Four Noble Truths

Jeong-Gyoo Kim MT 2006
The Four Noble Truths
This portfolio surveys the Four Noble Truths, which has been the central topic in many
introductory books about the thought of Buddhism. It was known as the first discourse of
the Buddha after his enlightenment and has been regarded as the heart of the Buddha’s
teaching. At his first discourse, he claimed to have realised the perfect enlightenment. His
description of the enlightenment was that a vision of true knowledge with regard to things
not heard before arose in him and was fully clear regarding the Four Noble Truths.
Though the Four Noble Truths has been one of the most frequently mentioned topics on
Buddhist thought, the concept is not easy for some people including me to gain a proper
appreciation. In fact, it is often said that one can get enlightenment when he/she truly
understands and practices the Four Noble Truths. They are namely:
• The 1st : Dukkha, Suffering
• The 2nd : Samudaya, the arising of dukkha
• The 3rd : Nirodha, the cessation of dukkha
• The 4th: Magga, the way leading to the cessation of dukkha
I. The first Noble Truth, dukkha
It is most often translated as ‘suffering’ in English; also in other languages such as (old)
Chinese and Korean. The word dukkha has very broad meaning and its translation into
‘suffering’ does not sufficiently deliver its original meaning. When the first Noble Truth
is superficially interpreted as ‘Life is suffering’ in everyday English or (old) Chinese or
Korean, Buddhist thought may misleadingly seen to be extremely pessimistic (to people
like me in the past). Therefore, we reserve the original Pali word dukkha rather than using
‘suffering’ in this portfolio.
The most important conception of dukkha can be categorised into three aspects. Firstly,
anything unsatisfactory is dukkha. It includes ordinary suffering, such as, birth, age,
sickness, death, association with unpleasant persons, and separation from beloved ones.
Secondly, anything produced by change is dukkha; in this sense, happy feeling also
belongs to this category, since it is not permanent. Thirdly, anything which lacks essence
but is a conditioned state is dukkha, which completely rejected the ideas of the
Upanisads, the predominant philosophy of India at that time. The third concept requires
some analytical explanation of what we consider as a ‘being’, or as ‘I’.
According to the Buddha, a being is only a combination of ever-changing physical and
mental forces or energies, which may be divided into five groups of aggregates
(pancakkhandha).
1) Aggregate of Matter (rupakkhandha). It refers to what we would call material, or
physical, factors of experience. It includes not only our own bodies but also the material
objects that surround us; especially, our five material sense-organs, eye, ear, nose, tongue,
body; and their corresponding objects in the external world, visible forms, sound, odour,
taste, tangible things; and also some thoughts or ideas or conceptions.
2) Aggregate of Sensation (vedanakkhandha). All our sensations are included in this
group: pleasant or unpleasant or neutral, experience through the contact of physical and
mental organs with the external world. They are of six kinds corresponding to the six
senses: in common with all Indian philosophy, the mind (manas) is treated as a sixth
sense in Buddhism. All our physical and mental sensations are included in this group.
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Jeong-Gyoo Kim MT 2006
3) Aggregate of Perceptions (sannakkhandha). They are of six kinds, in relation to the six
internal faculties and the corresponding six external objects like sensations. They are
produced through the contact of our six faculties with the external world. It is the
perceptions that recognise objects whether physical or mental.
4) Aggregate of Mental Formations (samkharakkhandha). It includes all volition activities
both good and bad. What is generally known as kamma/karma comes under this group.
The Buddha’s definition of kamma is volition. Volition is mental construction and mental
activity.
5) Aggregate of Consciousness (vinnanakkhandha). Consciousness is a reaction or
response which has one of the six faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind) as its
basis, and one of the six corresponding external phenomena (visible forms, sound, odour,
taste, tangible things and mind-objects, i.e., an idea and thought) as its object.
Considering this analysis of a ‘being’, the existence as an ordinary human being is itself
ddukha since every segment of one’s life span is composed of events having at least one
of these aspects of dukkha. Therefore, the Buddha said: ‘in short these 5 aggregates of
attachment are dukkha’.
