Knowing This Truth is Noble - Lion's Roar - 0 views
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Human beings experience dukkha in many forms—certain types of dukkha have to do with plain and simple suffering, while other forms of dukkha would not really be experienced as suffering at all. They appear more to us in the form of the pleasure of apparent happiness.
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The last two truths, the truth of the cessation of suffering and the path that leads to cessation, could be said to be noble.
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Buddhism teaches us that if we cultivate the right attitude and are able to look simply into ourselves and our perspectives, predilections, and habit patterns, we can reduce and ultimately eliminate the avoidable forms of suffering.
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there are two parts to the solution: looking at the causes of dukkha and finding the means of reducing or stopping it.
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Settling the mind on the unchanging has a calming effect on the mind generally, but it also leads to a state that allows us to relate to what is transient and ephemeral with a mental attitude born of a more enlightened view, one that does not seek permanent joy and happiness from things that are impermanent
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The first lesson we have to learn is that samsara does not deliver all that it promises. We have to recognize that transient pleasures are simply that and nothing more.
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It is possible not to get upset when people speak ill of us. It is possible to be free of paranoia about what others are thinking of us. When we feel loss and we grieve, we can do so without the emotions overwhelming us, opening the door to despair and depression.
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We can also learn how not to generate further suffering by accepting the unavoidable suffering of old age, sickness, and death.
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The first noble truth reveals to us the meaning of suffering. Painful experiences can teach us a lot.
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It is about utilizing our painful experiences, the truth of suffering, with fortitude and dignity, and thereby making ourselves stronger and more mature.
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We cannot digest the powerful medicine of the dharma in one dose, but as we treat ourselves in a stepwise fashion, our capacity to absorb dharma increases.