The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths
The First Sermon — The Four Noble Truths
In His first sermon to the five ascetics in the Deer Park near Varanasi, the Buddha spoke of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths sum up, in a systematic formula, the central teachings of the Buddha.
They are:
(1) The Truth of Suffering;
(2) The Truth of the Cause of Suffering;
(3) The Truth of the End of Suffering;
(4) The Truth of the Path leading to the End of Suffering.
The Truth of Suffering
The Buddha’s discovery of the solution to the problem of suffering began with the recognition that life is suffering. This is the first of the Four Noble Truths. If people examine their own experiences or look at the world around them, they will see that life is full of suffering. Suffering may be physical or mental.
Physical Suffering
Physical suffering takes many forms. People must have observed at one time or another, how their aged relatives suffer. Most of these aged suffer aches and pains in their joints and many find it hard to move about by themselves. With advancing age, the elderly find life difficult because they cannot see, hear or eat properly. The pain of disease, which strikes young and old alike, is unbearable, and the pain of death brings much grief and suffering. Even the moment of birth gives pain both to the mother and the child that is born.
The truth is that the suffering of birth, old age, sickness and death are unavoidable. Some fortunate people may now be enjoying relatively happy and carefree lives, but it is only a matter of time before they, too, will experience suffering. What is worse, this suffering must be borne alone. For example, a man may be very concerned that his mother is growing old. Yet he cannot take her place and suffer the pains of ageing on her behalf. Similarly, if a boy falls very ill, his mother cannot experience the pains of his illness for him. Finally, neither mother nor son can help each other when the moment of death comes.
The Buddha taught people to recognise that suffering is a part of life and that one cannot avoid it. There is a well-known story of Kisa Gotami which illustrates this point very well.
Story of Kisa Gotami
Kisa Gotami was a young woman from a well-to-do family and was married to a wealthy merchant. When her only son was about a year old, he fell ill and suddenly died. Overcome with grief, Kisa Gotami took the dead child in her arms and went from house to house asking people if they knew of a medicine that would restore her child to life. Of course, no one was able to help her. Finally she met a follower of the Buddha, who advised her to see Him.
When she carried the dead child to the Buddha and told Him her sad story, He listened with patience and compassion, and then said to her, “There is only one way to solve your problem. Go and get me four or five mustard seeds from any family in which there has never been a death.”
Kisa Gotami set off to look for such a household, but without success. Every family she visited had experienced the death of some person or other. At last, she understood what the Buddha had wanted her to find out herself — that death comes to all. Accepting the fact that death is inevitable, she no longer grieved. She took the child’s body away and later returned to the Buddha to become one of His followers.
Mental Suffering
Besides physical suffering, there are also various forms of mental suffering. People feel sad, lonely or depressed when they lose someone they love through separation or death. They feel irritated or uncomfortable when they are forced to be in the company of those whom they dislike or those who are unpleasant. People also suffer when they are unable to satisfy their limitless needs and wants. Teenagers, for example, may feel utterly frustrated and dejected if their parents refuse to let them participate in a late-night party or spend large sums of money on expensive fashionable clothing. Adults, on the other hand, may be extremely unhappy if they are unable to gain wealth, power or prestige. These are the mental sufferings that can arise from being separated from the people one likes, being together with people one dislikes, or just not getting what one desires.
Happiness in Life
When the Buddha said that there is suffering in life, He did not deny that there is happiness also. On the contrary, He spoke of various kinds of happiness, such as the happiness of friendship, the happiness of family life, the happiness of having a healthy body and mind, and so on. But all these kinds of happiness are impermanent and when one loses them, one suffers. For example, one may like a pleasant and charming person and enjoy his or her company. But when one is separated from that person, the happiness turns into suffering. One suffers because of one’s attachment to pleasures that do not last.
People often remain unaware of the inevitable sufferings of life because they are distracted by temporary pleasures. Imagine a man enjoying himself, rowing a boat down a swift but treacherous river. He becomes so involved in enjoying the ride on the sparkling water in the warm sunshine that he does not bother to think of any trouble that may be ahead. He is unaware of the fact that, just around the next bend in the river, there are wild rapids and whirlpools that will smash his boat against the jagged rocks lurking just below the surface. Fortunately, someone on the shore calls out to warn him of the dangers ahead. Being a sensible person, he heeds the timely advice.
