The first and most profound teachings of the Buddha were the Four Noble Truths. I would like to write about them as I understand them, and relate them to this quest of mine. But first, a couple of notes:
*I'm not sure how these got translated as "Four Noble Truths". This seems a bit pretentious, and of all the things the Buddha likely was not, pretentious is certainly one of them. "Four Foundational Statements" is probably more accurate, though, you must admit, not nearly as sexy.
*If you are not already familiar with the dharmic tendency to making numbered lists, it's worth warning you of this proclivity, if only because within the Four Noble Truths there is nested another numbered list. I have both an attraction and repulsion to such a structured set-up (I am a bit compulsive, but at the same time the numbered lists feel a bit too much like homework). Historians are not entirely in agreement that these numerical lists were used for ease of memorization, since the teachings of the Buddha were an oral tradition for approximately the first 1,000 years of their existence, but this explanation certainly makes sense. I only mention this so all the numbers don't put you off. In any case....
The first noble truth is, "There is suffering". It is unfortunate that people who know just a little bit about Buddhism know that this is what the Buddha said, because unless you know the rest of the story, this can seem rather discouraging, as if the Buddha were one big, cosmic Debbie Downer. But that is not what he intended at all; in fact, what he said was that he had come to teach suffering and the end of suffering.
When the Buddha said that there was suffering, he was not prescribing suffering but describing life as it is. And he was correct, wasn't he? If you have experienced life without suffering then you are indeed a magical being and certainly need not read further. Quite often the objection to this idea that there is suffering is that suffering is considered bad, and it is therefore discouraging or in bad taste to say so. But, once again, the Buddha was merely stating a fact out of his experience.
The second noble truth describes the nature of suffering, what brings it about. The real breakthrough the Buddha made was to do something other than throw up his hands in response to the fact of suffering. Instead, he determined that suffering must have an end. As he looked deeper (through meditation) into the causes of suffering and the conditions that brought them about, it became clear to him that in every situation we have one of three responses: clinging, rejecting, or ignoring. When we think back to our threatened mind and the constant vigilance I described earlier as the birthright from our ancient ancestors, these responses make a great deal of sense. We might even call them "pleasure, threat, and neither".
Sylvia Boorstein, another wonderful Buddhist teacher, coined the term "unappeasable need" to describe the second noble truth. If we are hoping to find non-stop pleasure that never wanes, avoid everything unpleasant, and ignore everything else, it is clear that these perceived needs will never be met. Yet it is has never been clearer than it is right now that this is precisely what we seek. We ask to be constantly entertained and have little patience for that which is a struggle or involves hard work. Closer to home for this blog, many of us are involved in an attempt to feed hungers that can never be assuaged with food.
The third noble truth is perhaps the greatest promise that has ever been made. The Buddha stated bluntly that "an end to this suffering is possible". This endless round of resisting the bad and trying to make the good stick around (and considering the rest beneath our notice) could be halted. This was not theoretical on his part; this is something he discovered to be true. I have, too. But the reason he was a buddha and I am not is because he found a way to do this for all time, to reach a literal end of suffering, whereas I have only had glimpses of it. But I believe with every fiber of my being that these glimpses accrete over time and that the end of suffering can be a stepwise progression and can always be advanced further.
The fourth noble truth details how this can be done. Tomorrow's post will deal entirely with this truth.
*I'm not sure how these got translated as "Four Noble Truths". This seems a bit pretentious, and of all the things the Buddha likely was not, pretentious is certainly one of them. "Four Foundational Statements" is probably more accurate, though, you must admit, not nearly as sexy.
*If you are not already familiar with the dharmic tendency to making numbered lists, it's worth warning you of this proclivity, if only because within the Four Noble Truths there is nested another numbered list. I have both an attraction and repulsion to such a structured set-up (I am a bit compulsive, but at the same time the numbered lists feel a bit too much like homework). Historians are not entirely in agreement that these numerical lists were used for ease of memorization, since the teachings of the Buddha were an oral tradition for approximately the first 1,000 years of their existence, but this explanation certainly makes sense. I only mention this so all the numbers don't put you off. In any case....
The first noble truth is, "There is suffering". It is unfortunate that people who know just a little bit about Buddhism know that this is what the Buddha said, because unless you know the rest of the story, this can seem rather discouraging, as if the Buddha were one big, cosmic Debbie Downer. But that is not what he intended at all; in fact, what he said was that he had come to teach suffering and the end of suffering.
When the Buddha said that there was suffering, he was not prescribing suffering but describing life as it is. And he was correct, wasn't he? If you have experienced life without suffering then you are indeed a magical being and certainly need not read further. Quite often the objection to this idea that there is suffering is that suffering is considered bad, and it is therefore discouraging or in bad taste to say so. But, once again, the Buddha was merely stating a fact out of his experience.
The second noble truth describes the nature of suffering, what brings it about. The real breakthrough the Buddha made was to do something other than throw up his hands in response to the fact of suffering. Instead, he determined that suffering must have an end. As he looked deeper (through meditation) into the causes of suffering and the conditions that brought them about, it became clear to him that in every situation we have one of three responses: clinging, rejecting, or ignoring. When we think back to our threatened mind and the constant vigilance I described earlier as the birthright from our ancient ancestors, these responses make a great deal of sense. We might even call them "pleasure, threat, and neither".
Sylvia Boorstein, another wonderful Buddhist teacher, coined the term "unappeasable need" to describe the second noble truth. If we are hoping to find non-stop pleasure that never wanes, avoid everything unpleasant, and ignore everything else, it is clear that these perceived needs will never be met. Yet it is has never been clearer than it is right now that this is precisely what we seek. We ask to be constantly entertained and have little patience for that which is a struggle or involves hard work. Closer to home for this blog, many of us are involved in an attempt to feed hungers that can never be assuaged with food.
The third noble truth is perhaps the greatest promise that has ever been made. The Buddha stated bluntly that "an end to this suffering is possible". This endless round of resisting the bad and trying to make the good stick around (and considering the rest beneath our notice) could be halted. This was not theoretical on his part; this is something he discovered to be true. I have, too. But the reason he was a buddha and I am not is because he found a way to do this for all time, to reach a literal end of suffering, whereas I have only had glimpses of it. But I believe with every fiber of my being that these glimpses accrete over time and that the end of suffering can be a stepwise progression and can always be advanced further.
The fourth noble truth details how this can be done. Tomorrow's post will deal entirely with this truth.
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