Four Fold Noble Truths

Basically - Every day life consists of stresses and unpleasant conditions, people and things or "suffering/sickness/dis-ease” in varying forms and degrees.

Potentially Suffering/stress exists in every moment of life.
They have an origin.
They have an end.
There is a way to end them.

The mechanism for ending or cessation is in the practice of self-discipline, concentration, and wisdom.

The first truth: in life there is suffering.
All human beings are subject to distress. Things most of the time do not manifest as we want them to. Suffering is inherent in everything within our existence; it may not reveal itself immediately… but its there.

It might seem negative for the Buddha to say that in life there is suffering.
The Buddha was a doctor of the mind and human condition; he diagnosed the fundamental problem to a contented life and declared it: Everyday unrealized life involves suffering.
As a doctor vows to heal the infirm, he determined that a cure exists, and prescribed the appropriate treatment: complete understanding and diligent pure practice.

Suffering can be defined in the context of this offering “as life never being completely satisfactory”. We feel some degree of physical or mental discomfort. Other times we all undergo genuine suffering. We undergo the experience of disease and illness. If we live long enough we will get old and worn out, various parts will quit, our bodies will fail us. And death knows where we are at all times…


The second truth: Suffering is caused.
This concept of “mine” leads to selfishness, which in turn results in our desirous clinging for what we do not posses or more of what we already have. Greed and anger arise because we are ignorant and do not know that desirous clinging leads to more desirous clinging.

The root of suffering is ignorance driven anger and greed with an unhealthy dose of fear as the catalyst. Ignorance is the lack of understanding that all things apprehend-able by our six senses are impermanent and void of an everlasting individual identity or permanence. Greed is craving or desirous clinging and attachment for material things and/or pleasant experiences as a necessity to “good” life.

Greed is a natural part of our unrealized being and its desirous clinging and attachments for things, people, life, the list is endless... This is so because we are ignorant/unaware, and in our unawareness we do not see things as they purely are. We do not truly understand that everyday unrealized life is wrought with the potential for suffering. Suffering/stress is what we think we need and covet, versus what is needed and right there in front of us.


Not getting what we want, we become annoyed. We lose what we have, we feel resentful. Sometimes we are unable to be with people we like, we become irritated or agitated. These are all varying forms or degrees of anger. Anger has its roots in the discriminatory and mistaken idea that “I am an individual” separate and distinct from others and the world, that we are self contained, we think what we know is what there is to know, that I need to protect my ideas and possessions; that I need to protect who I think I am as a individual separate entity in the world.

Ignorance/unawareness leads us to think in terms of gain or loss, plus and minus: that I need to protect what is mine, whether it is a thing, an idea etc… suffering/stress is caused by our own greed and anger that stems from our unawareness/ignorance. There is a way to end suffering/stress…


The third truth: Suffering can end. There is freedom from suffering/stress.
By eliminating selfishness, greed and attachments suffering ceases, and the state of a constant peace in mind and being is attained. In this state, there is no thought of “me” or “mine,” and there is no more greed, anger, and ignorance active in the immediate moment. There is peace, love, wisdom, and a level of happiness and contentment that is beyond words to fully describe.

The fourth truth: Eightfold path. Path leading to cessation of suffering/stress. Middle way.
The way to end suffering/stress is discipline, concentration, and wisdom.

Discipline - Ethical conduct - speech, action, livelihood
Concentration - Mental discipline - effort, attentiveness, concentration
Wisdom - Spiritual penetration - understanding, thought

Eight fold path

1. Complete or right view/understanding –This understanding or “penetration” is the highest wisdom that sees fundamental reality of all phenomena and noumenal in the mental and physical realms thus reflecting on them as they are. “Penetration is seeing into a thing, condition or being in its true essence and nature, without the function of label or name”. This penetration, view, understanding is manifested when the mind is free from discursive input based on dualistic conditioning and opinions – this penetration is developed more efficiently through sitting meditation.

2. Complete or right thought/mindedness/perceptions - Complete thought is derived from complete penetration/understanding, and thoughts initiated by this “penetration” reflecting selflessness, detachment, non-violence, un-conditioned love and the offering of these thoughts to all manifestations of the great emptiness/singular gradient/universe that is our bodies and life.

3. Complete or right speech/communication – Complete speech and communication means being aware of and abstaining from all forms of harmful and superfluous speech/communications. Utilize words/communications that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant, gentle, meaningful and useful to self and other. Communicate/speak at the right time and place, if something useful cannot be communicated then a penetrating silence focused on the moment should be diligently maintained. Complete communication/speech means abstaining from; lies, backbiting, slander and talk that manifests hatred, enmity, and disunity/disharmony among individuals or groups of people. Abstaining from harsh, rude, impolite, malicious, abusive language, gossip and useless babble.

4. Complete or right behavior/action – states that our actions bring about reactions, and so we should strive to be honorable and peaceful in conduct. We should endeavor to abstain from killing with mind and body, stealing, dishonest dealings, sexual intercourse based on ignorance of self and other. To help foster a peaceful and honorable way of life in others, through action and example with our life.

5. Complete or right livelihood – Means making or generating a living from activities that does not create harm to any being.

6. Complete or right effort – means to seek out, develop and refine complete and just states of mind and being inherently present in the human mind and condition with an energetic will and intention - to recognize and prevent/modulate self-serving states of mind. To cause to raise complete compassionate states of mind not yet manifested.

7. Complete or right mindfulness, attentiveness – Is diligent attention, awareness and mindfulness applied to the activities of the body, mind and being – constantly strive to be intimately aware and attentive to things, concepts, thoughts, sensations and feelings.

8. Complete or right concentration – This is mental discipline utilizing unwavering mental focus for an extended period of time in the eternal moment – sitting meditation is the entrance to these realms.

These are the complete or right truths of the noble way/path to the cessation of personal stress/suffering in the moment – this is the goal of the “eightfold path” it is the only thing “the great compassionate awakened being” realized and champions.