The Four Noble Truth Of Suffering
The Four Noble Truth told by Buddha and their meaning.
It has been said by the Buddha, the Enlightened One: It is through not understanding, not realizing four things that I, Disciples, as well as you, had to wander so long through this round of rebirths. And what are these four things? They are the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Extinction of Suffering (Pg.193 Pt.1) these are the four noble truth of Buddha. The first truth is the truth of suffering, and is it? Birth is suffering; Decay is suffering; Death is suffering; Sorrow, Lamentation, Pain, Grief, and Despair, are suffering; not to get what one desires, is suffering; in short: the Five Groups of Existence are suffering. (Pg. 194 Pt.2) What, now, is Birth? The birth of beings belonging to this or that order of beings, their being born, their conception and springing into existence, the manifestation of the groups of existence, the arising of sense activity-this is called Birth. (Pg. 194 Pt.2)The decay of beings belonging to this or that order of beings; their getting aged, frail, grey, and wrinkled; the failing of their vital force, the wearing out of the senses-this is called Decay. (Pg. 194 Pt.3)The parting and vanishing of beings out of this or that order of beings, their destruction, disappearance, death, the …show more content…
completion of their life-period, dissolution of the groups of existence, the discarding of the body-this is called Death. (Pg. 194 Pt.4)The sorrow arising through this or that loss or misfortune which one encounters, the worrying oneself, the state of being alarmed, inward sorrow, inward woe-this is called Sorrow. (Pg. 194 Pt.5)Whatsoever, through this or that loss or misfortune which befalls one, is the wail. And lament, wailing and lamenting, the state of woe and lamentation this is called Lamentation. (Pg. 194 Pt.6)The bodily pain and unpleasantness, the painful and unpleasant feeling produced by bodily contact-this is called Pain. (Pg. 194 Pt.7)The mental pain and unpleasantness, the painful and unpleasant feeling produced by mental contact-this is called Grief. (Pg. 194 Pt.8) And what is Despair? Distress and despair arising through this or that loss or misfortune which one encounters, distressfulness, and desperation-this is despair. (Pg. 194 Pt.9)And then in brief he later explains the five group of existence, they are Corporeality, Feeling, Perception, [mental] Formations, and Consciousness. Any corporeal phenomenon, whether one's own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, belongs to the Group of Corporeality; any feeling belongs to the Group of Feeling; any perception belongs to the Group of Perception; any mental formation belongs to the Group of Formations; all consciousness belongs to the Group of Consciousness. (Pg. 195 Pt.11) and then there are the three characteristics of existence, they are 12 All formations are ''transient"; all formations are "subject to suffering"; all things are "without an Ego-entity. (Pg. 195 Pt.12) and there three warning of ageing sickness and death. (Pg. 195 Pt.13), there is also the wheel of existence called samsara. It is explained in the following manner, Inconceivable is the beginning of this Samsara; not to be discovered is any first beginning of beings, who, obstructed by ignorance, and ensnared by craving, are hurrying and hastening through this round of rebirths. (Pg. 196 Pt.14)
The second truth, the noble truth of the origin of the suffering, it’s explained as Suffering? It is that craving which gives rise to fresh rebirth, and, bound up with pleasure and lust, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight. (Pg. 196 Pt.15) and then there are three folds of craving mentioned, there is “sensual craving”, “craving for eternal existence and the craving for self-annihilation”. These all the cravings arises and takes root, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind which are delightful and pleasurable, there these cravings arise and takes root. (Pg. 197 Pt.16) impelled by sensual craving these leads to sufferings quarrels between father and son, brother and brother, brother and sister, kings and kings etc., which can be called as heaping up of preset suffering. (Pg. 197 Pt.17) and there is inheritance of deeds (karma), he simplifies it as, for, owners of their deeds (karma) are the beings, heirs of their deeds; their deeds are the womb from which they sprang; with their deeds they are bound up; their deeds are their refuge. Whatever deeds they do-good or evil-of such they will be the heirs. And wherever the beings spring into existence, there their deeds will ripen; and wherever their deeds ripen, there they will earn the fruits of those deeds, be it in this life, or be it in the next life, or be it in any other future life. (Pg. 197 Pt.19)
