Buddhism Forum Responses ("Class Participation") 


Instructions
: Read the prompt below and answer the questions in a forum post of
at least 100 words.

Then, respond to a classmates's forum post with a
response of at least 100 words
.

***

Buddhism – Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path Discussion Questions

The Four Noble Truths constitute the “backbone” of the Buddhist understanding of life and reality.  However, in learning about the Buddhist worldview for the first time, students sometimes express the opinion that the first and second noble truths seem overly pessimistic (i.e. that life isn’t as depressing as it is made to seem in the first and second Noble Truths!)  Do you find them
pessimistic
or
realistic
?  Why?  Discuss this question in your post and your response to a classmate.

a.     As a reminder, the first noble truth is that life is dukkha (suffering, dissatisfaction, painful);

b.     The second noble truth is that we experience dukkha because of shortsighted, ignorant desires: we become attached to things and ideas that cannot make us truly happy or fulfilled.