Core Buddhist Teachings and the Path to Enlightenment
Buddhism explains how the universe operates through practical frameworks you can actually apply. The Three Marks of Existence, Four Noble Truths, and Eightfold Path aren't abstract philosophy - they're tools for understanding why life feels difficult and what to do about it.
Siddhartha (later called Buddha) was born a prince but left palace life after witnessing old age, sickness, death, and a peaceful ascetic. After trying extreme practices that didn't work, he discovered the Middle Way - balanced living between luxury and deprivation that led to his enlightenment.
The Five Skandhas teach that you're not a fixed person but a constantly changing bundle of elements: physical form, sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Understanding this helps reduce attachment and the suffering that comes from trying to control things that naturally change.
Sunyata (emptiness) doesn't mean nothing exists - it means recognising that everything depends on other things to exist. This realisation leads to genuine compassion because you understand how interconnected all life really is.
Practical point: The Four Noble Truths provide a logical sequence: suffering exists, it has causes (craving and attachment), it can end, and the Eightfold Path shows you how to end it.