The third truth it is the noble truth of the extinction of suffering. It is the complete fading away and Extinction of this craving, it’s forsaking and giving up, the liberation and detachment from it. But where may this craving vanish, where may it be extinguished? Wherever in the world there are delightful and pleasurable things, there this craving may vanish, there it may be extinguished. (Pg. 197-198 Pt.20). All these extinction phenomena are dependent on each other extinction of one leads to extinction of another. Through the total fading away and extinction of Craving, Clinging is extinguished; through the extinction of clinging, the Process of Becoming is extinguished; through the extinction of the (karmic) process of becoming, Rebirth is extinguished; and through the extinction of rebirth, Decay and Death, Sorrow, Lamentation, Suffering, Grief, and Despair, are extinguished. Thus comes about the extinction of this whole mass of suffering. Hence, the annihilation, cessation, and overcoming of corporeality, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, this is the extinction of suffering, the end of disease, the overcoming of old age and death. (Pg. 198 Pt.21) This leads to the highest state of peace and formation, which is called as nirvana. It is explained as; truly, is the Peace, this is the Highest, namely the end of all formations, the forsaking of every substratum of rebirth, the fading away of craving: detachment, extinction-Nirvana. The extinction of greed, the extinction of anger, the extinction of delusion: this, indeed, is called Nirvana. (Pg. 198 Pt.22) later the Arahat or the holy one is described who has attained this state. It’s the disciple who is freed he is the one who Steadfast is his mind, gained is deliverance. And he Who has considered all the contrasts on this earth, and is no more disturbed by anything whatever in the world, the Peaceful One, freed from rage, from sorrow, and from longing, he has passed beyond birth and decay. (Pg. 198 Pt.23) and later he says that there is escape from this world as there is unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, and unformed. It is called The Immutable, There is a realm, where there is neither the solid, nor the fluid, neither heat, nor motion, neither this world, nor any other world, neither sun, nor moon. This I call neither arising, nor passing away, neither standing still nor being born, nor dying. There is neither foothold, nor development, nor any basis. This is the end of suffering. (Pg. 199 Pt.24)
And the fourth truth which is the noble truth of the path that leads to the extinction of suffering.
It is briefly stated as “The Two Extremes and the Middle Path. To give one self-up to indulgence in sensual pleasure, the base, common, vulgar, unholy, unprofitable; and also to give oneself up to self-mortification, the painful, unholy, unprofitable: both these two extremes the Perfect One has avoided, and found out the Middle Path, which makes one both to see and to know, which leads to peace, to discernment, to enlightenment, to Nirvana.” (Pg. 199
Pt.25)
These were the four noble truth told by the Buddha and their meanings as stated in the text.
It has been said by the Buddha, the Enlightened One: It is through not understanding, not realizing four things that I, Disciples, as well as you, had to wander so long through this round of rebirths. And what are these four things? They are the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Extinction of Suffering (Pg.193 Pt.1) these are the four noble truth of Buddha. The first truth is the truth of suffering, and is it? Birth is suffering; Decay is suffering; Death is suffering; Sorrow, Lamentation, Pain, Grief, and Despair, are suffering; not to get what one desires, is suffering; in short: the Five Groups of Existence are suffering. (Pg. 194 Pt.2) What, now, is Birth? The birth of beings belonging to this or that order of beings, their being born, their conception and springing into existence, the manifestation of the groups of existence, the arising of sense activity-this is called Birth. (Pg. 194 Pt.2)The decay of beings belonging to this or that order of beings; their getting aged, frail, grey, and wrinkled; the failing of their vital force, the wearing out of the senses-this is called Decay. (Pg. 194 Pt.3)The parting and vanishing of beings out of this or that order of beings, their destruction, disappearance, death, the …show more content…
completion of their life-period, dissolution of the groups of existence, the discarding of the body-this is called Death. (Pg. 194 Pt.4)The sorrow arising through this or that loss or misfortune which one encounters, the worrying oneself, the state of being alarmed, inward sorrow, inward woe-this is called Sorrow. (Pg. 194 Pt.5)Whatsoever, through this or that loss or misfortune which befalls one, is the wail. And lament, wailing and lamenting, the state of woe and lamentation this is called Lamentation. (Pg. 194 Pt.6)The bodily pain and unpleasantness, the painful and unpleasant feeling produced by bodily contact-this is called Pain. (Pg. 194 Pt.7)The mental pain and unpleasantness, the painful and unpleasant feeling produced by mental contact-this is called Grief. (Pg. 194 Pt.8) And what is Despair? Distress and despair arising through this or that loss or misfortune which one encounters, distressfulness, and desperation-this is despair. (Pg. 194 Pt.9)And then in brief he later explains the five group of existence, they are Corporeality, Feeling, Perception, [mental] Formations, and Consciousness. Any corporeal phenomenon, whether one's own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, belongs to the Group of Corporeality; any feeling belongs to the Group of Feeling; any perception belongs to the Group of Perception; any mental formation belongs to the Group of Formations; all consciousness belongs to the Group of Consciousness. (Pg. 195 Pt.11) and then there are the three characteristics of existence, they are 12 All formations are ''transient"; all formations are "subject to suffering"; all things are "without an Ego-entity. (Pg. 195 Pt.12) and there three warning of ageing sickness and death. (Pg. 195 Pt.13), there is also the wheel of existence called samsara. It is explained in the following manner, Inconceivable is the beginning of this Samsara; not to be discovered is any first beginning of beings, who, obstructed by ignorance, and ensnared by craving, are hurrying and hastening through this round of rebirths. (Pg. 196 Pt.14)
