A Brief Essay on the Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths:
Belief, or Fact?
In the 21st century, religion has been more controversial, eminent, and widespread than ever before. Religion has been blamed for terrorist attacks and acknowledged for humanity aid; religion has been reproached for persecution and abuse, but yet approved of for supporting the needy and poor. Almost all religions of the world have been recognized for their good acts, but yet these same religions have been under various criticisms. It is nearly impossible to determine if any system of belief has truly good intentions, seeing as how people often turn to religion as an accusation for suffering; however, one religion stands apart from this group, a religion which strives to remove suffering, regardless of the circumstances. This religion is Buddhism, a philosophic instruction which teaches adherents about the Four Noble Truths, in order to minimize the pains of humanity. By learning and living the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, any person who may have challenges can overcome these problems and be free of suffering.
When one follows the path of Buddhism in an effort to be relieved of their suffering, the starting point is always the Four Noble Truths. The Truths are the foundation to build upon as one progresses, and almost all of Buddhism’s teachings reflect back to them. Put simply, the Truths teach a person how to obtain happiness, and, “the purpose of our lives is to be happy.” (Dalai Lama) So, what are these Four Noble Truths that can bring about the removal of our suffering? At the core, the Noble Truths are:
1) Suffering will happen in life,
2) People suffer because of attachment,
3) It is possible to overcome suffering, and
4) There is a path to follow to overcome suffering.
While this may not seem like these Truths can cause people to minimize suffering, there is a vast amount of wisdom contained in these statements. Anytime a person suffers, it is simply because they do not understand the knowledge these Truths provide.
In the first step, many people suffer because they cannot to comprehend that suffering will happen in their life; they are unable to recover or handle the pain anytime they are faced with a struggle, because they’ve been believing a fantasy that nothing bad will happen to them.
Millions of people violate the second Truth as well; in today’s world, nearly every single living person has some form of attachment to a materialistic item. People strive to have more money, nicer cars, bigger houses, when in reality, the over attachment to these items causes them grief, although people often don’t discern it. As people try to have more and more and more objects that can only bring limited happiness, they lose their focus on the most important aspects of their life, such as their relationships with others, or sometimes even sacrificing their own personal standards to avoid severing their ties with attachments.
Ironically, failure to recognize the third step also causes suffering. When a person doubts the fact that suffering can be overcome, they drown themselves in their pains, bringing them down further and further. Disregarding the third Truth can often lead to consequences as drastic as suicide; if people don’t believe there is a way out, they will continue to be caught up in their problems.
The fourth step entails a detailed Eightfold Path to overcoming suffering, and is one of the biggest pillars of Buddhist faith. While suffering can be overcome in other ways other than the Eightfold Path, constant dedication towards following the Path has been shown to almost always create happiness and joy, and learning from its teachings will undoubtedly improve a person’s quality of life.
Even to a person who doesn’t actively practice Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths of this religion can be a standard to strive for in daily life, in a diligent effort to have happiness throughout our earthly existence. If everyone who suffered obeyed the principles these Truths teach, then the world and all of its individuals would overcome their suffering, and have an overall better life.
Belief, or Fact?
In the 21st century, religion has been more controversial, eminent, and widespread than ever before. Religion has been blamed for terrorist attacks and acknowledged for humanity aid; religion has been reproached for persecution and abuse, but yet approved of for supporting the needy and poor. Almost all religions of the world have been recognized for their good acts, but yet these same religions have been under various criticisms. It is nearly impossible to determine if any system of belief has truly good intentions, seeing as how people often turn to religion as an accusation for suffering; however, one religion stands apart from this group, a religion which strives to remove suffering, regardless of the circumstances. This religion is Buddhism, a philosophic instruction which teaches adherents about the Four Noble Truths, in order to minimize the pains of humanity. By learning and living the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, any person who may have challenges can overcome these problems and be free of suffering.
When one follows the path of Buddhism in an effort to be relieved of their suffering, the starting point is always the Four Noble Truths. The Truths are the foundation to build upon as one progresses, and almost all of Buddhism’s teachings reflect back to them. Put simply, the Truths teach a person how to obtain happiness, and, “the purpose of our lives is to be happy.” (Dalai Lama) So, what are these Four Noble Truths that can bring about the removal of our suffering? At the core, the Noble Truths are:
1) Suffering will happen in life,
2) People suffer because of attachment,
3) It is possible to overcome suffering, and
4) There is a path to follow to overcome suffering.
While this may not seem like these Truths can cause people to minimize suffering, there is a vast amount of wisdom contained in these statements. Anytime a person suffers, it is simply because they do not understand the knowledge these Truths provide.
In the first step, many people suffer because they cannot to comprehend that suffering will happen in their life; they are unable to recover or handle the pain anytime they are faced with a struggle, because they’ve been believing a fantasy that nothing bad will happen to them.
Millions of people violate the second Truth as well; in today’s world, nearly every single living person has some form of attachment to a materialistic item. People strive to have more money, nicer cars, bigger houses, when in reality, the over attachment to these items causes them grief, although people often don’t discern it. As people try to have more and more and more objects that can only bring limited happiness, they lose their focus on the most important aspects of their life, such as their relationships with others, or sometimes even sacrificing their own personal standards to avoid severing their ties with attachments.
Ironically, failure to recognize the third step also causes suffering. When a person doubts the fact that suffering can be overcome, they drown themselves in their pains, bringing them down further and further. Disregarding the third Truth can often lead to consequences as drastic as suicide; if people don’t believe there is a way out, they will continue to be caught up in their problems.
The fourth step entails a detailed Eightfold Path to overcoming suffering, and is one of the biggest pillars of Buddhist faith. While suffering can be overcome in other ways other than the Eightfold Path, constant dedication towards following the Path has been shown to almost always create happiness and joy, and learning from its teachings will undoubtedly improve a person’s quality of life.
Even to a person who doesn’t actively practice Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths of this religion can be a standard to strive for in daily life, in a diligent effort to have happiness throughout our earthly existence. If everyone who suffered obeyed the principles these Truths teach, then the world and all of its individuals would overcome their suffering, and have an overall better life.