03. What are the Four Noble Truths?

Chapter 3 of my spiritual memoir, ZENish (formerly The Practical Buddhist)

What are the Four Noble Truths?

Welcome to the serialized release and update of my memoir, ‘ZENish’ (formerly ‘The Practical Buddhist ~ Buddhism without the Robes & Rituals’). I’ll be releasing new chapters each Friday. 🙏🏼

Short Answer

They are the first, and the most basic, teachings of the Buddha.

Explanation

In summarized form, here they are:

1. Life is characterized by a basic sense of dissatisfaction (poorly translated in English as suffering); like riding in a cart with one wobbly wheel

2. Our sense of dissatisfaction arises through the attachment to our desires (what we want more of) and aversion (pushing away what we don’t want)

3. It is possible to put an end to our dissatisfaction

4. We accomplish this by following the Noble Eight-fold Path that acts as guide rails for living

Let’s dive a bit deeper to understand how these four truths impact our modern lives.

Noble Truth #1 - Life is full of dūkkha (dissatisfaction)

A basic sense of dissatisfaction characterizes life; like a cart with one wheel o…