Dharma in Buddhism

Dharma in Buddhism

What are the Essential parts of Dharma in Buddhism

From the teachings of Buddha, Dharma was meant to create awareness in Buddhists on how they can overcome human suffering. To help overcome suffering, Buddhists follow the principles of the “Four Noble Truths” that lay the foundation about the origin of suffering and how to overcome it. The first principle of the “Four Noble Truths” is life involves suffering (duhkha) (Sirivaro & Liang, 2018). Buddha spoke of the three types of duhkha, that is, suffering originating from physical and mental pain, pain of failure to recognize that we are conditioned and interdependent and the pain originating from the realization that everything that exists is not permanent. The other principle is that we create our suffering by holding our desires firmly and having sentimental attachments to things that we do not necessarily possess (Sirivaro & Liang, 2018). As human beings, we are likely to get attracted and even hold attachments towards what we do not have. For this reason, we put ourselves in the way of suffering. This is because things continuously change; thus, what we hold dearly is subject to change, and this could be the root cause of our suffering.

The third principle of the “Four Noble Truths” is based on the realization that suffering is not permanent and that humans, if dedicated, can find a way out of suffering (Sirivaro & Liang, 2018). This is perhaps the good news of the Dharma. Here, Buddha talks of the ability to end personally centered desires, which in turn helps in achieving independence from the general feeling of not being satisfied with what we have. This focuses on the ability to overcome the suffering that is found within the individual and which they can make use of at any time as long as they realize the kind of power that they possess. Finally, the last principle of “Four Noble Truths” suggests the use of the “Noble Eightfold Path” to be used to overcome personal suffering. Through the Noble Eightfold Path and meditation, Buddhists can be able to gather enough strength to help them overcome their suffering (Harvard Divinity School, 2020).

What are the similarities or differences between Dharma in Buddhism and the Dharma in other Eastern Religions?

As derived from the Sanskrit root verb dhr, which loosely translates to the preservation, Dharma is a spiritual and philosophical concept that is commonly used in various religions, most likely to refer to multiple things and situations. In Buddhism, Dharma is classified as one of the jewels that incorporates the teachings of Buddha and includes the philosophies of ending suffering and creating peace among living creatures (Howard, 2017). These sentiments are similar to those of Dharma in Jainism. As described in the “path of dharma” in Jainism, Dharma involves adjusting personal deeds to ensure that individuals do not cause any harm to the other living things. In Hinduism, Dharma is concerned with helping individuals to fulfill their purposes in life. Similar to Dharma in Buddhism, Hinduism Dharma provides means through which individuals may overcome their suffering and ultimately overcome the life cycle by attaining Samsara, similar to enlightenment as attained by Buddha through meditation (Howard, 2017).

What lessons can you learn from Thich Nhat Hahn?  What is most admirable about him.

From the interview, any person is bound to learn one fundamental principle from Thich Nhat Hahn, and that is the importance of peace and humility. Despite the many accomplishments associated with his name, not to mention the sacrifice and suffering that he has undergone, including being exiled for advocating for peace, he remains humble and very peaceful. Furthermore, the relationship mantras that he speaks about in the interview are strong guidelines that, if put into practice, are bound to ensure happy and more satisfactory relationships. Additionally, his peaceful and non-violent approach to solving the majority of human predicaments is a very admirable feature that should be emulated by all individuals (Plum Village App, 2013).

References

Harvard Divinity School. (2020). The Dharma: The Teachings of the Buddha. THE RELIGIOUS LITERACY PROJECT. Harvard University Press. Retrieved from https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/religions/buddhism/dharma-teachings-buddha.

Howard, V. R. (Ed.). (2017). Dharma: The Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh Traditions of India. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Plum Village App. (May 12, 2013). Oprah Winfrey talks with Thich Nhat Hanh Excerpt – Powerful. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9UtuWfs3U.

Sirivaro, P. P., & Liang, R. (2018). A Concept of Dhamma in DR. BR Ambedkar’s Viewpoint with Special Reference to Buddhist Scriptures. วารสาร บัณฑิต ศึกษา ปริทรรศน์, 14(2).