THE CONQUEST OF SUFFERING

THE CONQUEST OF SUFFERING = understand The Four Noble Truths and develop the Noble Eight-fold Path(the middle path) leading to the end of suffering

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS:

1. All is suffering (dukkha).
2. Suffering is caused by desire/attachment.
3. If one can eliminate desire/attachment, one can eliminate suffering.
4. The Noble Eight-fold Path can eliminate desire. Extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification should be avoided.

THE NOBLE EIGHT-FOLD PATH:

1. Right Views.
   The true understanding of the four noble truths.
2. Right Intent.
   Right aspiration is the true desire to free oneself from attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness.
   [These first two are referred to as prajña, or wisdom.]
3. Right Speech.
   Right speech involves abstaining from lying, gossiping, or hurtful talk.
4. Right Conduct.
   Right action involves abstaining from hurtful behaviours, such as killing, stealing, and careless sex.
5. Right livelihood.
   Right livelihood means making your living in such a way as to avoid dishonesty and hurting others, including animals.
   [The above three are referred to as shila, or morality.]
6. Right Effort.
   Right effort is a matter of exerting oneself in regulating the content of one's mind: bad qualities should be abandoned and prevented from arising again; good qualities should be enacted and nurtured.
7. Right Mindfulness.
   Right mindfulness is the focusing of one's attention on one's body, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness in such a way as to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance.
8. Right Concentration.
   Right concentration is meditating in such a way as to progressively realize a true understanding of imperfection, impermanence, and non-separateness.

The Theravada tradition of Buddhism teaches that everyone must individually seek salvation through their own efforts. To attain nirvana, one must relinquish earthly desires and live a monastic life.
The meaning of the term nirvana, literally "the blowing out" of existence, is not entirely clear. Nirvana is not a place like heaven, but rather an eternal state of being. It is the state in which the law of karma and the rebirth cycle come to an end - though Buddhist conceptions of personal (non-)identity make these notions problematic. Nirvana is the end of suffering; a state where there are no desires, and individual consciousness comes to an end. Attaining nirvana is to relinquish clinging, hatred, and ignorance. Its achievement entails full acceptance of imperfection, impermanence, and interconnectedness. Sometimes "nirvana" is used to refer either to Buddhist heaven or complete nothingness, but most Buddhists would not understand the term in this way." Read from http://www.bltc.com/buddhism-suffering.html