The Middle Way of the Buddha

Beneath the Bodhi tree the future-buddha enteredsuffering. By dispelling ignorance and quenching the
four subsequent states of meditation, and fromflames of sense-desire, the realm of conditional
these, he remembered his previous lives and gainedexistence, along with all impermanence and suffering
understanding of the processes of samsara that allthat distinquishes it, can be transcended:There is an
forms of life are subject to. He saw that the causeisland which you cannot go beyond. It is a place of
of rebirth was ignorance which would only ceasenothingness, a place of non-possession and of
when the need for sense-pleasures were quenched.non-attachment. It is the total end of death and
As his ignorance of the truth was dispelled he wasdecay, and this is why i call it Nibbana (the
set free, and seeing things as they truly are, heextinquished, the cool).
became an enlightened being. A Buddha.After the'Kappas Question in the Sutta-Nipata'
Buddha had singlehandedly found the path that leads(Saddhatissa. H, in Beckerlegge, 2001, p.349)The root
to freedom, he returned to his former asceticmeaning of Nirvana, or Nibbana, is to 'blow out' such
companions and shared with them the truth (Dharmaas the blowing out of a fire. The word 'skanda'
Damma) of his discovery, at the deer park inmeans 'heap' or 'bundle' and can refer to a bundle of
Benares. This was the setting for his first sermonwood. As already mentioned, the burning of
known as the Dhamma-cakka-pavattana sutta, whichindividuals by their desire for sense-objects has them
means 'discourse on the setting in motion the wheelcaught up in samsara and a state of ever-becoming.
of truth'. The Buddha revealed the Four Noble Truthsthe skandas which constitute the self, or rather, the
concerning Dukkha/Duhkha, a word, originally sanskrit,no-self, can be compared to a burning bundle of
that can be translated as meaning 'suffering' orwood that needs to be extinquished. And when the
alternatively as 'anguish', 'unsatisfactoriness' or 'ill'.Thedesires for sense-objects are 'blown out' Nirvana is
first noble truth is that the nature of existence, asattained.The fourth noble truth is the path that is to
experienced by all living things is suffering. this truthbe followed if there is to be an end of suffering. It is
was the cause of the Buddha's initial agitation whenthe practice of Buddhism Itself, known as the
he first encountered old age, disease, and death.Eight-Fold Way, which is often divided into three
Everything that is born is subject to decay and deathcategories.These are:A) wisdom. which includes, 1)
and is therefore recognized as 'Anicca', that is,perfect understanding and 2) perfect resolve, which
impermanent. within samsara all are fated to sufferare both related to a correct knowledge and
this process repeatedly, not only in this world, butapplication of the Buddha's teachings in the life of an
also in the other various levels of existence that canindividual.B) morality, which includes, 3) perfect
be both heavenly and hellish, the destinationspeech, that is, talking in a kind and truthful manner,
determined by an individuals particular karma. Greed,and 4) Perfect action by dealing honestly with others
Hatred, and Delusion, being specific to the nature ofand avoiding sense-pleasure. Also 5) perfect livelihood,
samsara, are also states of suffering.Both dukkhathat is, earning an honest living that doesn't exploit
and anicca are categorized as two of the 'threeother human beings or cater for sense-pleasures.C)
marks of conditioned existence', the third beingmental discipline, which includes 6) Perfect effort,
'Anatta' or 'no-self'. According to Buddhism thewhich is the development and maintenance of skilled
individual self is not really a 'self' at all but an illusionarymental states and ridding oneself of unskilled mental
construct of five aggregates known as Skhandhasstates; 7) perfect mindfulness of the body, feelings,
skandas. these are; 1)Rupa (form); 2) Vedanamind and mental states, and finally 8) perfect
(feeling); 3) Sanna (perception); 4) Sankaras (skilledconcentration, which is to be acheived through the
or unskilled actions or tendencies); and 5) Vinnanadisipline of 'Jhana', that is, meditaion......The forth noble
(consciousness). It is these skandas, in interactiontruth is also known as the Middle Way. Buddhist
with one another, that are to be understood as beingmeditation should conform with the middle way, as
subject to samsara rather than the individual, whoreflected in the legend of the Buddha when he
does not really exist.In a Buddhist text known aspositioned himself beneath the tree of awakening.
