Tan Laya multimedia producer and creative director now focused on LOVE ARTIFICIAL, a pr

Know Suffering ☀️ #buddhismforbeginners #noticing

25 May 2026 · 3 min

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2:31

In this one‑minute‑and‑a‑half video recorded at the Foguangshan Temple in Manchester during a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday, two speakers give a concise introduction to basic Buddhist concepts for beginners. They note that the event reflects Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, while acknowledging other traditions present in the city. The speakers clarify common misconceptions: the Buddha is not a god but a historical person named Siddhartha, and the term “Buddha” is a title for anyone who attains enlightenment, meaning there have been many Buddhas and that anyone can become one in the future. They then distill the Buddha’s original teaching into two words—“No suffering”—explaining that recognizing suffering and its opposite is a crucial step toward enlightenment. The tone is informal and enthusiastic, aiming to spark interest in the path of Buddhism for newcomers.

It's a very hot day in Manchester, and I'm here at the Foguangshan Temple where the birth of Buddha is being celebrated.
Well, today is Buddha's birthday. This is the day all the Buddhists come together. Here in this temple, we are the Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. So I'm sure in Manchester you have come across different traditions, maybe Tibetan Buddhism or Thai Buddhism.
A couple of things about Buddhism that are lot of people forget. Buddha is not a god in the common sense of the word. He was a person. And Buddha is not the name of a single particular person. There are and have been lots of Buddhas.
The word Buddha is called enlightened. So anyone that's enlightened is a Buddha. But of course, the Buddha that, that was born 2,500 years ago He had a name. He was named Siddhartha. But you're right that Buddha is not a specific name. It's like for anyone that achieved the same enlightenment. So we believe that even you and me are future Buddhas. So one day you and me will become Buddhas.
I don't want to end this video without telling you what Buddha's message was, and I also don't want this video to be much longer than a minute and a half, and I think we're already over a minute now. So I'm going to compress it into 2 words. For those who are interested, this was the message that the Buddha shared with his followers 2,500 years ago. In 2 words. No suffering. That's it. No suffering. Why is that useful? Well, because if you know suffering, if you know what suffering is, then you'll automatically know the opposite of suffering. You'll know what suffering is not. And I promise you, if you can see the difference and understand the difference between suffering and not suffering, you will have made a huge step towards being a Buddha.