng dharma talks.
After attaining enlightening, Buddha had compassionately taught sentient being the Four Noble Truths. He reminded us to think and investigate his or others' teaching before accepting it.
On the night of enlightenment, Buddha attained the ability to recollect his past lives at dusk. In late night, Buddha attained the second knowledge which is the passing away and rebirth of beings according to their actions and closer to dawn, Buddha attained the knowledge of the destruction of mental defilements and came to be the fully self-awaked Buddha. Buddha had compassionately spent the next 49 years teaching sentients being the path to end suffering with the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold path. More than 2500 years later, with the advance of technology and past lives regression, it verified what Buddha had taught about rebirths and karma- cause and effect. If you want to read about rebirths, you can read Dr Brian Weiss's book like Many Lives, Many Masters which touched on individual and collective karma and rebirths.
The Four Noble Truths are
1) The truth of suffering. Like it or not, both rich and poor go through suffering. The suffering of old age, not getting what you want, separation, sickness.
2) The truth of the cause of suffering (craving, anger and delusion)
3) The truth of the end of suffering. (There is a way to end suffering)
4) The truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold paths.
The Noble Eightfold paths which helps to develop Sila (ethical conduct), samadhi (mental discipline or meditation) and panna (wisdom) are as follows
1) Right thought
2) Right understanding
3) Right speech (Refrain from lying, gossip, idle, harsh speech. If one has nothing helpful to say, be silent)
4) Right action (moral, honorable and peaceful conduct)
5) Right livelihood (Honest living, Refrain from making a living that harm others like selling weapons, intoxicating drinks and toxins)
6) Right effort (prevent unwholesome state of mind)
7) Right mindfulness (be aware and mindful of one's thoughts and feelings
8) Right concentration (meditation)