In the same way, the Buddha taught people not to be distracted by momentary pleasures, but to recognise the fact that these do not last forever. Therefore, people should learn from Him the way to solve the problem of suffering.
Summary
Suffering is a fact of life. There are four unavoidable physical sufferings — birth, old age, sickness and death. There are also three forms of mental suffering — separation from the people one loves, contact with people one dislikes and the frustration of desires. The truths of suffering must first be recognised before the solution to the real problems of life can be found.
Children, even at the young age of four or five, may experience the sharp agonising pain of toothache. As long as they do not know the cause of their suffering, they will continue to eat as many sweets and chocolates bars as before and make their problem worse. Only when they learn from their parents or the dentist, will they understand how tooth decay comes about. If they do not want to suffer any more pain, they will control their craving for sweets and also learn to brush their teeth regularly. In the same way, people have to identify the cause of their problem first, before they are able to act intelligently to avoid the suffering arising from the problem.
The Cause of Suffering
The Buddha had observed that life is suffering. Before He could find a solution to the problem of suffering in life, He had first to look for the cause of suffering. The Buddha was just like a good doctor who first observes a patient’s symptoms and identifies the cause of the illness before prescribing a cure. The Buddha discovered that the direct causes of suffering are desire or craving, and ignorance. This is the truth of the cause of suffering, which is the Second Noble Truth.
Craving
Craving is the deep-seated desire that all living beings have for the pleasures of the senses, and for life itself. For instance, people always seek to enjoy good food, entertainment and pleasant company. Yet none of these pleasures can give them complete and lasting satisfaction. After the fine meal has been eaten, the beautiful music heard and the pleasant company shared, one is still not fully content. One will want to enjoy these pleasures again and again, and for as long as possible.
However, even if these experiences are repeated, dissatisfaction can still result. Imagine eating one’s favourite food for every meal, day after day. There will come a day when one simply feels disgusted and will not enjoy that food anymore. And so it is the same with the other pleasures of the senses.
People are always looking out for new kinds of enjoyment. When they are tired of relatively harmless enjoyments like fine food, music and pleasant company, they begin to look for satisfaction elsewhere. Some people may even crave for more destructive experiences like taking alcohol or drugs. Such desires will only bring about more suffering. Enjoying such pleasures of the senses is like licking honey from the blade of a knife or carrying a firebrand against the wind. In so doing, one is likely to cut or burn oneself.
People who desire to own many things can never be fully satisfied too. Like children in a toyshop, they crave for all the attractive things they see around them. But like children too, they soon become dissatisfied with what they already have and desire for more. Sometimes, they can hardly eat or sleep until they get what they want. Restless and dissatisfied, they will do anything to possess something they desire very much. Yet when they have succeeded in getting what they want, they may still find their happiness short- lived. Many will be too worried for the safety and condition of their new possessions to enjoy it. Then when the object they possess eventually breaks into pieces and has to be thrown away, they will suffer its loss even more.
When we have obtained something that we desire, we may want more and more of it, and so greed arises. Because of desire and greed, people will lie, cheat and steal to get what they want. Uncontrolled desires can also lead to addiction, for example, to smoking, drinking and overeating, all of which lead to suffering and cause mental and physical harm.
If one is prevented by another person from getting what one desires, one may feel angry with that person. Desire when obstructed can lead to ill will and anger. This in turn can lead to harsh words, violent quarrels and even fights or killings. All this is suffering.
Most people crave life more than anything else in the world, despite its frustrations and the inevitable sufferings of old age, sickness and death. If one feels that one’s life is in danger, one instinctively fights to preserve it. It is this deep-seated craving for life that leads one to suffer birth and death, again and again.
Ignorance
Craving or desire is like a great tree having many branches. There are branches of greed, of ill will and of anger. The fruit of this tree is suffering, but how does the tree of craving arise? Where does it grow? The answer is that the tree of craving is rooted in ignorance. It grows out of ignorance.
Ignorance is the inability to see the truth about things, to see things as they really are. There are many truths about the world which people are ignorant of because of the limitations of their understanding.
