What are the basic points of Buddhism?
The Buddha summed up his entire teaching in what he called the Four Noble Truths. These are: The truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the ending of suffering and the path leading to the ending of suffering. By suffering is meant all the anguish we go through from the most minor irritation to major incidents like serious illness and death. The cause of our suffering the Buddha said was craving; wanting life to be different than it actually is. He discovered that when all craving has been eradicated then all suffering ends. This state is known as “Nibbana” or enlightenment and in order for others to realise the truth the Buddha laid down a path that they might follow. The Noble Eightfold Path consists of the following factors that are developed by students: Right understanding, Right thoughts, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration. The whole of the teaching is founded on these truths that the Buddha realized upon his enl
