Buddha’s Four ‘Noble’ Truths
OKEY IKECHUKWU
EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS
EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS
The man spoke of how life can be, and actually is, full of ups and downs. He mumbled something about how what gives you joy at one time could cause you great distress a moment later. Then the discussion turned to how life sometimes forces people to learn to distinguish between pleasure and happiness. The discussion even went further to dwell on how people learn, over time and through all manner of experiences, that some painful things happen as part of what people need on their path to maturity – as designed by Providence. Then the man spoke of the wisdom of he who said “All is vanity and a chase after the wind.”
Without any warning, or preambles, he drifted on to how the same basic outlook is captured in many religions and philosophical postulations. Buddhism, for instance, was described as a much misunderstood teaching that is easily maligned by traditional religionists mostly of the Western tradition, by him. He said: “Buddha’s four noble truths capture the very fundamental root of Buddhism, as well as lessons that could make the life of many people far less complicated than it is today.” He related how Buddha’s Four Noble Truths expose the causes of human trouble; reveal the cure for all troubles through a Noble Eightfold Path, and how it all eventually leads to sound human relations.
The man spoke of how those who lead, those who preach, those who seek the path to enlightenment and everyone who wants to be truly human must first remove all ego and pride and be willing to accept the truth in all humility as it dawned on them. He spoke of how all the treasures of this world, all its gold, silver and honours, are nothing when compared with wisdom, virtue and eternal life. Smiling with a distant air, he said that anyone who could control his feelings and always seek truth and objectivity in life would eventually find all wisdom. The virtues will also naturally come.
It is in the same way that treasures are discovered, cleaned and polished until they shine that virtue is born of consistent and sincere good deeds - the same way that wisdom comes not from learning but from understanding and the insights of the spirit. That is why, all through the ages, only the wise have been able to walk safely through this maze called life.
Reminded that the world speaks of Siddartha Guatama today as the Buddha when in fact there were several Buddhas, he asked to know about these. There was Rahula, Gautama Gautama others ‘enlightened ones’. They all helped their people in their own ways, but Siddartha was not the greatest of them all. The teachings contain much that is good, once the newfound emphasis on the misconstruals about their supposedly mystical ingredients are removed.
A close look at the first noble truth, for instance, shows that it is actually the realisation that life presents us with many unreal and impermanent things. It is a world of illusion, or maya, which many people stubbornly hold unto; to their peril and regret. The impermanence of things and the problem of trying to be in total control of things always brings worries, pains or ‘suffering’. This is dukkha: the discontent and frustration that accompanies the challenge presented by the basic facts of just being human.
Everyone, irrespective of the level of education, wealth, talents, level of intelligence, etc., all face birth, the troubles of growing up, sickness and recovery, good and bad seasons, fear of the unknown, unkind, envious or wicked neighbours and much more. How they manage these experiences and situations make statements about who and what they really are.
But knowing that life is suffering is not enough. Knowledge of the cause(s) of suffering is also a step forward towards faring better. Thus came the second ‘noble’ truth, namely that the cause of suffering is actually nothing more than our desires and aspirations that are driven mostly by ignorance. Taken to a higher level, it is our fundamental ignorance of the nature of reality that makes us set peculiar goals and seek permanence in an impermanent world. It is this desire to pull off, hold and keep chunks of what is to ourselves, apart from the rest of life, and seek fulfilment for the separated self that is behind much of our individual and collective misfortunes as human beings. It is the desperate attempt to ensure that we pin down and ‘own’ part of the flux of life, at the expense of all other forms of life and unions, that causes frustration, suffering, a life of hurried and harried goals and claims.
But to end suffering is actually to drop all wrong desires and aspirations. That is why the person who is released from the narrow tunnels of self-interest and ignorant presumption can speak of ‘freedom’ – even if he is in a physical prison. The way to overcome wrong desires is to substitute the personal wants with higher human and spiritual values. For the Buddhist, it is to follow the Eightfold Path to true humanity.
This means having the right understanding, which leads to wisdom. This must be accompanied by the right aspiration, which inclines man to spirituality. Right aspiration must manifest in right speech, leading to Truth. It is this later that accompanies the type of right behaviour that leads man to his Maker, creating good will and leading to a life of sharing being open to the currents of the universe. With this will come the right effort that leads to the highest and most ennobling outcomes, along with the right mindfulness that leads to purposeful living.
