What are the 4 main ideas of Buddhism? 

We’ll look briefly at each of these Buddhism beliefs and, in turn, look at the four key teachings from different yanas perspectives. They would have to apply across all three Yanas, Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

What are some key ideas of Buddhism?

Main Idea #1: What are the 4 Noble truths of Buddhism?

The first main idea of Buddhism is the four Noble Truths, simplified for this article, are treated here at greater length. This is the teaching on suffering, the origin of suffering, cessation of suffering, and the path to cessation. 

From a Hinayana perspective, suffering (First Noble Truth) is seen as the ego is suffering is seen as birth, aging, sickness, and death. The three poisons are not getting what you want, attachment, getting, having to deal with something that you don’t want a version and losing what you had. There’s also a more a deeper level of suffering. 

What is all pervasive suffering? It is undetectable by most people. It takes a strong level of practice in order to feel this, this sort of underlying anxiety of knowing that one is not in tune with reality.

The origin of suffering (Second Noble Truth) stems from the ego or the self. The confused idea of a self (one that likes, dislikes, and ignores phenomena) is a concrete individual or a vaguely bounded individual that is separate from the universe.

The cessation of suffering (Noble Truth Three) is the realization of non-self.

The path (Noble Truth Four) of course is the path of understanding and meditation. The view of selflessness and meditating on it properly.

Four Noble Truths – Mahayana

In Mahayana, the first Noble Truth is similar to Hinayana. However, suffering means not understanding the emptiness of phenomena (including the self) – confusion about the nature of reality or the emptiness of reality. 

The origin of suffering is seen to be a broader version of selflessness: the selflessness of all phenomena. The cessation of suffering in Mahayana is first seeing the emptiness of phenomena.

First, see the emptiness of phenomena.

The path, including the 8-fold path of Buddhism, is

• Study and understand the truth of emptiness through logical contemplation
• Meditate on that until direct insight into emptiness arises
• Stabilize that insight
• Take it off the cushion and combine it with bodhisattva activity or activity that is for the benefit of all beings

Four Noble Truths in Vajrayana

In Vajrayana, suffering is seen as inherent purity but is caused by being disconnected from the nature of true being, the wisdom mind, the fundamental awareness, or the fully developed Buddha nature. This separation causes bewilderment, or not knowing what to accept and what to reject. Overcoming this is one of the main ideas of Tantra.

Cessation is attaining full enlightenment without leaving Samsara by seeing one’s own wisdom mind and uniting with that, essentially dissolving into it. The path is receiving blessings from the guru in various forms, meditating on the Yidam and the completion stage, to unite one’s mind stream with the wisdom mind. 

Vajrayana cannot be done without the guidance of a living guru. 

At least to some extent, there must be a human being who has walked the path and realized the essence of it, in order to guide you.

Main Idea #2: View, Meditation and Action

The second main idea of Buddhism is view, meditation, and action. View in the Hinayana, is the selflessness of the individual. In the Mahayana, the View is the emptiness of all phenomena and in the Vajrayana, it’s the fully established awakenment.

The meditation in Hinayana is meditating on the selflessness of the individual. In Mahayana, it’s meditating on the emptiness of all phenomena. In the Vajrayana, it’s meditating on the wisdom mind in various forms and through a variety of skillful means.

The action in Hinayana is primarily separating oneself from the disturbing phenomena in life and focusing intently on nonself. It is also not causing harm. In Mahayana, it’s accumulating merit through doing beneficial actions to benefit of beings. And in Vajrayana, it is moving beyond the idea of action and inaction, while working with purification and light. 

Main Idea #3: The Five Paths

The third main idea of Buddhism is the 5 paths of Buddhism. The five paths are

1. Path of Accumulation – Merit and Wisdom
2. Path of Joining – Bringing the force of merit and study to attain direct perception of emptiness
3. Path of Seeing – Seeing emptiness directly in mediation, the first of the 10 Bodhisattva Bhumis
4. Path of meditation – Walking the 10 bhumis
5. Path of non-meditation – Complete enlightenment or Buddhahood

Main Idea #4: The Three Turnings of the Wheel

The 4th main idea of Buddhism is the 3 Turnings of the wheel of dharma.

1. 4 Noble Truths and lack of existence of the permanent singular self – Hinayana
2. Shunyata / Emptiness and the Bodhisattva path – Mahayana
3. Buddha Nature and luminosity – Vajrayana primarily, but also Mahayana to some extent

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