Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.

[SarathW]

Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.
Please try to describe in your own words a non-Buddhist will have a glimpse of the teaching.

[justindesilva]

Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.
Please try to describe in your own words a non-Buddhist will have a glimpse of the teaching.

I believe the summary of budda darma is contained in "Sabba papassa akaranan ,kusalassa upasampada , sacitta paryo dapanam , etan buddana sasanan .
As could be explained as not to be involved in all unwolesome acts , and developing and taming the mind to be wholesome ,is the budda darma .

[PeterC86]

Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.
Please try to describe in your own words a non-Buddhist will have a glimpse of the teaching.

Hi SarathW,

In the least amount of sentences I was able to viewtopic.php?p=694480#p694480.

Warm regards,
Peter

[equilibrium]

The teachings of the mind.

Based on morality, leading to concentration which leads to wisdom.

All for the purpose of saving the deluded mind trapped in a cycle of impermanent conditioned Samsara and escaping to the unconditioned permanent Nibbana ….. (realisation of the 4NT) ….. freedom from birth and death ….. the unborn ….. awakened.

[SarathW]

The teachings of the mind.

Based on morality, leading to concentration which leads to wisdom.

All for the purpose of saving the deluded mind trapped in a cycle of impermanent conditioned Samsara and escaping to the unconditioned permanent Nibbana ….. (realisation of the 4NT) ….. freedom from birth and death ….. the unborn ….. awakened.

I understand it.
But will the person who does not know Buddhism will understand it?

[SarathW]

Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.
Please try to describe in your own words a non-Buddhist will have a glimpse of the teaching.

I believe the summary of budda darma is contained in "Sabba papassa akaranan ,kusalassa upasampada , sacitta paryo dapanam , etan buddana sasanan .
As could be explained as not to be involved in all unwolesome acts , and developing and taming the mind to be wholesome ,is the budda darma .

Agree that for a layperson, we have to avoid the unwholesome and develop wholesomely. But it will not lead to Nibbana.
Perhaps it seems you miss the "sacitta paryo dapanam" (cleansing the mind)

[form]

There are quite a few short suttas in AN that the Buddha personally described what is the dhamma in different ways. They are an eye opener for me after I thought his teachings is only 4NT and 8FP.

[mjaviem]

What about this:

Being born is unsatisfactory and suffering. We're born due to craving sensual pleasures, existence, or even non-existence. However, ending all suffering is possible. Buddhists learn and understand all this, so they practice renunciation to sensual pleasures and to any kind of gains, make the effort to speak, act, and live in a way that makes them absolutely harmless. This renunciation and harmless behavior and new understanding allow, watching, clearing and stabilizing their hearts and minds which allows them to see clearly improving their understanding even further until they fully understand suffering, how it arises, it's cessation, and the liberating and definitive way from all suffering.

[sunnat]

It is to be experienced in order to be correctly understood. A persons readiness to experience depends on conditions peculiar to the individuals past actions. The experience is had by the perception of the inherent decay of all things and then, in the letting go of the tendency to cling to and identify with ephemeral phenomena, the misery that follows one is let go of and an ultimate bliss of nibbana can be experienced. This journey of insight starts by trying to understand what is unwholesome and what is wholesome and how to develop true wisdom.

[justindesilva]

Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.
Please try to describe in your own words a non-Buddhist will have a glimpse of the teaching.

I believe the summary of budda darma is contained in "Sabba papassa akaranan ,kusalassa upasampada , sacitta paryo dapanam , etan buddana sasanan .
As could be explained as not to be involved in all unwolesome acts , and developing and taming the mind to be wholesome ,is the budda darma .

Agree that for a layperson, we have to avoid the unwholesome and develop wholesomely. But it will not lead to Nibbana.
Perhaps it seems you miss the "sacitta paryo dapanam" (cleansing the mind)

Thank you , but let me explain that taming and developing the mind to be wholesome itself is cleansing the mind .

[skandha]

Recognise the trap of delight and you will be indestructible.

[Ontheway]

The Buddha taught us about the sufferings and how to end the sufferings. Like a doctor, He diagnosed the medical conditions and gives the prescription for us to follow.

[Bundokji]

Through negation of what is not, the positive exists.

[equilibrium]

The teachings of the mind.

Based on morality, leading to concentration which leads to wisdom.

All for the purpose of saving the deluded mind trapped in a cycle of impermanent conditioned Samsara and escaping to the unconditioned permanent Nibbana ….. (realisation of the 4NT) ….. freedom from birth and death ….. the unborn ….. awakened.

I understand it.
But will the person who does not know Buddhism will understand it?

Would say understanding itself clearly isn’t enough ….. no one is born knowing ….. so one needs to know and see it for oneself ….. after all, teachings are a raft, for one to use it to cross over to the other shore.

Above all, realisation of the truth (4NT) isn’t some mundane worldly knowledge where we accumulate words to say that we know this and that ….. rather, the truth is directly realised and experienced by the wise ….. in the here and now.

[Ceisiwr]

Summarise the whole teachings of Buddha in a few sentences.
Please try to describe in your own words a non-Buddhist will have a glimpse of the teaching.

A teaching about all the suffering and unsatisfactoriness of life and the escape.