The Four Noble Truths – Part One The Human Condition The Four Noble Truths – Part One

The Four Noble Truths These are the basis of all Buddhist teaching These were alluded to in the Buddha’s first sermon (The Sermon at Benares) Buddhists use a doctor analogy to explain them: The Buddha is the doctor who makes the diagnosis that something is ‘wrong’ – Dukkha The diagnosis of the cause of the illness is craving (tanha) – Samudaya There is a cure; it is to achieve nibbana – Nirodha The prescription is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path - Magga

The First Noble Truth - Dukkha Also one of the Three Universal Truths / Marks of Existence Means ‘unsatisfactoriness’ Idea that suffering is everywhere all the time – even if we think we are happy! Caused by failure to understand anicca

Second Noble Truth - Samudaya The cause of dukkha (the actual illness) is tanha (craving) Because you do not understand anicca, you crave permanence and possessions You want relationships to always be good, you want to never be ill, you always want money and possessions thinking they’ll make you happy forever, etc. This is also a link with the Three Mental Poisons (or Three Fires): Greed, Hatred and Ignorance All this craving makes you suffer: tanha causes dukkha This is the Second Noble Truth of Samudaya See Dhammapada 334-342 (Cravings)