9781422279694

Avoiding Disappointment Like a doctor prescribing a cure for an illness, the Buddha set out a way to overcome Dukkha. This way is known as the Four Noble Truths. They are: 1. Everything in life may involve disappointment and suffering. 2. Disappointment occurs because we long for things to be different; we want things we cannot have. 3. If we stop wanting the impossible, learn from things that go wrong, and enjoy our life in spite of its limitations, we can achieve happiness. 4. The way to stop craving is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. This is a series of steps expressing wisdom, practical action, and mental skill. Those who follow the Dharma do not believe it sets them apart from others. They tend not to use labels such as ‘’Christian,” or “Buddhist,” or “religious,” but see Dharma as something that anyone can explore and act on to their own advantage. Cause and Effect Everything is the result of an infinite number of causes, Buddhists say. Everything is interconnected, so anything that comes into being does so from causes and conditions. When one thing changes, everything else changes, and when one thing ceases, it affects everything around it. For example, human life could not have evolved on Earth with-

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Buddhism