The Autobiography Of The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso

With the rise of Communism in Asia, the violence of the Communist Party in China came to the attention of the world. With the violence, there also became known the issues of Buddhism in Tibet, especially regarding the annihilation of the Buddhist way of life by Communist industrialization. In Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, chronicles how he addressed the modern-day problems befalling Tibet and Buddhism, while still adhering to his Buddhist philosophies and morals. In this paper, I will explain the Four Noble Truths and how they describe the Buddhist components of a religious worldview, while also using the Dalai Lama’s view on loss, suffering and moral actions to argue for those
Most who read the four Noble Truths from outside the school of Buddhism view Dukkha as suffering, but it encompasses more than just suffering. Dukkha is the impermanence of reality and everything in life, and the sufferings of everyone (Rahula 50). The purpose for the First Noble Truth is to understand Dukkha as a fact (Rahula 50). Within our suffering is the impermanence of the self. There is no self, according to Buddhism, but instead there are five processes of self, called khandas, that constitute our being, although these are not permanent (Livingston 224). The second Noble Truth is where Dukkha comes from. Dukkha originates from our desires and impurities, which are commonly referred to as tanha (Rahula 50). The purpose for the Second Noble Truth is to destroy our suffering (Rahula 50). The Third Noble Truth is reaching Nirvana by destroying Dukkha. The purpose for the Third Noble Truth is to realize the Absolute Truth (Rahula 50). The Fourth Noble Truth is how to get to Nirvana. The path to Nirvana is the Eightfold Path. The purpose for the Fourth Noble Truth is to follow the Path (Rahula 50). The main theme for all the Noble Truths is how we deal with what suffering is in our lives, which is not by ignoring that we
Cosmology is a religion’s attempt to explain the origins of our universe. The Four Noble Truths, however, reject cosmologic theorizing (Livingston 200). According to the Buddha, attempting to explain the universe’s origins is a waste of time. He used the example of being shot by an arrow to help explain why cosmologic theorizing is a waste of time (Livingston 200). Imagine that you are shot in the chest by an arrow. What you should do is seek medical attention, but instead what other religions are doing by theorizing about cosmology is wondering about where the feathers come from and what type of bark the arrow is made from (Livingston 200). By the time you get these answers, you will be dead. Much like this example, theorizing about cosmology, according to Buddhism, is just wasting your time alive worrying about something that won’t affect your end or your