In Advayavada Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path is interpreted dynamically as an ongoing, autonomous, non-prescriptive, investigative and creative process of progressive insight reflecting in human terms overall existence advancing over time.
By following the Noble Eightfold Path thus you get in tune with wondrous overall existence advancing over time; sorrow, doubt and remorse immediately start disappearing; and your life soon gathers new impetus.
Last week's preliminary ASP subject was the ubiquity of suffering (duhkha) in the world, which is simultaneously the Third Sign of Being (fact of life) and the First Noble Truth of Buddhism.
This week's preliminary ASP subject are again the Second and the Third Noble Truths of Buddhism: the cause of suffering, which is craving, grasping, clinging and attachment (= trishna, tanha), and the need and possibility of its elimination (= nirodha).
The root cause of all ill in Buddhism is, in fact, ignorance (avidya), i.e. ignorance of the true nature of reality, when the impermanence and the selflessness and finitude of all existents are not fully recognized and understood - it is this fundamental ignorance which in turn gives rise to craving (trishna), the direct cause of existential distress. Man is prone to suffering (duhkha) quite simply because he wrongly strives after and tries to hold on to things, situations and concepts which he believes are or should be permanent, but are not.
The purpose of the ASP is that we study and discuss the meaning and implications of the weekly subject particularly in the context of whatever we ourselves are presently doing or are concerned with, or about, such as our health, relationships, work, study, and our place and responsibilities in the group, sangha, society at large, etc.
Tip: Write down this week's subject (craving and its elimination) in your pocket diary!
John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>
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