Introduction

As a child, Siddhartha the Buddha was troubled by some of the same thoughts that children
today have. They wonder about birth and death. They wonder why they get sick and why
grandfather died. They wonder why their wishes do not come true. Children also wonder
about happiness and the beauty in nature. Because the Buddha knew what was in the hearts of
children and human kind, he taught everyone how to live a happy and peaceful life.
Buddhism is not learning about strange beliefs from faraway lands. It is about looking at and
thinking about our own lives. It shows us how to understand ourselves and how to cope with
our daily problems.

Teachings of Buddha
Four Noble Truths:

(1) The Noble Truth of Suffering (2) The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (3) The
Noble Truth of Cessation of Suffering (4) The Noble Truth of the Way leading to the
Cessation of Suffering: The Noble Eightfold Path.
Buddhism begins with the fact of suffering.

The Noble eightfold Path:

(1) Right View. (2) Right Thought. (3) Right Speech. (4) Right Action. (5) Right
Livelihood. (6) Right Effort (7) Right Mindfulness. (8) Right Concentration.
The Wheel is the symbol of the Dharma and is shown with eight spokes which
represent the Noble Eightfold Path.

Ahimsa:

Like Mahavira, Buddha, laid a great emphasis on Ahimsa or non-injury to animals. He

believed in the sanctity of all living-beings. He did not favour either the killing of
animals or causing injury to them. According to him not only men but also birds and
beasts are worthy of our love, but like, Mahavira he did not take this theory of Ahimsa
too far. He did not preach that one should bother about such lifeless things as plants,
leaves and stones.

The Three Fires:

(1) Desire/Thirst, (2) Anger (3) Delusion

'Your house is on fire, burns with the Three Fires; there is no dwelling in it' - thus spoke
the Buddha in his great Fire Sermon. The house he speaks of here is the human body; the
three fires that burn it are (1) Desire/Thirst, (2) Anger and (3) Delusion. They are all
kinds of energy and are called 'fires' because, untamed; they can rage through us and hurt
us and other people too! Properly calmed through spiritual training, however, they can be
transformed into the genuine warmth of real humanity.

Nothing is lost in the Universe:

The first universal truth of Buddha found was nothing is lost in this universe. Old solar
systems disintegrate into cosmic rays. We are the child of our parents and we will be
parents of our children. If we destroy something around up we destroy ourselves. If we lie
to another we lie to ourselves. Learning and understanding these truths, Lord Buddha and
his disciples never killed any animal.

Everything changes:

The second universal truth is everything changes and keeps on changing continuously.
Dinosaurs, mammoths used to rule this planet but now we humans rule the planet. Life is
like a river, it keeps on flowing, ever-Changing.

Name: Kunal Saxena

Enrolment No. : A8111120043

Programme: B.A.LL.B (hons)

Semester: 1st, section: A

Batch: 2020-2025