Science has shown, for instance, that there are sounds that people are unable to hear and waves of light which they are unable to see. People would be totally unaware of radio waves, or ultra-violet light rays if special instruments had not been developed to enable them to observe these things. So long as people remain ignorant of things about the world in which they live, they suffer from all kinds of misunderstandings and delusions.
When people develop their minds and acquire wisdom through study, careful thought and meditation, they will see the Truth. They will see things as they really are. They will understand the suffering and impermanence of life, the Law of Cause and Effect and the Four Noble Truths. By overcoming craving and ignorance, they will attain true happiness and Enlightenment just as the Buddha did about 2,500 years ago.
Summary
In order to remove suffering, people must know its causes. Craving and ignorance are the two main causes of suffering. People crave for the pleasures of the senses, like enjoying good food, beautiful music and pleasant company. But these pleasures do not last and people become restless and dissatisfied. They may even turn to violence to satisfy their uncontrolled desires. All these lead to suffering. People also crave life and this leads to birth and death, again and again. Craving is rooted in ignorance, which means not knowing the truth about things. When wisdom is acquired, ignorance is removed and suffering ends.
The Buddha’s realisation of the end of suffering and His attainment of Nirvana at the age of thirty-five, crowned His search for Truth with success. For six years, the Bodhisattva had spared no effort to find a solution to the problems of suffering. He had tried the principal methods of ending suffering and had found them wanting. Eventually He found His own solution to the problems of life.
Confidence in the Buddha’s Teaching
Having realised the Truth through His own efforts, the Buddha offered it to all who were ready to listen.
There is an old story of a turtle and a fish. The turtle lives on land as well as in the water while the fish only lives in the water. One day, when the turtle had returned from a visit to the land, he told the fish of his experiences. He explained that creatures living on land walked on solid ground. However, the fish could not imagine a place where other fish did not live and where creatures walked rather than swam. He refused to believe that dry land really existed because that was something beyond his own experience. In the same way, people may not have experienced the end of suffering, but it does not mean that the end of suffering is not possible.
A patient must have confidence in an experienced doctor, otherwise he will never take the medicine that the doctor has prescribed for him and will not be cured of his sickness. Similarly, people must have confidence in the Teaching of the Buddha who has shown that the end of suffering is really possible.
The End of Suffering
The end of suffering is the final goal of the Buddha’s Teaching. It can be experienced by anyone here and now. For example, when greed and anger arise in one’s mind, one experiences unhappiness, and when thoughts of greed and anger cease, one’s mind becomes happy and peaceful. To end suffering completely, one must remove desire, ill will and ignorance. This is the Third Noble Truth, that is, the End of Suffering.
Happiness
The Buddha taught that the end of suffering is supreme happiness. Every step towards the end of suffering is accompanied by ever- increasing joy. The Buddha said,
“Health is the greatest gain,
Contentment is the greatest wealth,
A trusted friend is the best relative,
Nirvana is the highest happiness.”
Those who follow the Teaching of the Buddha live happily without greed among those who are overwhelmed by desire. They live happily without anger among those who harbour ill will. The more people free themselves from desire, ill will and ignorance, the greater will be their happiness. When they have completely overcome desire, ill will and ignorance, they will know the supreme happiness as experienced by the Buddha.
Enlightenment
By putting the Buddha’s Teaching into practice, people too can achieve supreme Enlightenment. Enlightenment has countless qualities of which perfect wisdom and great compassion are the most important. Through perfect wisdom, the Buddha understands the real nature of all things. Through great compassion, He is able to help countless beings overcome their suffering.
Experiencing Nirvana for Oneself
The end of suffering has been described as supreme happiness and Enlightenment. However, these terms do not fully express the real nature of the end of suffering or Nirvana. Nirvana cannot be exactly put into words. Attempting to describe Nirvana is like saying that a mango is sweet and that it is not like a banana or an apple. One has to eat a mango in order to know for oneself what the taste is really like. Similarly, Nirvana has to be experienced for oneself.
Therefore, if people have confidence in the Buddha’s Teaching and put it into practice, they can achieve happiness, peace and Enlightenment.
