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......It is amazing to think that a person who lived over 2.5 millennia ago, could still be an inspiration to modern day human intelligence, introspection and feelings. The Buddha was a rare, compassionate human being. To hear his words ringing with relevance in the hearts of modern man means that he not only discovered fundamental truths, but was also a brilliant communicator. His words have survived time, translations, the great diversity of human culture, and remain remarkably reasonable and wise today.
......Essentially, the Buddha taught that when life is seen clearly, it is saturated with suffering; but there is a practical, intelligent way to find liberation from this misery. The path expressed by the Buddha requires personal responsibility and the desire to know what truth can be found in the great mystery of life. It uses philosophy, calmness, introspection and the development of a healthy mental attitude to achieve its goal. Of course, associating with wise people who know and practice the Buddha's teachings is a great help.
......The
Buddha was a man, pure and simple. At no time did Buddha ever
claim to be anything more. In fact, among the founders of religions,
the Buddha stands alone as the only one to have no claim on being
God, an incarnation of the divine being, or to have been divinely
inspired by an external mighty power. He attributed all his realization,
enlightenment, attainments, understanding, insight and perfect
tranquility to human endeavour and human intelligence......"One is one's own refuge,
......who else could be the refuge?
......asked the Buddha.
......The central texts of Buddha's discourses are The Four Noble Truths, which describe the nature of life and the way to end human suffering; and the Eight-Fold Path, which describes the method used to elimate suffering. We have provided these doctrines on our Selected Texts pages; but first, we invite you to go to the next page which tells the story of Buddha's life .
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