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Chapter One through Chapter Four

• Siddhartha Gutama sat under a bodhi tree and vowed not to get up until he understood how to alleviate suffering.

• He was enlightened with the knowledge that we are all one being and interconnected; he taught the Four Noble Truths of the existence of suffering, the possibility of restoring well-being, and the Noble Eightfold Path that leads to well-being.

• Dharma teaches the Middle Way; extremes in anything should be avoided.

• He taught to engage in the world rather than try to escape it.
• The Buddha had to find ways to express his true awakening in words; the four "wonderful," or "holy" truths involve suffering.

• The eight right practices are having the right view, thinking, speech, action, livelihood, diligence, mindfulness and concentration.

• It is vital to keep our bodies, hearts and minds open to truth rather than comparing the teachings to what we already...

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