144 Buddhism for B e g i n n e r s
“ As the vast ocean is of one taste, the taste of salt, So also, in my Teaching, there is but one taste, The taste of freedom, that is, Nirvana.”
People who have encountered the Buddha’s Teaching and enjoy youth, health and material well-being, should make use of these favourable conditions in life to strive to attain Nirvana. So long as Nirvana has not been attained, one cannot avoid the suffering of old age, sickness and death, the suffering of separation from those one loves, being with those one dislikes, and not having one’s desire satisfied. Moreover, one never knows where one may be reborn in the six realms and when one will have such an opportunity again to listen to and practise the Buddha’s Teaching in order to attain Nirvana.
The Way to Attain Nirvana
The Buddha taught people the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the attainment of Nirvana. The path is divided into the three interrelated ways of practices, namely Good Conduct, Mental Development and Wisdom. Through the practice of Good Conduct, people learn to control their words and deeds so that they cease to do unwholesome actions. Through Mental Development, they purify their minds so that they do not stray from the course of Good Conduct. Finally through Wisdom, the causes of unwholesome actions, that is, ignorance, desire and ill will, are removed. When people eventually see things as they really are, having fully understood the Four Noble Truths, they have achieved Nirvana.