The Four Noble Truths

Of all the teachings of the Buddha, none are more central and significant than the Four Noble Truths. For a deeper appreciation of them, we should begin with understanding what spiritual questions they address, and what relevance they have to us in our lives.

A monk once approached the Buddha and asked him a number of metaphysical questions regarding the universe and the life after death. He said to the Buddha that if he knows the answer, then he should tell him, and if he does not know, then the only decent thing to do is to say 'I do not know'. The Buddha's response was pragmatic, saying such questions are not central to the spiritual search. As though a man were shot with a poisonous arrow but refused to have the arrow removed until he knew the color, age and religion of the man that shot him, so was this man asking the Buddha questions that were not central too the spiritual search and was neglecting to ask the fundamental questions.

The Buddha went on to explain that he does not teach metaphysical truths, for they are beside the point. What he teaches are two things: suffering and the cessation of suffering.

And so the Buddha formulated a teaching that looks deeply into the nature of suffering and dissatisfaction, and taught it over and over, from a myriad of angles and perspectives, using a variety of similes and skilful means that enable the attentive listener to gain insight into the way one creates suffering for oneself or others. He encapsulated the teaching in a formula that is elegant in its simplicity, and yet by basing the teaching one's personal life experience, it helps us avoid the pitfalls of empty intellectual theory. This central teaching was called the Four Noble Truths.

In brief, the Four Noble Truths are

1)      The Noble Truth of Suffering

2)      The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering

3)      The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering

4)      The Noble Truth of the Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering

In one regard, the entire teaching of the Buddha can be seen as a commentary and fleshing out of these four truths. The 'goal' of Buddhism is the understanding and full integration of these truths into one's life and being. Let's look at each of theses truths in detail and see what they mean for us as living, loving, feeling beings. In the Buddha's first discourse, he taught 'three phases of penetration into each Noble Truth'. While that sounds like a mouthful, it is a skilful device for looking at each of the truths from a certain perspective, sometimes simply emphasizing the importance of a particular aspect of it.

a)      'There is this Noble Truth of Suffering'. This is the first 'phase of penetration' into this truth (indeed of all four truths); an emphatic affirmation that this truth is real. This is an important point, with wide reaching implications. Perhaps the first thing to point out is this word 'suffering'. The original pali word is dukkha which means something which is hard to bear, incomplete or imperfect. As such the word suffering here means dissatisfaction of any kind that a being might experience, from the mundane miseries such as losing friendship or a possession, to physical illness, even the eventual passing away of life itself. The implication is that nothing that exists in this world can fill the heart totally. All experiences, from sensual delights to personal love to mystical union are impermanent, and can not free us from suffering. (see anicca for a study of impermanence)

b)      'This Noble Truth of Suffering should be diagnosed'. The difference between the above 'step' and this one, is the difference between believing something and seeing it. Whereas above, the Buddha was making a statement of fact: there is suffering. In saying that it should be diagnosed, he is saying that we should recognize the truth of suffering in our own experience of the world. That is, we should recognize it as a condition of existence itself. Dukkha in this sense is not something we can avoid simply by changing the conditions of our lives, but even the most gratifying and pleasant life, is subject to suffering in that all things change, and life itself must eventually come to an end.

c)      The 'third phase of penetration' is the same for all four Noble Truths: it affirms that the Buddha himself has fully accomplished what was prescribed in the second phase. So in the case of the First Noble Truth, the Buddha affirms here that 'This Noble Truth of Suffering has been diagnosed'.

a)      'There is this Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering': again, here the Buddha affirms the reality that suffering, or discontent, has an origin. He explains that all suffering can be traced back to desire, specifically three kinds of desire. Desire for sensual pleasures, desire for eternal existence and desire for non-existence. Sensual desire needs little explanation. Desire for existence refers to the desire to enjoy a continued state of being or relationship and the desire for non-existence is the desire to be free of the unpleasant reality of this life, by simply ceasing to exist, dying without ever having to experience any further consequences of this life.

b)      'The Origin of Suffering should be abandoned': having recognized that suffering has a cause, the Buddha points out that that cause is within us, and can be relinquished. Instead of looking at the pain itself and trying to get rid of it, one looks at the deep underlying cause and frees oneself from it.

c)      'The Origin of Suffering has been abandoned': here the Buddha simply recognizes that in himself, this very cause of suffering has been abandoned.

a)      'There is this Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering': perhaps the most misunderstood concepts of Buddhism, the cessation of suffering is the end of any trace of spiritual incompleteness, want or fear. It is that state, born from understanding, where the heart realizes the highest tranquility and contentment. It needs stressing that this state is not a state born of mystical absorption or conferred on the individual through faith. It is above all a state of understanding, wherein one's heart realizes that the things one previously deeply (and most often unconsciously) held to be a source of security and well-being, are in fact a source of stress and delusion.

b)      'The cessation of suffering should be realized': here the Buddha affirms that suffering is not something worth holding on to and that its cessation should be made real. Implied in this statement is the notion that this is the goal of the spiritual aspirant. The complete and total eradication of every slightest tract of suffering, discontent and incompleteness through an understanding of the heart and its attachments.

c)      'The cessation of suffering has been realized': the Buddha again affirms that this aspect of the Four Noble Truths has been fulfilled.

a)      'There is this Noble Truth of the Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering': this Way or the Path is called the Noble Eightfold Path. It is a path that already and always has existed. The Buddha discovered this Path and then taught it to us. In brief, this path refers to that which should be cultivated in oneself to make progress toward the cessation of suffering. It can be summed up as composing three parts. I) Virtue, meditation and wisdom. Virtue refers to the cultivation of one's actions so that they bring harm neither to oneself or others. Specifically, for lay people, the Buddha recommends the Five Precepts. This is an ethical code but different from the well-known Ten Commandments, in that the Buddha does not command us to obey, or punish us for disobeying. The Five Precepts constitute a natural law, the breaking of which will tend toward increased confusion, stress, turmoil and suffering. The Five Precepts are 1) To refrain from killing 2) to refrain from stealing 3) to refrain from sexual misconduct (conduct which leads to the suffering of oneself or others, or involves breaking one of the other four precepts) 4) to refrain from lying and 5) to refrain from taking drugs or alcohol. II) Meditation is the training of the mind to be still, flexible and disciplined and III) Wisdom refers specifically to penetrating the fundamental truths that keep us bound to craving and suffering (see the Three Characteristics)

b)      'The Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering should be cultivated': that is, it's not a truth to be studied or simply debated about or set aside on one's to do list for tomorrow. It is a path of personal development that requires commitment and action now in order to make legitimate progress on.

c)      'The Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering has been cultivated': the Buddha had cultivated this path to its ultimate culmination, a state he referred to as Nibbana. (Sanskrit: Nirvana) Through reaching this state the Buddha affirms that this goal of enlightenment is a practical and attainable goal, one that heart which is searching for meaning and fulfillment should undertake and realize.