What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
Q: What are the main teachings of the Buddha?
A: All of the many teachings of the Buddha centre on the four Noble Truths just as the
rim and spokes of a wheel centre on the hub. They are called 'Four' because there are four of
them. They are called 'Noble' because they ennoble one who understands them and they are call
ed 'Truths' because, corresponding with reality, they are true.
Q: What is the First Noble Truth?
A: The first Noble Truth is that life is suffering. To live, you must suffer. It is
impossible to live without experiencing some kind of suffering. We have to endure physical
suffering like sickness, injury, tiredness, old age and eventually death and we have to
endure psychological suffering like loneliness, frustrations, fear, embarrassment,
disappointment, anger, etc.
Q: Isn't this a bit pessimistic?
A: The dictionary defines pessimism as 'the habit of thinking that whatever will happen
will be bad,' or 'The belief that evil is more powerful than good.' Buddhism teaches neither
of these ideas. Nor does it deny that happiness exists. It simply says that to live is to
experience physical and psychological suffering which is a statement so true and so obvious
that it cannot be denied. Buddhism starts with an experience, an irrefutable fact, a thing
that all now, that all have experienced and that all are striving to overcome. Thus,
Buddhism goes right to the core of every individual human beings' concern - suffering and
how to avoid it.
Q: What is the Second Noble Truth?
A: The Second Noble Truth is that all suffering is caused by craving. When we look at
psychological suffering, it is easy to see how it is caused by craving. When we want
something but are unable to get it, we feel frustrated. When we expect someone to live up to
our expectation and they do not, we feel let down and disappointed. When we want others to
like us and they don't, we feel hurt. Even when we want something and are able to get it,
this does not often lead to happiness either because it is not long before we feel bored
with thing, lose interest in it and commence to want something else. Put simply, the Second
Noble Truth says that getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than
constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us
of contentment and happiness.
Q: But do wanting and craving lead to physical suffering?
A: A lifetime wanting and craving for this and that and especially the craving to
continue exist creates a powerful energy that causes the individual to be reborn. When we
are reborn, we have a body and, as we said before, the body is susceptible to injury and
disease; it can be exhausted by work; it ages and eventually dies. Thus, craving leads to
physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.
Q: That's all very well. But if we stopped wanting altogether, we would never get or
achieve anything.
A: True. But what the Buddha says is that when one desires, our craving, our constant
discontent with what we have, and our continual longing for more and more does cause us
suffering, then we should stop doing it. He asked us to make a difference between what we
need and what we want and to strive for our needs and modify our wants. He taught us that
our needs can be fulfilled but that our wants are endless - a bottomless pit. There are
needs that are essential, fundamental and that can be obtained and we should work towards
this. Desires beyond this should be gradually lessened. After all, what is the purpose of
life? To get or to be content and happy.
Q: You have talked about rebirth, but is there any proof that such a thing happens?
A: There is ample evidence that such thing happens, but we will look at this in more
detail later on.
Q: What is the Third Noble Truth?
A: The Third Noble Truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness attained. This
is perhaps the most important of the Four Noble Truth. because in it the Buddha reassured us
that true happiness and contentment are possible. When we give up useless craving and learn
to live each day at a time, enjoying without restless wanting the experiences that life
offers us, patiently enduring the problems that life involves without fear, hatred and anger,
then we become happy and free. Then, and only then, do we being able to live fully. Because
we are no longer obsessed with satisfying our own selfish wants, we find we have so much time
to help others fulfil their needs. This state is called Nirvana. We are free from all
psychological suffering as well. This is called Final Nirvana.
Q: What or where is Nirvana?
A: It is a dimension transcending time and space and thus is difficult to talk about or
even think about. Words and thoughts being only suited to describe the time-space dimension.
But because Nirvana is beyond time, there is no movement and so no aging or dying. Thus
Nirvana is eternal. Because it is beyond space, there is no causation, no boundary, no
concept of self and not-self and thus Nirvana is infinite. The Buddha also assured us that
Nirvana is an experience of great happiness. He said:
Nirvana is the highest happiness.
Dp 204
Q: But is there any proof that such dimension exists?
A: No, there is not. But its existence can be inferred. If there is a dimension where
time and space do operate and there is such dimension - the world we experience, then we can
infer that there is a dimension where time and space do not operate - Nirvana. Again, even
though we cannot prove Nirvana exists, we have the Buddha's word that it does exist. He
told us:
"There is an Unborn, a Not-become, a Not-made, a Not- compounded.
If there were not, this Unborn, Not-become, Not-made, Not-compounded,
there could not be made any escape from what is born,
become, made, and compounded.
But since there is this Unborn, Not-become, Not-made, Not-compounded,
therefore is there made known an escape from what is born, become,
made, and compounded."
Ud 80
Q: What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
A: The Fourth Noble Truth is the Path leading to the overcoming of suffering. This path
is called the Noble Eightfold Path and consists of Perfect Understanding, Perfect Thought,
Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness and
Perfect Concentration. Buddhist practice consists of practising these eight things until
they become more complete. You will notice that the steps on the Noble Eightfold Path cover
every aspect of life: the intellectual, the ethical, the social and economic and the
psychological and therefore contain everything a person needs to lead a good life and to
develop spiritually.