By Evelyn Cash
Over the past few weeks I've been taking a step back and revisiting some of the very basic teachings of the Buddha. I think it can be helpful from time to time to go back and reconsider teachings you haven't thought much about in a long time; it can bring a fresh perspective and re-energize your practice.
When I learned about Buddhism in my high school Comparative Religions class, I basically came away with the understanding that there were two teachings of primary importance to Buddhists: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. In my tenth grade mind, these two teachings were roughly equivalent to the Five Pillars of Islam or the Mitzvah of Judaism. I thought that, in order to be Buddhist, a person had to believe in The Four Noble Truths and follow The Eightfold Path in a devotional way, similar to a Muslim's dedication to prayer five times a day. I knew that Buddhists meditated and I was interested in that aspect of the tradition even then but the idea of following all eight of the folds of the path seemed just a little too difficult for me. I couldn't (and indeed, still can't) remember each one of the eight folds without consulting a book and so my interest in Buddhism, however small it was at the time, waned pretty quickly.
Now, as a Zen student who has been practicing for a few years and feels quite committed to the Buddhist path, I look at the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path in a completely different way. On the one hand, my tenth grade self was right - these teachings are at the very core of Buddhist practice. On the other hand, 15 year old Evelyn was completely wrong (as usual).
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