How It Is and How It Could Be: An Exploration of the Four Noble Truths Discovering Buddhism: Samsara and Nirvana - Part 1 Shortly after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha taught his first discourse, the Four Noble Truths, which clearly and concisely sets out the essence of what the Buddha in his enlightened wisdom newly discerned. In the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha first revealed the nature of Samsara - our current situation of dissatisfaction and continual rebirth - along with all its causes, and then explained the reality of Nirvana - a total transformation of our existence and the cessation of all our dissatisfaction - along with the method for attaining that liberated state. This course will offer a detailed investigation of the Four Noble Truths in the context of how we might clearly understand our present experience of conditioned existence and actualize a state of complete and utter freedom through following in the footsteps of the Buddha.
The Ultimate Revolution: Breaking Free from the Wheel of Life Discovering Buddhism: Samsara and Nirvana - Part 2 As depicted in the famous image of the Wheel of Life, the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising were taught by the Buddha as a means to understand the steps involved in our continual cycling in a state of imperfection. The twelve-part process of dependent arising shows how our actions, clouded by ignorance, propel us from one rebirth to another, and keeps us trapped in a seemingly endless circle of suffering and dissatisfaction. This course explores these profound teachings that clearly point out how we create our own difficulties and unhappiness as well as how, through understanding the nature of reality correctly, we can break free from the wheel of life once and for all and thus find lasting peace and contentment.
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