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Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammâ Sambuddhassa!
Four Noble Truths
By Rasika Wijayaratne
The essence of Buddhism is
contained within the
Four Noble Truths. The Lord Buddha declared these four truths in His
very first sermon after Enlightenment to the five ascetics at Varanasi.
The Lord Buddha taught the middle way of avoiding the extremes of sensual pleasure
and self-torment that would lead to Nibbâna
as the fourth Noble Truth, the way that is the
Noble Eightfold Path. This article gives a brief overview of the Four Noble
Truths.
The First Noble Truth
describes the ever present dukkha
in all life. Dukkha is usually translated as stress, suffering or unsatisfactoriness
- how nothing in our lives is ever
in a satisfactory state for too long.1 The Lord Buddha stated the First
Noble Truth thus: “Now this, monks, is the noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful,
aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from
the loved is stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates
are stressful.”2
The Second Noble Truth
describes the cause and reason for this dukkha, which is craving (tanhâ). It is craving that causes us
to be reborn again and again to experience this dukkha. The Lord Buddha stated the
Second Noble Truth thus: “And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination
of stress: the craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion
& delight, relishing now here & now there — i.e., craving for sensual pleasure,
craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.”2
The Third Noble Truth
states that dukkha can be ended by removing its cause, that is by ending craving.
The Lord Buddha stated the Third Noble Truth thus: “And this, monks, is the noble
truth of the cessation of stress: the remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation,
relinquishment, release, & letting
go of that very craving.”2
The Fourth Noble Truth
outlines the method described by the Lord Buddha for ending dukkha, that is the
Noble Eightfold Path. The Lord
Buddha stated the Fourth Noble Truth thus: “And this, monks, is the noble truth
of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: precisely this Noble
Eightfold Path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”2 By treading the
Noble Eightfold Path, which is composed of eight “steps”, we can reach
Nibbâna the ending of all dukkha.
It is very important as young
Buddhists to have an understanding of these very fundamental
Four Noble Truths, as the whole
of Buddhism is encompassed and included within these four truths. They describe
the 1. reality of dukkha, 2. the cause of dukkha, 3. the cessation of dukkha and
4. the way leading to the cessation of dukkha, which is the middle way of the Noble
Eightfold Path. It is even more important to start the journey on
Noble Eightfold Path out of dukkha and towards the freedom of
Nibbâna. May you attain Nibbâna!
Notes
1. Dukkha can be quite
subtle & ever present as described in
One Hour of Unsatisfactonriness. [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=onehour ]
2. Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya LVI.11.
[ http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html
]
Related Youth Articles
1.
Noble Eightfold Path by Rasika Wijayaratne (on ending suffering)
[ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=noblepath
]
2.
One Hour of Unsatisfactoriness by Rasika Wijayaratne (on suffering) [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=onehour ]
3.
Daily Dâna by Rasika Wijayaratne (on generosity)
[ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=dailydana
]
4.
Sensual Pleasure & Pain by Rasika Wijayaratne (on six sense bases; eye,
ear, etc.) [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=plespain ]
Related Suttas
1. SN 56.11, Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta,
Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion, Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro
Bhikkhu [
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html ]
Other Resources
1.
The Four Noble Truths - A Study Guide by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
[ http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/truths.html
]
2.
The Noble Eightfold Path - The Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi
[
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html ]
3.
Nibbana by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
[ http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/nibbana.html
]
4. Five Piles of Bricks - The Khandhas as Burden & Path by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
[
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/khandha.html ]
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