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1. That to achieve enlightenment (Nirvana )
is the aim
of everyone. This may sound like the Hindu Moksha, but it is very
different. In Moksha the individual's
soul joins with the universal soul. In Nirvana there is no
meeting. Nirvana means roughly extinction. It is seen as a void (
an empty space. ) The Theravadin
Buddhists see this as a space of complete spiritual freedom. The Mahayanan
Buddhists see it as a space of never-ending possibility.
2. That life
is a cycle of birth, death and
rebirth. This involves suffering (Dukkha which means
without permanence.) This is because we
want things to last yet nothing can. Again this sounds like the
Hindu idea reincarnation. It is very
different though. A Buddhist (
unlike a Hindu) does not
believe that the soul is immortal ( that it lives forever).
For a Buddhist nothing is permanent. Theravadin Buddhists believe
that on death good and bad energies are released from that person and pass
onto a new person being born.
It is not the soul that
passes on. Buddhists , unlike Hindus, will bury or cremate their dead.
A Buddhist accepts the Hindu concept of Karma. This
is the belief that the actions in one life will impact for good
or evil on one's life
following reincarnation and that one must take responsibility for one's
own actions
3. That we suffer because of our ignorance and
desire. We wrongly believe that selfish
sensual desires are important.
4. That the way to escape suffering and reach Nirvana
is to follow the moderate approach ( often known as the
middle path )that Buddha took. He did not believe that the extremes of
mortification or indulgence were the ways to Nirvana .
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