The Four Noble Truths

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

“Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you your self test and judge to be true.”

-Buddha

The four noble truths exemplify the essence of the teachings of Buddha. They represent the beginning of a long journey to inner peace, happiness, and most importantly an end to suffering. Seven weeks after the Buddha reached enlightenment at a place called Sarnath, in India, he gave his first teaching. This is referred to as setting the wheel of Dharma in motion. (Rahula 27). It was here where Buddha first spoke of the 4 noble truths and solidified them as eternal parts of life.

The four noble truths were presented as follows.

The First Noble Truth is suffering or dukkha. This includes physical, emotional and mental forms of suffering but can also be interpreted more widely as a feeling of ‘dissatisfaction’. (Hanh 43)

The Second Noble Truth points to the origin of suffering, namely craving or tanha (literally ‘thirst’). At its most simple, this relates to our constant craving for what is pleasurable in what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. (Hanh 44)

The Third Noble Truth is the extinction of suffering. It refers to Nibbana in which craving has faded completely and thereby suffering too. (Hanh 45)

The Fourth Noble Truth leads to the end of suffering and provides a practical pathway to the realization of Nibbana in the form of the Noble Eightfold Path. This consists of eight factors: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. (Hanh 46)

The first noble truth has to deal with the different kinds of suffering that one will come to face throughout their life. The Buddha said there are three kinds of dukkha. The first two are inevitable and the third is optional. (Rahula 28)

The first is dukkha-dukkha, or ordinary suffering. This includes what the Buddha calls the three great teachers: sickness, old age and death, and the loss of a loved one.

The second is viparinama-dukkha. In life even though we are happy, we know that our happiness will not last forever. This awareness that life will not always be this way often brings us sadness, and explains why the Buddha says that even happiness is dukkha.

The third is samkhara-dukkha. This is the suffering of conditioned states. The Buddha believes that the thoughts that often pass through our heads can bring us much suffering. This is the one dukkha that we have some control over. (Hanh 43)