It is then and with these, and only then, than man can actually think and speak of being rightly absorbed in that natural disposition that leads a sense of harmony with the greater reality of being.
It is with these simple words that the discussion with the old man went on for hours, at the airport. In these words and exchanges can be found a path to inner peace. With them some light is shone on matters that ordinarily seem very difficult to understand. It can all be summed up by saying that all life contains some element of distress, anxiety, suffering or lack of satisfaction. The person who finds out the cause of suffering is better than one who knows that there is suffering but does not know its cause. So is one who knows that suffering can be stopped better than the one who merely knows of suffering and what causes it. To possess the four noble truths is to know how to end suffering, in addition to knowing that it exists, what causes it and that it can be stopped. To possess the four noble truths, therefore, is to know the truth of dukkha, the truth of the origin of dukkha, the truth of the cessation of dukkha, as well as the truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha
Yes, the first noble truth explains the physical and mental suffering associated with birth, growing up and growing old, sickness, death, etc. Then there is the frustration arising from our trying to hold onto things that are constantly changing. It is because all forms are changing and impermanent that we cannot find satisfaction in anything in this world. This recognition can only lead to realistic, practical and more rational assessment of the human condition. It should lead to a life lived with greater realism: a life that accepts the inevitability of sufferings, disappointments, illness, aging, and death and which therefore takes the hereafter with ‘incredible’ seriousness.
If, according to the second noble truth, suffering is caused by desire, or ‘craving’ then the person without any cravings will suffer no emotional disturbance. At a deeper level, the root cause of suffering and some forms of disappointment is actually ignorance about the true nature of things. With the third noble truth talking the possibility of complete cessation of suffering and the fourth noble truth showing the path to the end of suffering.
Thus there is the ordinary suffering, or the obvious physical and mental suffering associated with birth, illness, dying, etc. Then there is the suffering and frustration people feel because of change; - the anxiety or stress of trying to hold onto things that are constantly changing. With this comes a lack of satisfaction accompanied by a sense that things never measure up to our expectations or standards. Craving for sense-pleasure goes with a desire for objects which provide pleasant feeling
But is all boils down to ignorance, or a misunderstanding of the nature of reality; bewilderment. This brings attachment to pleasurable experiences and transient things. But the person who has developed a genuine understanding of the causes of suffering, such as craving and ignorance can easily completely eradicate these causes and thus be free from suffering. Thus, the eight items of the path are not to be understood as stages, in which each stage is completed before moving on to the next. Rather, they are to be understood as eight significant dimensions of one’s behaviour—mental, spoken, and bodily—that operate in dependence on one another. It is when they are taken together that they define the complete person and his/her way of living.
As we were about to part ways, I told the man that he was on the very doorstep of the highest recognitions. Yes, the ultimate truth is still more than all that we discussed at the airport.
The man spoke of how those who lead, those who preach, those who seek the path to enlightenment and everyone who wants to be truly human must first remove all ego and pride and be willing to accept the truth in all humility as it dawned on them. He spoke of how all the treasures of this world, all its gold, silver and honours, are nothing when compared with wisdom, virtue and eternal life. Smiling with a distant air, he said that anyone who could control his feelings and always seek truth and objectivity in life would eventually find all wisdom. The virtues will also naturally come.
It is in the same way that treasures are discovered, cleaned and polished until they shine that virtue is born of consistent and sincere good deeds - the same way that wisdom comes not from learning but from understanding and the insights of the spirit. That is why, all through the ages, only the wise have been able to walk safely through this maze called life.
Reminded that the world speaks of Siddartha Guatama today as the Buddha when in fact there were several Buddhas, he asked to know about these. There was Rahula, Gautama Gautama others ‘enlightened ones’. They all helped their people in their own ways, but Siddartha was not the greatest of them all. The teachings contain much that is good, once the newfound emphasis on the misconstruals about their supposedly mystical ingredients are removed.
A close look at the first noble truth, for instance, shows that it is actually the realisation that life presents us with many unreal and impermanent things. It is a world of illusion, or maya, which many people stubbornly hold unto; to their peril and regret. The impermanence of things and the problem of trying to be in total control of things always brings worries, pains or ‘suffering’. This is dukkha: the discontent and frustration that accompanies the challenge presented by the basic facts of just being human.
Everyone, irrespective of the level of education, wealth, talents, level of intelligence, etc., all face birth, the troubles of growing up, sickness and recovery, good and bad seasons, fear of the unknown, unkind, envious or wicked neighbours and much more. How they manage these experiences and situations make statements about who and what they really are.
