Essay/Term paper: The sermon at benares

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Religion

The Sermon at Benares


Bill Conway 3-4-97 Rel 103 3:00

1. The two extremes in which the Buddha speaks of are: that conjoined with
the passions and luxury, low, vulgar, common, ignoble and useless. The second
is: that conjoined with self-torture, painful, ignoble, and useless. The
avoidance of these two extremes is the path to enlightenment of the middle path
as the Buddha had. The middle path produces insight and knowledge, and tends to
calm, to higher knowledge, enlightenment, Nirvana. 2. The Buddha speaks of
four noble truths. They are as follows: 1) The noble truth of suffering. 2) The
noble truth of cause of suffering. 3) The noble truth of the cessation of
suffering, the cessation without a remainder of craving, the abandonment,
forsaking, release, non-attachment. 4) The noble truth of the way that leads to
the cessation of suffering. 3. The eight-fold path is namely, right views,
right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort,
right mindfulness, and right concentration. 4. Nirvana is the absolute
enlightenment that leads to purification of the soul. It is achieved through
the belief in the four noble truths and the action taken to use or follow them.
This all together provides enlightenment and the ultimate goal of reaching
Nirvana. Nirvana also means, you are at one with Buddha and have gained the
respect of him. Ultimately it is similar to the belief of heaven and God.