There are Four Noble statements and it is up to the aspirant to discern if they are true or not. When the Noble Aspirant sets upon the Path to understand the causes of suffering in their own life, over time, they will gradually & organically come to develop each spoke of the Noble Wheel in their own life.
1. There is pain, stress, dissatisfaction and suffering.
2. There are causes of pain, stress, dissatisfaction and suffering.
3. There is a way to uproot these factors.
4. There is a Path that leads to the uprooting of suffering.
The Noble Path is what the symbol on the left hand side depicts. This symbol is called the dharmachakra in Sanskrit and dhammachakka in Pali. In the Urban Dharma context, I call it the Noble Wheel of the Law. The wheel represents the means of wisdom, concentration and ethical noble conduct that leads to wellbeing, freedom and liberation from states of woe. Each spoke represents a particular point. Right speech, right view, right mindfulness, right concentration, right effort, right action, right livelihood, and right resolve. These eight principles are the basis for freedom, peace of mind, satisfaction and contentment to arise in one's own life.
When people hear the word 'Buddha', they often think of a person or an image of a big golden man comes to mind. In fact, the etymological roots of the word 'Buddha' means 'one who is awake, one who knows, one who understands'.
Indeed, the word does refer to the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama - the historical knower or seer), the community of Noble Beings who are awake, who know, and who understand; but most importantly the word also points to your minds own capacity for wakefulness, for knowing, and for understanding. But to become awake to, to know, and to understand what? These are the big questions that the aspirant sets forth to understand. Urban Dharma works to demystify the Path and to help set it into perspective to show you that it is indeed possible to uproot one's suffering. Almost like creating a structure that helps flowers climb up and grow around.
Practice is where things can get tough, especially for the person who is just decidedly committing to take the journey towards their wellbeing. That is where I come in: to listen, to support, provide a framework, to encourage you, and to be there for you along the way. One who knows, who understands, and is awake to what though?
Dharma (Sanskrit) or dhamma (Pali) is a word with a variety of different meanings dependent upon the context. In English, the word means 1) natural law/order 2) actuality 3) the way it (something or some phenomena) is 4) that which is actual 5) the facts 6) the means that lead to the ends 7) a mental quality 8) to denote a phenomenon 9) a doctrine or a teaching. The meaning of the word may vary dependent upon the context it is used in. Context is key!
In the Urban Dharma context, I make a point to communicate solely using the English language but find that cross referencing Pali/Sanskrit can be conducive to learning and sense making. I use all of the above definitions in English to help make sense of the Path but with the particular focus of highlighting the 'means that lead to the ends' when it comes cultivating the Path that leads to the cessation of suffering towards freedom. In the same way there is a way to tie a shoe lace, is the same way that one can learn to intentionally invoke calm when they are experiencing stress.
Sangha is another term for community. In the Urban Dharma context, the sangha is the noble community consisting of the four types and eight kinds of noble beings that work together for the collective harmony of all living beings. The Noble Sangha are defined by coursing in wisdom, concentration and ethical conduct. The Noble One's work to better the conditions for all life without partiality. They are the ones who uphold the ideals that safeguard human beings and it is by these principles that unite them.
Woven through-out my communication is the principle of causation (cause and effect) and conditionality. The very heart of causation can be summarised like so: when A exists, B exists. When A arises, B arises. When A makes contact with B, C arises as a result. ‘When C s taken away from B, A collapses. A more down to earth example is like so:
Let's say you are trying to cook an egg, tie a shoelace or trying to light a match. There is a particular process that must be followed in order to achieve the effect you are seeing.
1. To originate the effect of a fried egg (G): one must take a pan (A), an egg (B), put some oil in the pan (C), place the pan over a heat source (D), crack the egg into the pan (E) and then allow the egg to cook (F).
2. To originate the effect of a tied shoelace: one takes the lace on their shoe, makes two loops, and knots them together.
3. To originate the effect of a flame: one must take the matchbox, take out the match, flick it against the side of the matchbox and then the flame arises.
There are particular causes and conditions that an individual must come to necessitate for the particular effect they are seeking. There are particular causes that contribute to one's difficulties or suffering. In the same way, there are particular causes and conditions, means that lead to the ends, when it comes to cultivating the particulars of the Noble Path. There may also be certain causes and reasons as to why ones life isn't going the way that they want it to be going or why they are experiencing something. Causation is scientific in nature! Apart of the Urban Dharma process is supporting people in noticing the thread of causation which in turn helps develop foresight to avoid woe when one sees it's causes brewing on the horizon.
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