ABSTRACT
Tbe trutb ofNirvana: We can attain freedom from Dukkha. We do tbis by cbanging ourselves, by transforming our cravings.
Buddhism does not contain only the dark view that we live in Dukkha, in the valley of tears. It also shows a way out. Because Dukkha derives from the maelstrom of cravings, urges, passions, and feelings, the way out requires putting an end to this turbulence. We must strive to reduce, minimize, even eliminate these inner pushes and pulls that seem to come from all directions. We need, in short, to transform ourselves. This emphasis may be seen in the following story:
In ancient India, a common sport had been for men to fight barehanded against tigers. One sturdy fellow, the world champion ofhis day, could vanquish even the largest, most vicious tigers, with little hurt to hirnself. One day a Hindu sage remarked to hirn "It is a great challenge you have met, to be able to master tigers. However, it is a greater challenge to be able to master
yourself. Conquer the beasts within. That is the more difficult task." The champion's eyes were opened by this utterance. He took the sage as his teacher and started on the task of self-transformation.