'Milinda's Questions' the body is likened to a chariot.the mind needs to be balanced if the realm of
Here, the monk Nagasena demonstates for theextremes is to be transcended. the middle way lies
benefit of the inquiring King Milinda that as the"between the two extremes of self-indulgence..." as
individual parts of the 'self' do not contain the 'self'reflected in the person of Siddhartha the prince,
within themselves, then "How can there be a self?","...and self-torture" as reflected in the person of
when the individual parts are viewed collectively?Siddhartha the emaciated ascetic (Horner, I.B, in
Likewise, the seperate parts of a chariot have noZaehner R.C 'ed', 2001,p.271). The Hindu practice of
'chariot' within them, so how is it that a chariot existsextreme self-denial, that was, and continues to be
when the parts are connected? The answer is "thereperformed by ascetics in the pursuit of Moksha/Mukti
is no chariot" and similarly neither is there a self. thewas rejected by the Buddha. Such overt zelousness
'self' is merely a convenient label of no real substanceis concidered to be without true value, as is
(Horner, I.B 'trans', in Beckerlegge, 2001, p.349-51).indifference towards spiritual attainment.However,
And so, the individual is seen as anatta.The secondindividuals must apply themselves to the way of the
noble truth concerns the cause, or 'Uprising', ofBuddha, and are encouraged to investigate spiritual
suffering. Dukkha is born from ignorance andmatters for themselves, and not blindly accept what
perpetuated through our desire for sense-pleasures.a prestigious teacher may claim, out of respect. It is
Existence is perceived as a series of conditions thatwhen you know the truth yourself, that it is to be
function within a wheel of cause and effect knownaccepted (Woodward, F.L 'trans', 'Kalama Sutta' in
as Paticcasamuppada, which means 'DependentBeckerlegge, 2001, p.348). Also, the monastic lifestyle
Origination' or 'Conditional Arising'. It is all wrongcan be viewed as embodying the principle of the
desires that keep the wheel turning. As all wrongmiddle way. For two and a half millennia it has
desires have adverse causes, they also have adverseremained the prefered enviroment conducive to the
effects, which in turn become causes of more formsattainment of Nirvana. Harvey observes that it lies
of suffering. The Buddha regarded individuals to bebetween the extremes of a reclusive existence and
'on fire' through their attachment to objects of desirethe life of a brahmanic householder.
(Horner, I.B 'trans', in Beckerlegge, 2001, p.344). InConcerning the four noble truths, cousins tells us
feeding the flames of the senses, we perpetuate thethat the first truth is to be 'fully comprehended'; the
false belief that we are real, and as we persist insecond is to be 'abandoned'; the third is to be 'made
'Ever-Becoming' samsara retains its awful hold:If thisvisible'; the fourth is to be 'brought into being'.It is for
is, that comes to be;the transformation from a negative to a positive
From the arising of this, that arise;state that the path of Buddhism is the be followed. It
However;requires the rejection of what is unskilful and the
If this is not, that does not come to be;cultivation of what is skillful, such as generosity,
From the stopping of this, that is stoppedcompassion for all beings, and wisdom (the opposites
'Majjhima-Nikaya 2.32'of greed, hatred, and delusion mentioned above). It is
(Horner, B.I 'trans', in Zaehner, R.C, 'ed', 2001,a path that leads to calm, balance and detatchment
p.277)With the third noble truth the Dharma offrom desire, and the indescribable Nirvana that awaits
Buddhism makes the transition from darkness to lightbeyond.BibliographyBeckerlegge, Gwilym (Ed), 2001
as it reveals, optimistically, that there is an end to'The world Religions Reader.