The teaching of dharma in Buddhism

The teachings and sermons of Lord Buddha that tell about the right path of life and help in understanding the nature of the universe is what is known as the dharma in Buddhism. Lord Buddha better known as Gautama Buddha gave his fist sermon or lesson in sarnath on the outskirts of the city.  It is known be one of the three jewels of Buddhism and it mainly speaks about the suffering and pain of the people and of the path that puts an end to it.

The dharma teaching

The first sermon or teaching of dharma in Buddhism is about dealing with suffering and getting out of it which is known as the four noble truths. The teachings are as follows:

  • Buddha has spoken about types of dukkha or suffering that one has to face in life; first is the usual mental and physical suffering that one has to go through in the daily life, then there is suffering that is caused by changes that take place in life, and lastly there is suffering caused by being alone and everything that is there is conditioned and for a short period of time.
  • The want for something or the desire to crave for something that one doesn’t have is the main reason for suffering.
  • There is a possible way of putting an end to the egoistic world which is the best part of dharma. So there is a possible way of putting an end to dukkha in life and attaining happiness from this unsatisfactory world.
  • In order to develop the freedom from dukkha one has to inculcate habits like;
  • Right speech which means speaking truthfulness
  • Right understanding; putting in the right acts and thoughts.
  • Right action- this means understanding the foundation of morality like not stealing, not killing, not engaging, not lying and not intoxicating the mind.
  • Right effort- Patience and perseverance are needed for the right way of living and leading life.
  • Right concentration- It is about bringing a distracted mind to focus and see through the heart and mind clearly.

By following these teaching one is able to develop a correct view towards the world and is able to live with the dukkha. Dharma is the path of enlightenment and righteousness that one should know and learn about, it is important to come out of the dukkha and walk on a joyous path.

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