gautam buddha was not the first buddha (awakened soul) who has walked on earth. there were many buddhas who have walked before him and there are many buddhas who attained after him.
but the message of every buddha is same – find your buddhahood. do not copy or imitate any buddha. instead be a light unto yourself. because everyone has to walk on his own path. nobody can walk on your behalf. you have to create your own path as we all are unique.
according to gautam buddha life has suffering and the cause of this suffering is our attachment to things. every desire leads to suffering and in desirelessness lies our freedom.
gautam buddha gave lot of emphasis on meditation and freedom. freedom from desires, superstitions, slavery of rituals and anything which makes you weak or give consolation to your mind.
10 essential teachings of gautam buddha
1. seek nirvana (enlightenment) – try to find your buddhahood. put all your efforts to awaken yourself.
2. meditation – practice vipassana meditation. be mindful of your thoughts and actions. bring awareness to each and every act of yours. let no thought pass by without being watched by you. be more conscious while eating, drinking, walking and doing any action. slowly bring this quality of meditation in your every activity.
3. desire leads to misery – desire is the root cause of misery. if you want to be free from misery then be free of desires. meditate on your desire and you will be free from them. you can never fulfill your desires. because they are endless. you fulfill one desire and another desire will pop up. so don’t waste time in fulfilling them. instead be a watcher. be a witness of your desires and be free from them.
4. compassion – have compassion for all living beings. be kind to all.
5. don’t do any evil – no killing, no stealing, no lying, no intoxicants. do not harm anybody in any way. live an ethical and righteous life.
6. non-violence – do not injure or harm anybody in any way, not even in your mind. be non-violent in your thoughts and actions. don’t kill anybody for your food.
7. law of karma – every action has equal and opposite reaction. if you do good deeds then you will get good results. but if you do bad karmas then your returns will also be bad. whatever you sow you will reap. no body is abstain from this rule.
8. change – nothing is constant in nature. everything keeps on changing. so do not get attached to temporary things. your inner center is always watching this change. be centered in yourself. be still from within. let the whole world change but you remain a pillar of stillness from within.
9. suchness (acceptance) – accept the things as they are. don’t try to change things as per your liking. instead be a watcher. soon the situation will change as nothing is permanent in life.
10. buddhha, dhamma, sangha – go to a buddha, if you can find one. otherwise join a sangha (group of seekers) if you can find one. otherwise follow the path of dharma that is of righteous action.
buddham saranam gacchami
(i go to the buddha for refuge)
dhammam saranam gacchami
(i go to the dhamma for refuge)
sangham saranam gacchami
(i go to the sangha for refuge).