What are the 4 noble truths?

[shanyin]

What are the 4 noble truths? I realize I can look it up (on the internet), but I am suspicious of certain information that says "there is suffering" or "Life is dukkha". I am not a secular Buddhist at the time, nor am I a religious person.

[Malcolm]

What are the 4 noble truths? I realize I can look it up (on the internet), but I am suspicious of certain information that says "there is suffering" or "Life is dukkha". I am not a secular Buddhist at the time, nor am I a religious person.

1) Suffering
2) The cause of suffering
3) The cessation of suffering
4) The eightfold path

[ThreeVows]

What are the 4 noble truths? I realize I can look it up (on the internet), but I am suspicious of certain information that says "there is suffering" or "Life is dukkha". I am not a secular Buddhist at the time, nor am I a religious person.

FWIW, the four noble truths are the truths that are realized by those who have genuine insight into the nature of phenomena.

The first noble truth is basically that samsaric existence is unsatisfactory. This may be due to gross, acute, terrible suffering, or more subtle suffering, or because samsaric phenomena are unreliable and even the most exquisite pleasure one might find with the deluded mind will end, and if one does not uproot ignorance at the root, one also does not uproot affliction, and one basically necessarily will fall into lower states as a result. So one comes to see that even the highest, most long-lasting state is still not desireable ultimately as long as ignorance is not overcome.

The second noble truth relates to basically karma and the consequences of karma, and includes discussion about all of the realms of being within samsara, whether 'high' or 'low'.

The third noble truth relates to how with genuine insight, the root of ignorance is cut, and one finds cessation of the mundane mind, instead tasting the bliss of deathlessness.

The fourth noble truth basically relates to how once this is tasted, the mind is oriented towards realizing it fully, and that which leads to the full realization of deathlessness is the path. More or less.

If one simply has a basic intellectual understanding of such things, this is not actual realization of the four noble truths, or the four 'truths realized by the aryas', but is only an intellectual approximation which at best points in the right direction.

Basically.

[Jeff H]

It sounds like you might be stuck on the concept of dukkha, which is often translated as suffering. Buddha identified three kinds of suffering.

Manifest Suffering is what English speakers usually mean by “suffering”. It’s any pain or gross discomfort that significantly disrupts our lives. When the pain goes away, we think the suffering has stopped. But that is not the meaning of dukkha.

The second level of suffering, according to Buddha, is Changing Suffering. It’s what we think of as pleasure, good fortune, well-being. For arya beings, Changing Suffering is merely a temporary respite from Manifest Suffering, and more to the point, it necessarily leads directly to more Manifest Suffering.

Because of our innate and learned misconceptions about how phenomena exist, we get the causes of suffering and happiness mixed up. By striving to establish well-being based on our ignorant understanding of phenomena, we just generate Changing Suffering and thereby create Manifest Suffering.

Round and round we go in that vicious cycle of craving the impossible. Even when this body gives out, the mental continuum still craves another life to repeat the same process. And that is the third suffering: Pervasive Suffering which is the very nature of samsara.

The first noble truth says we must recognize suffering in this sense (what it is). The second identifies the cause of suffering (why it is). The third says cessation of suffering is possible (it isn't necessary). The fourth says to apply the correct method to accomplish cessation (how to stop it).

[Aemilius]

One need not take a merely negative attitude toward duhkha or "suffering". Duhkha is the cause for the development of most or all of the sciences like chemistry, anatomy, medicine, psychology, etc.. and their practical applications, which have hopefully helped the humanistic, political and spiritual development of humankind. Thus duhkha is the cause for the arising of knowledge, hopefully also and including the knowledge of truth and the knowledge of the nature of reality.

[CPawo]

1. Suffering exists
2. There are causes to suffering
3. There are remedies to those causes
4. The remedies

It's quite relieving when you better understand and see/accept these truths. Opens a door to a path of growth and healing if you will. Path meaning it's a new journey you undertake that has no end or destination - in some way it can become a new lens for how you see the world. Most want the destination - want being the operative word - see number 1 and 2 above If you can accept the journey without seeking a destination you then experience life in a different way. You can accept each situation/experience and make the best of them. The Stoics have a saying that relates to that - Amor Fati (love your fate). No matter what happens in your life, love it, it's your unique experience. I really like that, primarily because it's a fantastic approach to life - also because what is the alternative? The alternative in my mind is perpetual suffering, complaining, blaming, etc... - essentially being your own enemy. We all have the superpower of choice - we're constantly making choices each and everyday. Yet, we don't really have a framework for how to make those choices. The 4 Noble Truths provides a framework, a great framework really to help reign in your mind & allow it to see better choices for your life.

My personal favorite book for this subject is The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Hope that helps!

[master of puppets]

I don’t expertise the subject much in depth.

But just sure of one thing.

The rightful from unjust, the weak the strong, the oppressed/aggrieved from the cruel etc etc will get his right-claim in any time in any way.

I come to this point from “do good” “not do evil” concept at buddhism.

Upside notion is from Islam. (a hodja tell on tv)

I just combine them together.


another one thing for sure that ı will be more careful on rights (of others) !!!

however ı'm not a religious person; Buddhism force me drive into this when get contact with my faint past roots.

seems right to me;