There also are no globally fixed Buddhist institutions or centralized authorities. Although the analogy is not precise—especially because Buddhism is not a theistic tradition and does not advocate a pattern of belief in a supreme deity or deities—one can compare the breadth of Buddhist teachings and practices with that of the "Abrahamic" religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
A coherent axis of critical insights and practical strategies has remained constant in the course of the historical development of Buddhism. This axis is expressed most succinctly in the so-called Four Noble Truths, the fourth of which has come to be known as the Eightfold Path: All this is suffering, troubled or troubling (Sanskrit: duhkha); suffering or trouble arises with particular patterns of conditions; suffering or trouble ceases with the dissolution or absence of those patterns; and those patterns of conditions can be dissolved through the cultivation of complete and appropriate understanding, intentions, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and attentive virtuosity. The insights and practices summarized in the Four Noble Truths traditionally have been referred to as the Middle Way, a brief examination of which can introduce Buddhism's distinctive stance with respect to science and technology.
THE MIDDLE WAY: THE ONTOLOGICAL PRIORITY OF AMBIGUITY.
This is a free page. This page contains 200 words. This
article contains 4,505 words (approx. 15 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Buddhist Perspectives Access Pass.
