Four Noble Truths
By Henry ChuTemple Master
Introduction
• Last week we visited the Eightfold Path so this week we will visit the other foundational Buddhist teaching, the Four Noble Truth
• The Four Noble Truth is intimately connected to the Eightfold path because the Fourth Truth is the Eightfold Path
• Therefore the two teachings are essentially one
Introduction
• The Four Noble Truth are: Life is suffering (dukkha), Origin of Suffering, The Cessation of Suffering, and the Path Leading to Cessation of Suffering
• The gist of Four Noble Truth is the understanding and the way to evade Suffering
• This is the foundational teaching--the advance teaching of Buddhism takes a different turn on the perspective of suffering
Four Noble Truth
• The First Truth—Life is suffering• Buddha’s initial motivation to seek
enlightenment is due to suffering• The eight inevitable sufferings of life are:– Birth --Aging– Sickness --Death– Unfulfilled desires --Overwhelming senses– Separation of beloved --Gathering of hateful
Four Noble Truth
• The First Truth—Life is Suffering• The Buddhist perspective is that life is a
suffering sea and that sufferings are inevitable part of life
• Therefore the evasion of the sufferings of life is the primary goal of Buddhist practitioner and that the subsequent works are gearing toward this goal
Four Noble Truth
• The Second Truth—The Origin of Suffering• There are many types of desires, all of which
can lead to suffering– Types of desires: • Sensual desires--cravings (i.e. food, sleep, sex) • Emotional desires—desire for love, power, dominance• Spiritual desires—need to exist (physical attachment)
– Desire arise out of “ignorance” – Ignorance arise out of ego
Four Noble Truth
• The Second Truth—The Origin of Suffering• By understand the origin of suffering, the
practitioner gains a perspective on suffering and realize their pursue of desires are the root cause of their sufferings
• With the new found perspective, the practitioners can begin to reverse the cycle of suffering and transcend out of suffering
The Four Noble Truth
• The Third Truth—The Cessation of Suffering• The eradication of all desires is the way toward
the cessation of suffering• When a person achieved the state of without
desires, then the Nirvana experience will occur, by which the person will no longer get caught in the cycle of suffering
• The way to achieve the state without desire is the Fourth Truth
The Four Noble Truth
• The Fourth Truth—the Path toward the Cessation of Suffering
• The Eightfold path is the path toward the cessation of suffering
• The Eightfold path are:– Right perspective --Right thought– Right speech --Right action– Right livelihood --Right endeavor– Right mindfulness --Right meditation
The Four Noble Truth
• The Advance Perspective– The Hinayana tradition (the small vehicle) is totally
focused on the Four Noble Truth so their entire focus of practice is on the evasion of sufferings
– The Mahayana tradition (the great vehicle tradition) is less focus on the evasion of suffering, rather it focus on the expansion of the capacity to endure suffering
– The Bodhisattva way is the enduring of sufferings for others so they too can attain Nirvana
Conclusion
• The Four Noble Truth (along with the Eightfold path) are the foundational teachings of Buddhism.
• The entire focus is on the evasion of suffering and the ways to achieve the state of non-suffering (or Nirvana)
• The Mahayana tradition expanded on the teaching to the embrace of sufferings
Question