But knowing that life is suffering is not enough. Knowledge of the cause(s) of suffering is also a step forward towards faring better. Thus came the second ‘noble’ truth, namely that the cause of suffering is actually nothing more than our desires and aspirations that are driven mostly by ignorance. Taken to a higher level, it is our fundamental ignorance of the nature of reality that makes us set peculiar goals and seek permanence in an impermanent world. It is this desire to pull off, hold and keep chunks of what is to ourselves, apart from the rest of life, and seek fulfilment for the separated self that is behind much of our individual and collective misfortunes as human beings. It is the desperate attempt to ensure that we pin down and ‘own’ part of the flux of life, at the expense of all other forms of life and unions, that causes frustration, suffering, a life of hurried and harried goals and claims.
But to end suffering is actually to drop all wrong desires and aspirations. That is why the person who is released from the narrow tunnels of self-interest and ignorant presumption can speak of ‘freedom’ – even if he is in a physical prison. The way to overcome wrong desires is to substitute the personal wants with higher human and spiritual values. For the Buddhist, it is to follow the Eightfold Path to true humanity.
This means having the right understanding, which leads to wisdom. This must be accompanied by the right aspiration, which inclines man to spirituality. Right aspiration must manifest in right speech, leading to Truth. It is this later that accompanies the type of right behaviour that leads man to his Maker, creating good will and leading to a life of sharing being open to the currents of the universe. With this will come the right effort that leads to the highest and most ennobling outcomes, along with the right mindfulness that leads to purposeful living.
It is then and with these, and only then, than man can actually think and speak of being rightly absorbed in that natural disposition that leads a sense of harmony with the greater reality of being.
It is with these simple words that the discussion with the old man went on for hours, at the airport. In these words and exchanges can be found a path to inner peace. With them some light is shone on matters that ordinarily seem very difficult to understand. It can all be summed up by saying that all life contains some element of distress, anxiety, suffering or lack of satisfaction. The person who finds out the cause of suffering is better than one who knows that there is suffering but does not know its cause. So is one who knows that suffering can be stopped better than the one who merely knows of suffering and what causes it. To possess the four noble truths is to know how to end suffering, in addition to knowing that it exists, what causes it and that it can be stopped. To possess the four noble truths, therefore, is to know the truth of dukkha, the truth of the origin of dukkha, the truth of the cessation of dukkha, as well as the truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha
Yes, the first noble truth explains the physical and mental suffering associated with birth, growing up and growing old, sickness, death, etc. Then there is the frustration arising from our trying to hold onto things that are constantly changing. It is because all forms are changing and impermanent that we cannot find satisfaction in anything in this world. This recognition can only lead to realistic, practical and more rational assessment of the human condition. It should lead to a life lived with greater realism: a life that accepts the inevitability of sufferings, disappointments, illness, aging, and death and which therefore takes the hereafter with ‘incredible’ seriousness.
If, according to the second noble truth, suffering is caused by desire, or ‘craving’ then the person without any cravings will suffer no emotional disturbance. At a deeper level, the root cause of suffering and some forms of disappointment is actually ignorance about the true nature of things. With the third noble truth talking the possibility of complete cessation of suffering and the fourth noble truth showing the path to the end of suffering.
Thus there is the ordinary suffering, or the obvious physical and mental suffering associated with birth, illness, dying, etc. Then there is the suffering and frustration people feel because of change; - the anxiety or stress of trying to hold onto things that are constantly changing. With this comes a lack of satisfaction accompanied by a sense that things never measure up to our expectations or standards. Craving for sense-pleasure goes with a desire for objects which provide pleasant feeling
But is all boils down to ignorance, or a misunderstanding of the nature of reality; bewilderment. This brings attachment to pleasurable experiences and transient things. But the person who has developed a genuine understanding of the causes of suffering, such as craving and ignorance can easily completely eradicate these causes and thus be free from suffering. Thus, the eight items of the path are not to be understood as stages, in which each stage is completed before moving on to the next. Rather, they are to be understood as eight significant dimensions of one’s behaviour—mental, spoken, and bodily—that operate in dependence on one another. It is when they are taken together that they define the complete person and his/her way of living.
As we were about to part ways, I told the man that he was on the very doorstep of the highest recognitions. Yes, the ultimate truth is still more than all that we discussed at the airport.
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