Basic Buddhist concepts
Rebirth
Life is a cycle of rebirths. The common assumption is that there are many rebirths, but in Buddhist thought they are innumerable. The word samsara, literally 'wandering on', is used to describe this cycle, and life is seen as wandering on limitlessly through time, through the birth and extinction and rebirth of galaxies and worlds. There are six levels of rebirth, or realms of existence. It is important to accumulate enough merit to avoid the three lower realms, though in the long cycle of rebirth all beings pass through them at some point.
The three lower realms comprise hells of torment, ghost worlds and the world of animals. The three higher realms are human beings, demigods and gods. These six levels are depicted on the Wheel of Life. All beings are fated to tread this wheel continuously until they make a commitment to enlightenment.
Karma
All beings pass through the same cycle of rebirths. Their enemy may once have been their mother, and like all beings they have lived as an insect, as a god and suffered in one of the hell realms. Movement within this cycle, though, is not haphazard. It is governed by karma.
Karma is a slippery concept. It is sometimes translated simply as 'action', but it also implies the consequences of action. Karma might be thought of as an over-arching condition of life.
Every action in life leaves a psychic trace that carries over into the next rebirth. It should not be thought of as a reward or punishment, simply a result. In Buddhist thought karma is frequently likened to a seed that ripens into a fruit: thus a human reborn as an insect is harvesting the fruits of a previous immoral existence.
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Merit
Given that karma is a kind of accumulated psychic baggage that we must lug through countless rebirths, it is the aim of all practicing Buddhists to try and accumulate as much 'good karma', or merit, as possible. Merit is best achieved through the act of rejoicing in giving, though merit can even be achieved through giving that is purely motivated by will for merit. The giving of alms to the needy and to monks, the relinquishing of a son to monkhood, acts of compassion and understanding are all meritorious and have a positive karmic outcome.
The Four Holy Truths
If belief in rebirth, karma and merit are the basis of lay followers' faith in Buddhism, the Four Holy Truths might be thought of as the deep structure of the faith, its philosophical underpinning. The Buddha systematised the truths in the manner of medical practice of his time: (1) diagnose the illness, (2) identify its cause, (3) establish a cure, and (4) map a course for the cure.
Their equivalents in Buddhism's diagnosis of the human condition are: (1) suffering (dukkha) caused by (2) desire (tanha), which may be cured by (3) cessation of desire (nibbana), which can be achieved by means of (4) the Holy Eightfold Path, or the Middle Way.
The first of the Four Holy Truths, then, is that life is suffering. This suffering extends through all the countless rebirths of beings, and finds its origin in the imperfection of life. Every rebirth brings with it the pain of birth, of ageing, of death, of association with unpleasant things, the loss of things we are attached to, and the failure to achieve the things we desire. The reason for this suffering is the second Holy Truth, and lies in our dissatisfaction with imperfection, in our desire for things to be other than they are. What is more, this dissatisfaction leads to actions and karmic consequences that prolong the cycle of rebirths and may lead to even more suffering, much like a mouse running endlessly in a wheel.
The third Holy Truth was indicated by the Buddha as nibbana, known in English as Nirvana. It is the cessation of all desire, an end to attachment. With the cessation of desire comes an end to suffering, the achievement of complete nonattachment and an end to tile cycle of rebirth - Nirvana, the ultimate goal of Buddhism. Nit-pickers might point out that the will to achieve Nirvana is a desire in itself. Buddhists answer that this desire is tolerated as a useful means to an end, but it is only when this desire too is extinguished that Nirvana is truly achieved.
The Eightfold Path
The Holy Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Holy Truths, and prescribes a course that for the lay practitioner will lead to the accumulation of merit and for the serious devotee may lead to Nirvana. The components of this path are: (1) right understanding, (2) right thought, (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness, and (8) right concentration. Needless to say, each of these has a 'wrong' corollary.
The Ten Meritorious Deeds
Do not kill, do not steal, and restrain from inappropriate sexual activity, lying, gossiping, cursing, sowing discord, envy, malice and opinionatedness.
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