The Four Noble Truths
Introduction
The Buddha's recorded teachings are numerous, but all these diverse
teachings fit together into a singlly unifying frame, the teaching of the Four
Noble Truths. The Buddha compared the Four Noble Truths to the footprints
of an elephant, just as the footprint of an elephant can contain the footprints
of any other animals. Therefore, all the Buddha's different teachings are fit
for the single framework of the Four Noble Truths.
The Buddha makes it clear that the rcahzatron of the Four Noble Truths
coincides with the attainment of enlightenment itself. He says that when
a Buddha appears in the world there is a teaching of the Four Noble Truths.
So, the special purpose of the enlightenment is to make known the Four
Noble Truths and the special aim of those treading the path to enlightenment
is to see for themselves the Four Noble Truths.
3.1 The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble truths, 'Cattari-ariyasaccani' , (in Pali) is the heart of
the Buddha's teaching which He expounded in His very first sermon to His
old colleagues, the five ascetics, at Isipatana migadayavata(modem Sarnath)
near Benares. In this sermon, as we have it in the original texts, the four
Truths are given briefly, but there are innumerable places in the early Buddhist
scriptures in which they are explained again and again, in greater detail and
in different ways. If we study the Four Noble Truths with the help of
thesereferences and explanations, we can get fairly good and accurate account
of the Budha's essential teachings according to the original texts.The Four
Noble Truths are:
1. Dukkha, suffering.
2. Samudaya, the origin of suffering.
3 . Nirodha, the cessation of suffering .
4. Magga, the path leading to the cessation of suffering.
They are called Noble Truths, because
each of such truths is supreme;
each of such truths is the ultimate truth;
each of such truths is unassailable;
each of such truths remains unchanged.
The Buddha declared that in the reahzatron of the Four Noble Truths.
there arose in Him the eye of wisdom to see things as they really are, the supreme knowledge and the light dispelling the darkness of ignorance which culminated in the attainment of full and perfect enlightenment-