What are the core beliefs of a Buddhist? (Buddhism from first principles)

• All conditioned things are impermanent
• Mind and body are impermanent things
• Impermanence leads to dissatisfaction
• Nothing dissatisfying and impermanent should be called “soul”
• Dukkha is the result of clinging/desire/ignorance
• It is possible to be rid of dukkha
• Buddha and other enlightened beings overcame dukkha
• We have control over our behaviors, habits, actions
• Flawed perspective leads to flawed results, correct perspective leads to correct results
• Refuges:
  • Buddha - understood stress and its causes, overcame stress, taught what he understood
  • Dhamma - is the teachings of the Buddha to understand stress, its causes, and overcome it
  • Sangha - people who understand the teachings of the Buddha, have overcome or are overcoming stress
• Actions based on greed / fear / delusion will lead to future pain
• Killing, stealing, raping, lying, intoxication lead to future pain

See Access to Insight's article on “Path to Freedom”

1. Giving - not just to Buddha and Buddhists but all people and all creatures, things like food, medicine, care…
2. Virtue - abstaining from bad behaviors
3. Heaven - the result of giving and virtue
4. Drawbacks - why nirvana is better than heaven
5. Letting go - how to change your behaviors here and now
6. Four noble truths - the essential teaching of Buddha on suffering, its causes, and its defeat