Foundational Precepts in Buddhism: The Three Jewels and More

The beginning basic precepts of Buddhism are the three jewels. The first jewel is faith. It is the belief in the inner Buddha. This is necessary for anything else and like Christian faith takes the leap of faith. One must believe in the Buddha in order to seek to understand and practice Buddhism. The second jewel is the living Dharma. Dharma is the living and practicing of the precepts of Buddhism and following the path. The third jewel is Sangha. This is the other people and elements involved in Buddhism that support the person involved (pp.161-168).

The eight-fold path is keeping oneself inside of morality and following the path. Right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration are the eight areas of activity that one must control. It is like keeping a good attitude and controlling oneself against temptations to do things that are selfish and immoral. Doing each of these things is being in the path. The path includes the inner-self and one's inner thought life and focus in thought, concentration, understanding, effort and mindfulness. Speech, action, and livelihood are the outward areas of oneself that have to be in the right path of benevolence and morality. The inclusion of livelihood is questionable to me since choice is not an option for every person. However, following the path requires the entirety of one's being (pp.51-120).

The twelve-fold chain is the concept of interdependence and the factors involved in being an interdependent being in an existence involving others and nature. One through six are the beginnings of understanding of an infant or embryo through development to the beginnings of greater understanding and reason. Then, seven through twelve are the beginnings of a true understanding and the development into maturity and death. The twelve links in the chain are as follows: (1) Ignorance is a person still in a fetal state and unaware of life. (2) Traces of mental formations are the person coming closer to preparedness to be born and seeing life. (3) Initial discriminations or consciousness is birth of the person and the beginning of understanding about life. (4 )Name and form is the person beginning to understand life and the expectations in it. (5) Sense organs- the person becomes aware of themselves and their place in the cosmos. (6) Sense-The understanding of the purpose of the senses occurs. (7) Sense experience-the beginning and continuing of a new aspect of life in the experience of the senses begins. (8) Desire-feelings for more from others and more from life for oneself develop. (9) Grasping (or Mental Clinging) striving to obtain and keep the desired people, things and feelings in one's life. (10) Coming into existence- surviving, becoming a part of a new place in society and the cosmos in a new understanding of oneself, others and life. (11) Birth-experiencing everything in an aspect of life and understanding the meaning of life for oneself and in interdependence to others. A new responsibility and an obligation as interdependent to follow the path becomes understood. (12) Old age and death- continuing on the path of living in the parameters given in one's life through a period of decline until death occurs. This brings one back to oneness in the universe and the beginning of a new form of existence and function (pp.221-249).

References
Hanh, Thich Nhat. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation. New York: Broadway Books, 1998.
(ISBN 0-7679-0369-2)