II. The origin of dukkha
The origin of dukkha is said to be thirst or craving, tanha. It is craving which produces
rebirth, companied by passionate clinging, and welcoming this and that. It is the craving
for sensual pleasure, craving for existence and becoming, and craving for non-existence
(self-annihilation). Craving occurs usually, but clearly not necessarily, from all sensory
experience, including mental experiences.
Thirst/craving is considered as the cause or origin of dukkha, which depends for its rising
on something else, which is sensation, and sensation arises depending on contact, and so
on and so forth goes on the circle which is known as Conditioned Genesis. So thirst is not
the first or the only cause of the arising of dukkha, but it is the most obvious and
immediate cause and principal thing. Thirst can be regarded as the emotional cause of
dukkha; on the other hand, the cognitive cause is ignorance or misconception. Ignorance
here means ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. In other words, it is not knowing things
as they truly are, or oneself as one really is. It clouds all right understanding.
These are the cause of arising dukkha, and this is found within the Aggregate of Mental
Formations. In the Buddhist theory of karma, it means only ‘volitional action’, not all
action which often misunderstood or inappropriately used. In Buddhist terminology
karma never means effect; its effect is known as the ‘fruit’ or ‘result’ of karma.
III. The cessation of dukkha
The cessation of dukkha is nirvana. Since dukkha results from thirst/craving, it follows
that if craving can be completely eliminated, dukkha will come to an end. To eliminate
dukkha completely, one has to eliminate the main root of dukkha: thirst/craving and
ignorance. Therefore, Nirvana is known also by the term tanhakkaya, ‘Extinction of
Thirst’.
However, the question of what is nirvana can never be answered completely and
satisfactorily in words since it can be understood upon having experienced it. A few
definitions and description of Nirvana found in Pali texts are: it is the complete cessation
of that ‘thirst’, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipation from it, and detachment from it.
That is the extinction of desire, the extinction of hatred, the extinction of illusion. The
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abandoning and destruction of thirst and craving for these five Aggregates of Attachment:
that is the cessation of dukkha.
Nirvana is understood as liberation, and is broadly speaking the result of letting go, letting
go the very forces of craving which power continued experiences of pleasure and
inevitably suffering throughout this life, death, rebirth, and redeath. It is the complete and
permanent cessation of all types of suffering, resulting from letting-go the forces of
craving and due to overcoming ignorance through seeing things the way they really are.
IV. The way to leading to the cessation of dukkha
The way is called the ‘eightfold path’. The path is described as the ‘middle path’ in the
Buddha’s early discourse in the sense that it is the middle path between two extremes:
devotion to the indulgence of sense-pleasure and devotion to the self-mortification. The
Buddha himself experienced both extremes and concluded that such asceticism could not
bring to liberation. The Buddha equally understood liberation in psychological terms, as
something to do with transforming the mind through correct understanding.
The Buddhist path is the overcoming of greed, hatred, and delusion through the
cultivation of their opposites: nonattachment, loving kindness, and wisdom or insight.
The way is composed of eight factors, namely: Right understanding/view, Right thought/
intention, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness,
and Right concentration.
All these should be developed simultaneously. These eight factors aim at promoting and
perfecting the three essentials of Buddhist training and discipline: (a) Ethical conduct is
built on the vast conception of universal love, and compassion for all living beings. Right
speech, right action and right livelihood are classed under morality. (b) Wisdom: right
view and right intention are classed under wisdom. (c) Mental discipline: the remaining
factors, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration, come under mental
discipline.
In all, the Buddha saw the problem of life correctly and analysed it. The Buddha’s
analysis of ‘life’ and his suggestion of how to live are formulated into the Four Noble
Truths, which often referred to a medical diagnosis. The Four Noble Truths state the
illness, the source of illness, the cure for the illness, and finally the way to lead to that
cure. Hence, in Buddhism, knowing/ understanding what I am and seeing things the way
they are exactly are very much emphasized. Then the knowing should be followed by
experiencing or practicing to get enlightened. Buddha’s teaching described in the Four
Noble Truth is liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom.
References:
R. Gombrich, Lecture, OUDCE, MT 2006.
W. Rahula, What the Buddha taught. Oneworld Publications, (including texts)1959.
P. Williams, Buddhist thought. Routledge, 2003.
R. Gethin, The foundations of Buddhism. Oxford University Press, 1998.
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