Robert Korczynski holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan with Majors in Psychology and Sociology, and Minors in Philosophy and Comparative Religions. He is an avowed Agnostic. The following is an excerpt from his book, Buddha's Big Foot, which is an academic investigation into the influence of King Ashoka's Buddhist Missionaries within the religions of the ancient world.
In this online version, red italic letters are used for any text attributed to the Buddha or Jesus, regardless of the source. The common term, "the Lord" is used interchangeably to refer to both, as the teachings of Jesus have been shown to come directly from the teachings of the Buddha through ancient number-based forms of translation. (See the revolutionary work of the Danish linguist Dr. Christian Lindtner.) The following is copyrighted material.
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In the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3, verses 100-102, the Lord (Buddha) refers to his first teaching, “the Four Noble Truths:”
100. “When the creatures in this world delight in low and contemptible pleasures, then the Chief of the world, who always speaks the truth, indicates pain as the (first) great truth.
101. And to those who are ignorant and too simple-minded to discover the root of that pain I lay open the way: 'Awaking of full consciousness, strong desire is the origin of pain.'
102. Always try, unattached, to suppress desire. This is my third truth, that of suppression. It is an infallible means of deliverance; for by practicing this method one shall become emancipated.”
It is said that at the Buddha’s first teaching after achieving enlightenment, he taught the 4 Noble Truths, and the 8-Fold Path…
“...Because it is beneficial, it belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life, it leads to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nirvana. That is why I have declared it.”
The First Sermon of the Buddha
(The Four Noble Truths begin…)
“1- Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, grieving, dejection, and despair are suffering. Contact with unpleasant things is suffering; not getting what you want is also suffering. In short, the five aggregates of grasping are suffering.”
“ 2- Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the arising of suffering: that craving which leads to rebirth, combined with longing and lust for this and that--craving for sensual pleasure, craving for rebirth, craving for cessation of birth.”
“3- Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: It is the complete cessation without remainder of that craving, the abandonment, release from, and non-attachment to it.”
“4- Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering: This is the noble eightfold path....”
“ Now monks, as long as my threefold knowledge and insight regarding these noble truths...were not well purified, so long, O monks, I was not sure that in this world...I had attained the highest complete enlightenment. ”
“ But when my threefold knowledge and insight in these noble truths with their twelve divisions were well purified, then, O monks, I was sure that in this world...I had attained the highest complete enlightenment. Now knowledge and insight have arisen in me, so that I know: My mind's liberation is assured; this is my last existence; for me there is no rebirth.”
I do not claim to represent a Buddha-dharma path, and I am not an authorized Buddha-dharma teacher, but from what could be called an academic perspective, in simple language, the 4 noble truths tell us, “Samsara, Karma, Nirvana, Dharma.”
#1: “Samsara.” The created world of Illusion around us is full of “dukka:” (“stress, suffering, or dissatisfaction”) anger, fear, hatred, greed, lust, revulsion, sadness, and selfishness are all aspects of dukka.
#2: “Karma.” Cause and Effect on all levels: suffering, stress, and dissatisfaction are caused by ignorance of your condition, this ignorance creates dukka.
#3: “Nirvana.” Heaven on earth is an alternative: the end to suffering, stress, dissatisfaction, and attachment can be found through supressing desires, and replacing normal, selfish thoughts and actions with compassionate thoughts, words, and deeds.
#4: “Dharma.” (Buddha-dharma) The ways to end suffering and attachment are layed out, and explained in full in the 8-fold path, and the other teachings of the Buddha (the Sutras, the Vinayas, and the Abidharma).
-Excerpt taken from chapter 6 of Buddha's Big Foot.
International customers can purchase a copy through the publisher's secure server. U.S. customers can get it on Amazon.