The Four Noble Truths: 

1. Life is suffering.  It is common to all.  (Birth, sickness, old age, and death) 
2. The cause of suffering is desire. 
3. The way to end suffering is to remove desire. 
4. The eight-fold path is the way to conquer desire. 

The Eight-Fold Path: 

Wisdom – prajña 

1. Right View (The Right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha
    –with wisdom and compassion.) 
2. Right thought (We are what we think.  Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters.) 

Morality –shila 

3. Right Speech (By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.) 
4. Right Action (No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave.  Before we
    criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.) 
5. Right Livelihood (This means choosing a job that does not hurt others.  The Buddha said, “Do
     not earn your living by harming others.  Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy.”) 
 

Meditation – dhyana 

6. Right Effort (A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward
     others.  This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.) 
7. Right Mindfulness (This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds.) 
8. Right Concentration.  (Focus on one thought or object at a time.  By doing this, we can be quiet
    and attain true peace of mind.) 
 

The Three Jewels or Refuges: 

Taking refuge does not imply that one runs away from life; rather, taking refuge is a way of living
life more fully.  Taking refuge is like having a guide along the way.  One need only to say the
following words in the presence of an ordained monk and live in the refuge of the Buddha, the
Dharma and the Sangha to be a Buddhist. 
 

I go to the Buddha for refuge.  The Buddha is the guide. 
I go to the Dharma for refuge.  The Dharma is the teachings one must follow along the path. 
I go to the Sangha for refuge.  The Sangha is the community of monks and nuns who are the
teachers and companions along the way. 

The Five Precepts: 

Most religions have some basic ethical precepts to follow that define what is good conduct to
follow and what conduct should be avoided.  For Buddhists the most important are the following: 

1. No killing   Respect all life (Be kind and compassionate) 
2. No stealing  Respect the property of others (be generous) 
3. No sexual misconduct Respect faithfulness (be with one’s spouse) 
4. No lying   Respect honesty (seek and love what is true) 
5. No intoxicants  Respect a clear mind (avoid temptation, be mindful) 

Vocabulary: 

Karma: the natural law of cause and effect 

Samsara: the seemingly endless cycles of rebirths 

Nirvana: “extinction” as in to extinguish the flame of a candle; the end of craving. 
One should note that while this is often referred to as the goal of Buddhism, most people are
concerned with moral practices in every day life rather than looking towards nirvana.