Zen Buddhism

The key beliefs of Zen Buddhism focus primarily on The Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eightfold Path. Zen is not a religion in the sense that religion is generally understood. Zen has no God to worship, no ceremonial rights to observe, no "future abode" to which the dead are destined.

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The Four Noble Truths

The first truth is the observation that suffering or unhappiness, referred to as dukkha, is pervasive in life. Dukka is explained to be suffering or unhappiness of any kind. (i.e. the desire for wealth or respect, the distaste for bad weather).

The second truth explains that the cause of dukkha is craving or clutching at life. Our unhappiness results from our desiring to make life fit our preconceptions of what should be or what we would like it to be.

The third truth explains that dukkha can be ended by ending the craving, which in turn, can be achieved by following the fourth truth.

The fourth truth reveals to follow The Noble Eightfold Path.


 

The Noble Path reveals

The first and second relate to right views and right understanding of the mind. These proposals require proper understanding of Buddha´s method (nature of dukkha).

The third, fourth, and fifth paths refer to right speech, right conduct, and right vocation. They offer simple suggestions of prudence. One should follow "the path" to achieve spiritual goodness.

The sixth, seventh and eighth paths apply to meditation. Right effort, right awareness(smiriti), and right contemplation (smadhi) are necessary to achieve complete meditation.