WHAT IS bUDDHISM?

…though with pious heart he took refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, greater would have been the fruit thereof, had he with pious heart undertaken to keep the precepts: abstention from taking life, from in­toxicating liquor, the cause of laziness, though with pious heart he undertook to keep these precepts, greater would have been the fruit thereof, had he made become a mere passing fragrance of loving kindness, though he made become just the fragrance of loving kindness, grea­ter would have been the fruit thereof, had he made be­come, just for a finger-snap, the perception of imperma­nence.

(Anguttara-Nikaya. Book of Nines)

What is Buddhism?

Introduction

The real Buddhism is not temples. or statues of the Buddha, or giving alms, or ceremonies; while these are all worthwhile, they do not answer the question, "What is the real Buddhism?".  If we say that the real Buddhism is the practice of meditation us­ing mindfulness and clear comprehension to realize wisdom - and thus erase all defilement, and end suffering - we are getting closer. But we still are not there.

If we say that the real Buddhism is matter (Rupa) and mind (Nama) - then we are getting a little closer; but even this is not entirely satisfac­tory.  Buddhism philosophy tells us about the "Abhidhamma", also known as 'highest truth' which breaks down the body and mind into smaller components.  An analogy of this concept to a chariot is commonly made by instructors.  A chariot is comprised of its component parts such as axles, wheels, frame, poles, etc. arranged in a certain way, yet in the ultimate sense, when each part is looked at independently, there is no chariot...so too, what you perceive as "me" or "I" in the ultimate sense is only mentality-materiality.  The vision of one who sees in this way is called correct vision.  As you peel away each component, it helps you to see that 'we' are not man, not woman, not-self, etc.  

As a person, the components that you perceive to you "you" or "I" are four ultimate realities which are:

1. Citta: Our mind or consciousness, defined as that which knows or experiences an object.  It occurs as distinct momentary states of consciousness.

2. Cetasikas: The fifty-two states of consciousness or mental states called Cetasikas.  For example, physical contact, emotions, perception. etc. are Ceta­sikas.  Each Cetasika arises separ­ately, and each different from the other: the mental state that sees is not the same as the mental state that hears, the mental state that is wandering mind is different from the mental state that observes body (Rupa) in practice. etc. "We", our entire existence, at any given time is simply the arising of one of these mental states which is quickly replaced by another.

3. Rupa: Physical phenomena or material form similar to a blank slate or canvas. Non-living things are just matter - Rupa.

4. Nibbana: Release from all conditioned realities by extinction of greed, hate, and delusion.

As defined above, our definition of Nama becomes Citta-Cetasika. For interests of brevity, for the remainder of this article, when we say "Nama", we mean "Citta-Cetasika".  Every living thing is comprised of Nama-Rupa; a combination of mental and physical components.  This concept is easy for most people to understand; they are things in the universe that are "real".   When the body is injured it is not the body, which is Rupa, that feels the pain, but Nama, the mental side. When we are hungry it is not the stomach that feels the hunger but again Nama. However, Nama  cannot eat the food to ease the hunger. The Nama, the mind and its factors, makes the Rupa, the body, ingest the food. Thus neither the Nama nor the Nama has any independent power of its own. One is dependent on the other; one supports the other. Nama-Rupa arise because of conditions and perish immediately, and this is happening every moment of our lives. 

Every moment of every day, we are in a constant state of flux; rising and falling like the waves, influenced by the presence or absence of conditions.  The ultimate goal of studying Buddhism and practicing Vipassana is to realize that Nama and Rupa are not "us".  When this realization is made, we will reach a state where Nibbana appears as a very brief moment of peace and still­ness and its nature is no defilement (impure thoughts and actions). This path moment has Nibbana as an object of the mind and this Nibbana is also a part of Buddhist reality.

The purpose in Buddhism of the first three (Citta-Cetasika-Rupa) is to demonstrate that "you are really made up of many parts (rapidly-changing mental states and rapidly-changing matter), and since none of these parts are "you", the parts together are not "you" either. The science in Buddhism that divides body and mind into smaller and smaller parts is called Abbhidhamma:

Additional information from https://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand

The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are:

1. the truth of suffering

2. the truth of the cause of suffering

3. the truth of the end of suffering

4. the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering

More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting. Pursuit of pleasure can only continue what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. The same logic belies an understanding of happiness. In the end, only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable. 

The Four Noble Truths are a contingency plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces -- suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature. The First Truth identifies the presence of suffering. The Second Truth, on the other hand, seeks to determine the cause of suffering. In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison, relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance. 

The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached. The Fourth Noble truth charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight (Mindfulness and Concentration).

Now, having read this simple explanation of the real Buddhism, you can, it is hoped, progress with a little more confidence to our teacher's more technical discussion of this im­portant subject, which is described in the following paragraphs.