REL 1103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Sattva, Bundle Theory, Mahayana
Document Summary
Are not meant to be a doctrine but rather a practice with the goal of spiritual liberation. This sounds pessimistic but the four noble truths are not meant to be cynical. Our notion of suffering is a part of dukkha but there is more that the feeling of pain. A better way to think of it is there is dissatisfaction. This was of thinking can help us see ourselves as participating in it as opposed to what is happening to us. Life as lived is typically unfulfilling: in pali, the word refers to a wheel off its axle. Life gets itself in a frustrated dislocation; life can be disappointing: the book (smith) gives us 6 moments when life reveals its dislocation. We are forced out of the comfort of our mother"s womb, kicking and screaming. The inculcation of virtues, develop mindful habits that lead to liberation.
