Q1. What Did the Buddha Teach?

~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~

The best way of answering is to quote the Buddha himself, ‘Monks, now, as in the past, I teach only dukkha (suffering, distress) and the quenching of dukkha.’

Whether or not this answer agrees with what you had thought, please take good note of it. There are many other ways we may answer, but this one saying of the Buddha sums up his teaching succinctly.

The Buddha taught only dukkha and the quenching of it. This renders irrelevant any questions without a direct bearing on the elimination of dukkha. You need not consider such questions as ‘Is there rebirth after death?’ or ‘How does rebirth take place?’ These can be considered later.

Consequently, if a foreigner asks us this question, we shall answer it by saying, ‘The Buddha taught nothing other than dukkha and the ending of it.’

(From “Buddha-Dhamma for Inquiring Minds”)

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Buddha-Dhamma for Students (title of original translation) was composed of two talks given by Ajahn Buddhadāsa in January 1966 to students at Thammasat University, Bangkok. It was translated from the Thai by Rod Bucknell, and revised in 2018 by Santikaro Upasaka. To read/download as free ebook (pdf).

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For all English retreat talks, visit Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

For more information and free ebooks, visit Suan Mokkh – The Garden of Liberation.

Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives D-57