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Buddhism, the Three Jewels

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Buddhism, the Three Jewels
Buddha is a Sanskrit word that means "awakened one”. A Buddha is someone who has realized the enlightenment that ends the cycle of birth and death, and which brings freedom from suffering. An important belief that separates Buddhism from Hinduism is that the Buddha chooses weather to reincarnate, help others, and to “joyfully participate in the misery of the world” or to be in the final place and live in his or her Buddha Nature.
There are many different forms of Buddhism, there is one cornerstone they all share in common, it is the belief in the three jewels, or the three treasures. They are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. These are the Three Jewels;
The Buddha Jewel does not refer to just one single Buddha. It means the collective wisdom. All of those beings who are Buddha’s now were once beings like us. They suffered from the hardships and disappointments brought on by ignorant cravings and cyclic existence. Through personal effort they were able to cultivate the more positive things and eliminate the more negative ones. They freed themselves from the bindings of the Ten Fetters. These are things that limit your actions and constrain you. They side track you from finding your Buddha Nature. They are as follows: A Delusion of Self, of these there are many. Primarily it is thinking you are who you are, thinking that you are your perceptions. The second constraint is Doubt, especially in the four universal truths and the moral and ethical ideals of Buddhism. Doubt will lead you to give up. The third is Dependence on Works. This means you cannot achieve your Buddha Nature by simply doing good things. You must rid yourself of the desire to accomplish a set goal. Ultimately the harder you try, the more you will fail. The next fetter is Passions. We must deny anything that evokes strong emotions; they are rooted in ignorant craving. The word Nirvana literally means “to blow out the flame of passions”. The fifth is Hate, it is caused by craving, it must be

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