Four Noble Truths
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The Four Noble Truths (Pali, "cattari ariya saccani") are taught in Buddhism as the fundamental insight or enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha), which led to the formulation of the Buddhist philosophy.
- Dukkha: There is suffering and impermanence in life for all beings.
- Samudaya: There is a cause for Dukkha, which is attachment and desire (tanha).
- Nirodha: There is a way out of Dukkha, which is to eliminate attachment and desire.
- Magga: There is a path that leads out of Dukkha, called the Noble Eightfold Path.
This outline form is exactly that used by doctors of the Buddha's culture when diagnosing and prescribing for a disease: identify the disease, its cause, whether it is curable, and the prescribed cure. Thus the Buddha treats suffering as a "disease" we can confidently expect to cure.
Because of its focus on suffering, Buddhism is often called pessimistic. But since Gautama Buddha presented a cure, Buddhists consider it neither pessimistic nor optimistic but realistic.
The Four Noble Truths was the topic of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment. He gave the sermon to the ascetics with whom he had practiced austerities.
See also
External links
- At Access to Insight:
- The Four Noble Truths: A Study Guide (by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
- Wings to Awakening Section 3.H.i: The Four Noble Truths (translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
- Talks given by Ajahn Sumedho:
- At Amaravati Monastery's web: The Four Noble Truths
- PDF version at Buddhanet.net: The Four Noble Truths eBook
- Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (log in as "guest")
- A View on the Four Noble Truths
- The Light of Asia (Book Eight), a poem in iambic pentameter by Sir Edwin Arnold.
- 4 noble truths in pali
- Buddhism - the Four Noble Truths
- Hundreds of free buddhist talks and huge forum.
- The Four Noble Truths, a BuddhaNet production by Ajahn Sumedho.
- The Feeling Buddha: An alternate interpretation of the Four Noble Truths.
- DharmaWeb.org