The Four Noble Truths
Many Buddhists consider the The truths discovered by the Buddha during his enlightenment. to be the main elements of the teachings of the The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one.. The Four Noble Truths are:
| Noble Truth | Buddhist word | Meaning |
| The truth of suffering | Dukkha | Accepting that all life is impermanent and imperfect, and that it involves suffering (frustration or dissatisfaction). |
| The truth of the origin of suffering | Samudaya | Knowing that there are things in life that cause suffering, for example desire, which is the need for things to be a certain way. |
| The truth of the end of suffering | Nirodha | Understanding that suffering can be ended if we detach ourselves from craving and desire. |
| The truth of the path to the end of suffering | Magga | Knowing that there is a way to end suffering: the Noble Eightfold Path. |
| Noble Truth | The truth of suffering |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Dukkha |
| Meaning | Accepting that all life is impermanent and imperfect, and that it involves suffering (frustration or dissatisfaction). |
| Noble Truth | The truth of the origin of suffering |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Samudaya |
| Meaning | Knowing that there are things in life that cause suffering, for example desire, which is the need for things to be a certain way. |
| Noble Truth | The truth of the end of suffering |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Nirodha |
| Meaning | Understanding that suffering can be ended if we detach ourselves from craving and desire. |
| Noble Truth | The truth of the path to the end of suffering |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Magga |
| Meaning | Knowing that there is a way to end suffering: the Noble Eightfold Path. |
Many Buddhists believe that everything is the result of existing conditions (in other words, everything comes from something else). Therefore, something must cause suffering to exist and if the cause of suffering is removed, then the suffering will be stopped.
Buddhists believe that by working through the Four Noble Truths they can end suffering. The Buddha taught that the Buddhist practises that can lead to the end of suffering and the cycle of rebirth: right views, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation. (magga), which is the fourth Noble Truth, is the way to end suffering. If a Buddhist can understand suffering and accept that it is possible to stop it, then they can look for the way to end it. This takes work and is not easy. However, by following the teachings of the Buddha, a Buddhist can ‘blow out’ (like a candle) the These are the ultimate causes of suffering in Buddhism: greed, ignorance and hatred. of greed, hatred and ignorance (the three things that perpetuate human suffering). In other words, when we let go of the destruction that craving causes, we allow our minds to be freed from unhappiness. This makes it possible to reach enlightenment.