The second truth, the noble truth of the origin of the suffering, it’s explained as Suffering? It is that craving which gives rise to fresh rebirth, and, bound up with pleasure and lust, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight. (Pg. 196 Pt.15) and then there are three folds of craving mentioned, there is “sensual craving”, “craving for eternal existence and the craving for self-annihilation”. These all the cravings arises and takes root, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind which are delightful and pleasurable, there these cravings arise and takes root. (Pg. 197 Pt.16) impelled by sensual craving these leads to sufferings quarrels between father and son, brother and brother, brother and sister, kings and kings etc., which can be called as heaping up of preset suffering. (Pg. 197 Pt.17) and there is inheritance of deeds (karma), he simplifies it as, for, owners of their deeds (karma) are the beings, heirs of their deeds; their deeds are the womb from which they sprang; with their deeds they are bound up; their deeds are their refuge. Whatever deeds they do-good or evil-of such they will be the heirs. And wherever the beings spring into existence, there their deeds will ripen; and wherever their deeds ripen, there they will earn the fruits of those deeds, be it in this life, or be it in the next life, or be it in any other future life. (Pg. 197 Pt.19)
The third truth it is the noble truth of the extinction of suffering. It is the complete fading away and Extinction of this craving, it’s forsaking and giving up, the liberation and detachment from it. But where may this craving vanish, where may it be extinguished? Wherever in the world there are delightful and pleasurable things, there this craving may vanish, there it may be extinguished. (Pg. 197-198 Pt.20). All these extinction phenomena are dependent on each other extinction of one leads to extinction of another. Through the total fading away and extinction of Craving, Clinging is extinguished; through the extinction of clinging, the Process of Becoming is extinguished; through the extinction of the (karmic) process of becoming, Rebirth is extinguished; and through the extinction of rebirth, Decay and Death, Sorrow, Lamentation, Suffering, Grief, and Despair, are extinguished. Thus comes about the extinction of this whole mass of suffering. Hence, the annihilation, cessation, and overcoming of corporeality, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, this is the extinction of suffering, the end of disease, the overcoming of old age and death. (Pg. 198 Pt.21) This leads to the highest state of peace and formation, which is called as nirvana. It is explained as; truly, is the Peace, this is the Highest, namely the end of all formations, the forsaking of every substratum of rebirth, the fading away of craving: detachment, extinction-Nirvana. The extinction of greed, the extinction of anger, the extinction of delusion: this, indeed, is called Nirvana. (Pg. 198 Pt.22) later the Arahat or the holy one is described who has attained this state. It’s the disciple who is freed he is the one who Steadfast is his mind, gained is deliverance. And he Who has considered all the contrasts on this earth, and is no more disturbed by anything whatever in the world, the Peaceful One, freed from rage, from sorrow, and from longing, he has passed beyond birth and decay. (Pg. 198 Pt.23) and later he says that there is escape from this world as there is unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, and unformed. It is called The Immutable, There is a realm, where there is neither the solid, nor the fluid, neither heat, nor motion, neither this world, nor any other world, neither sun, nor moon. This I call neither arising, nor passing away, neither standing still nor being born, nor dying. There is neither foothold, nor development, nor any basis. This is the end of suffering. (Pg. 199 Pt.24)
And the fourth truth which is the noble truth of the path that leads to the extinction of suffering.
It is briefly stated as “The Two Extremes and the Middle Path. To give one self-up to indulgence in sensual pleasure, the base, common, vulgar, unholy, unprofitable; and also to give oneself up to self-mortification, the painful, unholy, unprofitable: both these two extremes the Perfect One has avoided, and found out the Middle Path, which makes one both to see and to know, which leads to peace, to discernment, to enlightenment, to Nirvana.” (Pg. 199
Pt.25)
These were the four noble truth told by the Buddha and their meanings as stated in the text.