Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

By Aazdak Alisimo

Every religion has their most sacred teachings - for example, the Ten Commandments in Judaism and Christianity - and one of these is the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism are perhaps the most important teachings within the religion. They are seen multiple times in the sacred texts of Buddhism, known as the Pali Canon - and they are among the truths that Buddha discovered during his journey of enlightenment. These truths are not supposed to be seen as being theoretical or just as ideas to go by, in fact, the Buddha states that the Four Noble Truths are actual, which is why they are called noble.

Most Buddhists see the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism as the way to Nirvana, and all sects of Buddhism hold them sacred. The Mahayana Buddhist sect does have a variation to the Four Noble Truths, but still holds them to be the word of Buddha and the path to enlightenment. The first Noble Truth is the Nature of Dukkha - All life is suffering. This Truth reflects on the nature of suffering and all of the contexts in which it is seen throughout life. Some people believe that a more accurate translation of this Truth is that "Life is full of suffering".

The second of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism is the Origin of Dukkha (Samudaya) - which translates to Suffering is caused by desire. Basically, this Truth states that our lives are filled with desire - sexual, desire for objects, for life, even for death. We suffer because we desire many things but we may not always get what we want. This leads to the third Noble Truth - the Cessation of Dukkha (Nirodha). This means To eliminate suffering, eliminate desire. This Truth relies on the fact that suffering can be eliminated, and that people can stop desiring all that they long for within the earthly realm.

The final of the Four Noble Truths is The Way Leading to the Cessation of Dukkha (Magga). This final Truth translates to the statement To eliminate desire, follow the Eightfold Path. Buddhists believe there is only one way to stop desire, and that is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism may be hard to understand at first, but once one undertakes the process of studying Buddhism and learning about this belief system, they will gain insight into how these Truths fit into life.

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