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

The Buddhas Four course of instructional Truths A Logical Basis for Philosophy     The Buddha Shakyamuni was born in the sixth century BCE in the areapresently known as Nepal. During his 80 year lifetime, he systematicallydeveloped a pragmatic, empirically based philosophical system which he claimed would leadits followers towards an enlightened existence. Buddhism is commonly called areligion however, it differs from the usual definition of a religion in that ithas no deities, does not set up worship of demigods, and is based on licitreasoning and observation rather than spiritual faith. At the heart of Buddhistphilosophy is the Buddhas enumeration of Four Noble Truths Dukkha (suffering),Samudaya (origin of suffering), Nirodha (cessation of suffering), and Magga(path to cessation of suffering). The Buddhas Four 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 whole 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 individual, or I, according to Buddhistphilosophy, is only a combination of ever-changing physical and mental forces orenergies...." - Walpola Rahula2     In order to fully understand 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 psyche/body problem is muchmore advanced than most religious views, and closer to sciences understandingof the mind and body. Rather than postulating the existence of an eternal soulwith no physical manifestation, the Buddha taught that the person is really acollection of five skandhas or aggregates. These include rupa (matter), vedana(sensations), sanna (perceptions), samkhara (mental format ions), and vijnana(consciousness). The aggregate of matter encompasses all tangible aspects ofthe world. The aggregate of sensations is akin to the treat of sensory inpute.g., the activation of retinal cells in the eye. Vedana does not include theprocess of perception, however the act of perceiving the senses, i.e.,recognition of external sensations, is within the realm... ...nbsp The idea of the wheel around 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. slice reincarnation was very important toBuddhas formulation of his beliefs, it is neither a necessary nor sufficientcondition for the Four Noble Truths to hold 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. varlet 25.3     Sherab Chdzin Koh n. The Life 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.