What Are the Basic Teachings of Buddhism?
Buddhists believe nothing is permanent and actions have consequences, but through such practices as meditation you can develop the insights, wisdom and, ultimately, enlightenment to understand the nature of life.
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Basics
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Buddhists believe in pragmatism, tolerance and non-violence. They do not worship a creator god, and consider life an ever-changing process in which people can change themselves for the better.
Five Rules
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According to ygoy.com, Buddhists abide by five rules--against killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants.
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Four Noble Truths
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Life is suffering, which is caused by desire and ignorance. The Four Noble Truths are the Presence of Suffering, the Cause of Suffering, the End of Suffering, and the means to attain the end of suffering: the Noble Eightfold Path.
Noble Eightfold Path
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According to PBS.org, the path's steps are "Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration."
Karma
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Good actions create happiness in the long run. That's good karma. Bad actions create unhappiness in the long run. That's bad karma. Karma is a factor in the Cycle of Rebirth.
Cycle of Rebirth
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Avoid bad karma, which dooms you to rebirth in an "unfortunate realm." With good karma, you are reborn into one of the "fortunate realms," and retain the potential to reach enlightenment, or Nirvana.
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