Buddha Philosophy

Buddha was primarily an ethical preacher and not a metaphysical one. He always tried to enlighten persons on the question of sorrow, its origin, its cessation and the path leading to its cessation - the four noble truths. He repeatedly told his disciples: "Two things only, my disciples, do I teach - misery and the cessation of misery"

The four noble truths are -
(1) There is suffering.
(2) There is a cause of suffering.
(3) There is cessation of suffering.
(4) There is a way leading to this cessation of suffering.

Why do we suffer misery and pain? Why do we suffer old age and death? Because we are born. Why are we born? Because there is a will to be born. Why should there be this will to become? Because we cling to the objects of the world. Why do we have this clinging? Because we carve to enjoy the objects of this world. Why do we have this carving, this thirst for enjoyment? Because of sense experience. Why do we have this sense experience? Because of sense object-contact. Why do we have this contact? Because of the six sense organs ( the sixth sense being the mind). Why do we have the six sense organs? Because of the psycho-physical organism. Why do we have this organism? Because of the initial consciousness of the embryo. Why do we have this consciousness? Because of our predispositions or impressions of Karma? Why do we have these impressions? Because of ignorance. Hence ignorance is the root cause of suffering.

Thus we get the twelve links of the causal wheel of dependant origination ie we are dependant on the material objects and sense experiences for our existence. This the the vicious circle of causation according to Buddha.

The noble eight-fold path leading to cessation of suffering:

1. Right faith
2. Right resolve
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right living
6. Right effort
7. Right thought
8. Right concentration

NIRVANA : Just as a lamp when it becomes extinguished goes neither hither or thither, neither to the earth nor to the sky, neither to this direction not to that, it has been utterly blown out on account of the oil being consumed; similarly a person obtains Nirvana when the desires and passions have been consumed; he goes neither this way nor that, but obtains utter peace. The very word Nirvana means 'blowing out'.

To know more about Buddha and Buddhism please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
http://www.fundamentalbuddhism.com/
http://www.buddhism.org/
http://www.aboutbuddha.org/