The heart of the Buddha’s teaching live
in the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni) of early Buddhism which he taught in his first sermon to his old
companions, the five ascetics, at Isipatana- Deer Park (modern Sarnath) near
Benares. In this sermon, as we have it in the original texts, these four Truths
are given briefly. They are:
1.
Dukkha
sacca XE "Dukkha sacca" : the
truth of Suffering
2.
Samudaya
sacca XE "Samudaya sacca" : the truth of the Cause of Suffering
3.
Nirodha
sacca XE "Nirodha sacca" : the truth of the Cessation of Suffering
4.
Magga
sacca XE "Magga sacca" : the truth of the Path leading to the
cessation of Suffering
But
there are innumerable places in the early Buddhist scriptures where they are
explained again and again, which greater detail and in different ways.
1.1 The First Noble Truth: Dukkha sacca- the truth of Suffering XE "- 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 or
unhappiness. Suffering may be physical or mental. The sufferings are divided
into three types namely:-
Physical suffering takes many forms. People
must have observed at one time or another, how their aged relatives suffer.
Most of them 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, can be unbearable. The pain of death brings much
suffering. Even the moment of birth gives pain, both to the mother and the
child who is born. The truth is that the suffering of birth, old age, sickness
and death are unavoidable. Some fortunate people may now be enjoying happy and
carefree lives, but it is only a matter of time before they too will experience
suffering. What is worse, nobody else can share this suffering with the one
that suffers. 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 aging on her
behalf. Also, if a boy falls very ill, his mother cannot experience the discomfort
of his illness for him. Finally, neither mother nor son can help each other
when the moment of death comes.
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 become 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 needs and wants. Teenagers, for example, feel frustrated and
angry if their parents refuse to let them go to a late-night party or spend
large sums of money on expensive fashionable clothing or toys. Adults, on the
other hand, may be unhappy if they are unable to gain wealth, power or fame.
Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods or famine, can cause
a lot of suffering to people. People also have to face hardship caused by war
and social injustice. Problems can happen even in the classroom. When you try
to study, and yet the room is too noisy or your friends try to disturb you, you
may feel unhappy or angry. Sometimes, problems may happen to you personally.
When you do not pass an exam, this would make you feel unhappy or disappointed.
These problems are unwanted. People try their best to avoid them and to be free
from them. The following is the example of one who suffers.
1.2 The Second Noble Truth: Samudaya sacca- the truth of the Cause of Suffering XE "the truth of the Cause of Suffering"
The cause of suffering is desire based
on greed and selfishness. The Buddha saw that the cause of suffering is selfish
desire and greed. People want all kinds of things and want to keep them
forever. However, greed is endless, like a bottomless pit that can never be
filled. The more you want, the more unhappy life is. Thus, our limitless wants
and desires are the cause of our suffering. Many children who have had a taste
for chocolate will keep asking for more. When they do not get it, they will
feel upset or even angry. Although they know that eating too much chocolate may
cause them to have a bad stomach or toothache, they still want more. The things
we want most can cause us the most suffering. The following is the example of
the cause of suffering.
1.3 The Third Noble Truth: Nirodha sacca- the truth of the cessation of Suffering XE "the truth of the cessation of Suffering"
To end suffering, selfish desire must be
removed. Just as a fire dies when no fuel is added, so unhappiness will end
when the fuel of selfish desire is removed. When selfish desire is completely
removed, there will be no more suffering. Our mind will be in a state of
perfect peace. We shall be happy always. Buddhists call the state in which all
suffering is ended Nirvana. It is an everlasting state of great joy and peace.
It is the greatest happiness in life. The following is the example of
the cessation of suffering.
There was once a man of wealth and high
position who realized that suffering was the same for rich and poor alike. So
he became a monk to practise meditation in order to develop his mind. Soon,
this old monk had a following of 500 monks. One of these monks always wore a
smile, unlike the others who usually looked serious. The old monk was the only
one who knew his source of happiness, and this happy monk was soon made his
chief assistant. A year later, while they were spending the rainy season in the
royal garden at the king’s invitation, the old monk was asked to stay in
residence at the palace. The happy monk became the new leader of the group. One
day, this happy monk went to pay the old monk a visit at the palace. All he
would stay to the old monk on seeing him was,
“What happiness! What happiness!”
The king, who happened to visit the old monk
at that time, felt insulted when he was not greeted by this happy monk, who was
not even aware of the king’s entrance. Seeing the king’s displeasure, the old
monk said to him: “Have patience, my king, and I will tell you the source of
this monk’s happiness. Not many people know of it. He was once a king
like you. But having given up his kingly life for that of a monk, he had found
his present joy! Sitting alone in the forest, he had nothing to fear and
no need for armed guards to surround him. Free from the worry over wealth and
power, his wisdom now protects himself and others. He has found such inner
peace in meditation that he cannot help saying: “What happiness! What
happiness!” The king finally understood what was true happiness. He
honoured the two monks before returning to his palace.
1.4 The Fourth Noble Truth: Magga sacca: the truth of the Path leading to the cessation of Suffering XE "the truth of the Path leading to the cessation of Suffering"
The Path leading to the end
of suffering or the way to end suffering is to follow the ‘Noble Eightfold
Path’
1. Right Understanding means to have a correct understanding of
oneself and the world. Although we may have our own view of the world, it may
not always be right. If we understand things as they really are, we would be
able to live a happier and more meaningful life.
2. Right Thought means to think in the right way. Those who
harbour thoughts of greed and anger will easily get into trouble. But if we
think correctly, we would end up doing the right things.
3. Right Speech means to avoid lying, tale telling, gossiping,
backbiting, idle talk and harsh words. Harsh words can wound more deeply than
weapons, while gentle words can change the heart of a hardened criminal. This
shows the effect on others in the way we speak. The Buddha said,
“Pleasant speech is as sweet as honey; truthful
speech is beautiful like a flower; and wrong speech is unwholesome like filth.”
Therefore, we should speak words that are
truthful, meaningful and with good will.
4. Right Action means not to harm or destroy any life, not to
steal and not to use sex in a harmful way.
5. Right Livelihood means not to live on work that would in any
way bring harm to living beings. Buddhists are discouraged from engaging in the
following five kinds of livelihood: trading people, weapons, animals for
slaughter, intoxicating drinks and drugs. The Buddha said,
“Do not earn your living by harming others.
Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy.”
6. Right Effort means to do our best to become a better
person. Examples of this are to work hard at school and to drop bad habits such
as laziness, quick temper, smoking and drugs.
7. Right Mindfulness means to be always aware and attentive. We
should always be aware of what we think, say and do. We must concentrate on
everything we do before we can do it well. For instance, if we concentrate in
class, we would not miss anything the teacher says.
8. Right Meditation means to keep the mind steady and calm in
order to see clearly the true nature of things. This type of mental practice
can make us become more understanding and a happier person. The Noble Eightfold
Path can help us prevent problems or deal with any problems we may come across
in our daily life. If we follow it, we are on the way to less suffering and
more happiness. The following is the example of the path leading to the
cessation of suffering.
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