Buddhism for Beginners 4: The Four Noble Truths (Animated) - RKINA
Basic Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are
the Truth of Suffering,
Truth of Cause, Truth of Extinguishment,
and the Truth of the Path.
The first of the Four Noble Truths
is the Truth of Suffering.
This means that all things
in this world cause suffering
if we do not listen to
or if we forget the Buddhist teachings.
In other words,
pain is inevitable,
suffering is optional.
To acknowledge the real condition
of pain or suffering and see it through
without avoiding it
or meeting it only halfway
is the Truth of Suffering.
The Truth of Cause
means that we must reflect on
what causes and conditions have led us
to suffer, and then we can
deeply investigate them
to understand them clearly.
The investigation of the cause of
suffering is shown in the doctrines
of the Reality of All Existence,
Ten Suchnesses,
and the Twelve-linked Chain of Causation.
The original cause
of all suffering is ignorance
as seen in the Twelve-linked Chain
of Causation.
The Truth of Extinguishment
is a state of absolute quietude
we experience when our human sufferings
have been extinguished.
This state is attained when we awaken
to the Three Universal Truths.
All things are impermanent.
All things are devoid of self.
Nirvana is
tranquility.
These Three Truths, called the
Three Seals of the Dharma,
are so important that they form the
Three Fundamental Principles of Buddhism.
When we recognize
and let go of suffering caused by
physical, mental,
or emotional attachments,
we are able to then
recognize this physical world
as the land of eternally tranquil
light, referred to in
the Sutra of the Meditation of the
Bodhisattva Universal Wisdom
as the land of the Buddha Vairakkhana.
The Truth of
the Path is that by practicing
the teachings in our daily lives
we will realize these Great Truths.
We follow the Bodhisattva
Way with our minds, words,
and actions by practicing the
Eightfold Path and the Six Perfections.
The Truth of the Path
shows the way to a dynamic
state of harmony and balance,
of absolute peace and
quietude, which is attained
by practicing these teachings.
The Four Noble Truths teaches
us to
acknowledge and face the reality of human
pain and suffering, or the
truth of suffering, to grasp
its real source, or the
truth of cause, to
know there is a way to extinguish suffering,
the truth of extinguishment,
to practice the
Bodhisattva Way daily to remove the
suffering or the truth of the path.
The first step is to acknowledge
the suffering, which can be birth,
illness, aging, death,
and also spiritual, physical,
mental, economic, emotional
hardships.
The second step
is to investigate the specific
and deep cause of suffering,
based on the principles of the
Ten Suchnesses, Reality of
Existence, and the Twelve-linked Change
of Causation, or Dependent
Origination.
Truth of Extinguishment
The third step is knowing that there
is a tranquil state without suffering.
This is a state
attained only by awakening to the
Three Seals of the Dharma.
Truth of the Path
This is the method of practice for
extinguishing suffering.
The ordinary person cannot
easily realize the truth found
in the Three Seals of the Dharma.
It is necessary for
them to practice the Bodhisattva
Way with their mind,
body, and actions,
through the practice of the Eightfold
Path and the Six Perfections.
The Buddha said,
One thing only do I teach,
suffering and the
cessation of suffering,
the Four Noble Truths.
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