Gautama Buddha

Some of the fundamentals of the teachings of Gautama Buddha are:

• The Four Noble Truths:
  

1. Suffering is an inherent part of existence
2. The origin of suffering is ignorance
   
3. The main symptoms of that ignorance are attachment and craving
4. Attachment and craving can be ceased

• Following the Noble Eightfold Path will lead to the cessation of attachment and craving and therefore suffering.

1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration.

• Dependent origination: that any phenomenon 'exists' only because of the ‘existence’ of other phenomena in a complex web of cause and effect covering time past, present and future. Because all things are thus conditioned and transient (anicca), they have no real independent identity (anatta).

• Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture: Teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise.

• Anicca (Sanskrit: anitya): That all things are impermanent.

• Anatta (Sanskrit: anātman): That the perception of a constant "self" is an illusion.

• Dukkha (Sanskrit: duḥkha): That all beings suffer from all situations due to unclear mind.