Siddhartha Gautama was born around 563 B.C.E. He was raised in what is now known as Nepal, near the Himalayan Mountains. He belonged to Sakya tribe and his father ruled a small kingdom. He married his cousin (a common custom that is still practiced today), Yasodhara at nineteen, and she later gave birth to a son whom they called Rahula. Being raised in the palace, Prince Siddhartha was sheltered from the cruelty of the outside world. His father made sure that Siddhartha would grow up w

When the mind is balanced and fully present, it is open to new understanding, or insight. The Buddha taught that it is this insight into the nature of life that brings the greatest freedom. Again and again in his lifetime, when asked to summarize his teaching, the Buddha described what he called the Four Noble Truths. All the Buddha's teachings are contained within these truths, and these truths are common to all Buddhist traditions.

Nirvana, has no specific definition, so in my personal opinion, it is the final or the ultimate state a person attains after he or she passes through the initial three Noble Truths and completely frees themselves from all. It is liberation from the evils of ordinary life, the disappearance of all remnants of individuality, the feeling of "I" or "mine" or "me". It is a condition in which nothing stirs, nothing moves, nothing changes. This is called the cessation of becoming which is "neither arising, nor passing away, neither standing still nor being born, nor dying." It is that which is unborn, without source, the uncreated and unformed real into which escape is possible for the beings through cessation of craving (deep, huh?). Nirvana could very well be death itself.

The Third Noble Truth says, “There is an end to the suffering of craving.” However just like dieting or quitting smoking, it is not easy to do. When the mind is in a state of craving, it is contracted and painful. To overcome this negative way of thinking, we may choose simply to let go of the craving. Then the mind returns to its natural state of peace and balance. According to the Buddha, letting go of unnecessary desires is the way to peace and happiness. He said that when we let go completely of the force of craving, we discover the state he called "Nirvana." So what exactly is Nirvana?

These Precepts are useful to help guide one down the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddhist tradition acknowledges that life is complex and throws up many difficulties, and therefore does not suggest that there is a single course of action that will be right in all circumstances. Indeed, rather than speaking of actions being right or wrong, Buddhism speaks of the being skillful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala) with your actions.

Do not engage in dancing, singing, music and watching grotesque mime.

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