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THE
4 NOBLE
TRUTHS
The Four Noble
Truths 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.
1. Dukkha: All
worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, suffering.
2.
Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire
(tanha).
3. Nirodha: There is a way out of suffering,
which is to eliminate attachment and desire.
4. Marga: The path
that leads out of suffering is 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 NOBLE 8-FOLD PATH
The Noble
Eightfold Path, according to Buddhism and as taught by Gautama Buddha,
is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble
Truths. It is summarized into three important categories: wisdom,
virtue, and concentration.
The following is An
Analysis of the Path, a sutra or discourse delivered by Gautama Buddha,
who uses the word "right" (samm) to carry the sense of "perfect" or
"ideal".
Wisdom (pañña)
1. Right
Understanding (or Right View, or Right
Perspective) "And what, monks, is right
understanding? Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the
origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress,
knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress:
This, monks, is called right understanding.
2. Right
Thought (or Right Intention, or Right
Resolve) "And what is right thought? Being
resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: This is
called right thought.
Virtue (sila)
3. Right
Speech "And what is right speech? Abstaining
from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech,
abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech.
4. Right
Action "And what, monks, is right action?
Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from
unchastity: This, monks, is called right action.
5. Right
Livelihood "And what, monks, is right
livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having
abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood:
This, monks, is called right livelihood.
Concentration (samadhi)
6. Right
Effort (or Right Endeavour) "And
what, monks, is right effort? (i) There is the case where
a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts
his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that
have not yet arisen. (ii) He generates desire, endeavors,
activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the
abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen.
(iii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates
persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of
skillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (iv) He
generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his
intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development,
& culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This, monks, is
called right effort.
7. Right
Mindfulness "And what, monks, is right
mindfulness? (i) There is the case where a monk remains
focused on the body in & of itself -- ardent, aware, & mindful --
putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.
(ii) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves
-- ardent, aware, & mindful -- putting away greed & distress with
reference to the world. (iii) He remains focused on the
mind in & of itself -- ardent, aware, & mindful -- putting away greed
& distress with reference to the world. (iv) He
remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves -- ardent, aware,
& mindful -- putting away greed & distress with reference to the world.
This, monks, is called right mindfulness.
8. Right
Concentration "And what, monks, is right
concentration? (i) There is the case where a monk -- quite
withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities --
enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from
withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
(ii) With the stilling of directed thought &
evaluation, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure
born of concentration, one-pointedness of awareness free from directed thought
& evaluation -- internal assurance. (iii) With the
fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, mindful & fully aware, and
physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters & remains in the third jhana,
of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a
pleasurable abiding.' (iv) With the abandoning of pleasure
& pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress -- he
enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity &
mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This, monks, is called right
concentration."