Summary
People must have confidence in the Buddha when He says that the end of suffering is really possible, even though they may not now be able to experience it themselves. Nirvana, or the end of suffering, is the goal of the Buddhist path, which is attainable by all. Nirvana is described as true happiness, peace and Enlightenment, but people have to experience Nirvana for themselves in order to know what it is really like.
The Middle Path
As a youth, Prince Siddhartha enjoyed the indulgent life of pleasure in his father’s palace. Later, when he renounced the worldly life and became an ascetic, he experienced the hardship of torturing his mind and body. Finally, not long before attaining Enlightenment, he realised the fruitlessness of these two extreme ways of life. He realised that the way to happiness and Enlightenment was to lead a life that avoids these extremes. He described this life as the Middle Path.
These three ways of life may be compared to the three strings of different tensions on a lute. The loose string, which is like a life of indulgence, produces a poor sound when struck. The overly tight string, which is like a life of extreme asceticism, similarly produces a poor sound when struck and is moreover, likely to break at any moment. Only the middle string which is neither too loose nor too tight and is like the Middle Path, produces a pleasant and harmonious sound when struck.
So those who follow the Middle Path which avoids the extreme of indulging one’s desires and the opposite extreme of torturing one’s mind and body unreasonably, will find happiness, peace of mind and Enlightenment. This is the Fourth Noble Truth of the path leading to the end of suffering.
The Noble Eightfold Path
Like a wise and experienced doctor, the Buddha recognised the sickness of suffering. He identified its causes and discovered its cure. Then for the benefit of mankind, the Buddha put His discovery into a systematic formula which one can easily follow in order to get rid of one’s suffering. The formula includes both physical and mental treatment, and is called the Noble Eightfold Path. This is the Fourth Noble Truth.The steps of this Noble Eightfold Path are:
(1) Right Understanding;
Right understanding means to understand the Law of Cause and Effect and the Four Noble Truths.
(2) Right Thought;
Right thought means not to harbour thoughts of greed and anger.
(3) Right Speech;
Right speech means to avoid lying, tale-bearing, harsh speech and idle talk.
(4) Right Action;
Right action means not to destroy any life, not to steal and not to commit adultery.
(5) Right Livelihood;
Right livelihood means to avoid any occupation that brings harm to oneself and others.
(6) Right Effort;
Right effort means to earnestly do one’s best in the right direction.
(7) Right Mindfulness;
Right mindfulness means always to be aware and attentive.
(8) Right Concentration;
Right concentration means to train the mind to be steady and calm in order to realise the true nature of things.
The Three Ways of Practice
The eight steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are divided into three ways of practice, namely Good Conduct, Mental Development and Wisdom, as listed in the table below:
The Noble Eightfold Path
( I ) Good Conduct | Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood |
( II ) Mental Development | Right Effort |
( III ) Wisdom | Right Understanding Right Thought |
Through Good Conduct, people learn to control their words and deeds and to avoid unwholesome behaviour. In this way, they can live in harmony with themselves and with society, and lay the foundations for Mental Development and Wisdom. Through Mental Development, they learn to be self-reliant, mindful and calm so that they do not stray from the path of Good Conduct. In this way, they purify their minds in order to gain Wisdom. Through Wisdom, they learn to see things as they really are, to understand the relationship between cause and effect and the Four Noble Truths. In this way, they remove craving and ignorance, and experience the end of suffering. But in order to attain this goal, all three ways of practice must be followed and none should be ignored or neglected.
Therefore, those who wish to follow the Buddha’s Teaching should seek to understand the Four Noble Truths clearly. The truly wise are those who understand the Four Noble Truths and follow the Noble Eightfold Path that will lead them away from craving and ignorance. When they are freed from craving and ignorance, they will avoid quarrelling, killing, stealing, lying, harsh speech and other unwholesome actions.Following the Noble Eightfold Path is like entering a dark room with a light in one’s hand. All the darkness will be dispelled and the room will be filled with light. It is the light of Wisdom that will clear away the darkness of ignorance.
Summary
The path to the end of suffering is the Middle Path taught by the Buddha. This is the Noble Eightfold Path of right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The path may be divided into the three ways of practice, namely, Good Conduct, Mental Development and Wisdom.
Source:
Title: Buddhism for Beginners
By: Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
Chapter 9,10,11,12 | Page 45 to 61
ISBN 978-981-08-3641-2
