Here are a few thoughts on what are commonly referred to as The Four Noble Truths.
For many years I don’t think I questioned this most basic of the lists that often crop up in Buddhist literature. However, at some point I did begin to question it. Though calling them ‘noble truths’ did carry a certain amount of gravitas, it didn’t sound quite right because, as they are commonly expressed, they sound more like symptoms and remedies than statements of ‘truths.’
Here is a typical example of the way they are often presented in introductions to Buddhism: ‘This is the noble truth of suffering…; This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering…; This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering…; This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering…’ (see Gethin 1998: 59) Indeed, Gotama Buddha, like many early Greek philosophers, often makes an analogy between his role as a teacher and guide, and the work of a physician or doctor. He provides a list of symptoms, a diagnosis as to illness and its causes, and a prescription as to what can be done to alleviate the condition and restore the patient’s wellbeing. They are traditionally represented in this way:
- Gotama describes suffering (dukkha) as dissatisfaction, unease, disharmony – as well as physical pain and mental or emotional anguish.
- He goes on to identify what he sees as the causes of suffering and dissatisfaction namely: craving, desire and attachment (tanha) – of which there are three kinds: desire or attachment to sensory pleasures (kama tanha); desire to become – attachment to states of being (bhava tanha); and desire to get rid of (vibhava tanha).
- He then informs everyone that there is a remedy or method for alleviating suffering and dissatisfaction, that is: by clearly investigating the causes of suffering and letting go of incorrect beliefs and views (delusions – avidya) about the nature of existence.
- Finally, he provides a prescription or method for alleviating suffering: the Noble Eightfold Path (another favourite Buddhist list) – including mindful meditation.
There are a number of contemporary scholars who argue that the term ‘Truth’, may give the wrong impression in this context, implying some kind of absolute belief or truth (as in the ten commandments in Christianity).
Stephen Batchelor suggests that ‘task’ might be a more useful term – in that the Buddha, who comes across as a practical and pragmatic physician, is recommending something we can do – a method, a remedy – rather than an abstract truth. Also, given that all things, events, ideas, beliefs, etc. are impermanent, ever-changing and interdependent, there can be no absolutes – including fixed notions of truth.
In his book, After Buddhism, Batchelor suggests the following formulation of four tasks or, as he puts it, a Fourfold Task:
to comprehend suffering;
to let go of the arising of reactivity;
to behold the ceasing of reactivity;
to cultivate an eightfold path that is grounded in mindful awareness and leads one to become self-reliant in the practice of the dharma.
Another version might be:
Recognise and accept how things are [Dharma = anicca, anatta, dukkha];
Recognise how we cling and desire, and learn to let go of what passes;
Realise that we can be calm, clear and non-reactive;
Practice mindful enquiry and contemplation and act in harmony with how things are (the eightfold path)
I tend to think in terms of four skills, or actions, to be learnt:
wake up and recognise the way the world is;
recognise our clinging and craving habits;
realise that we can learn to let go;
practice mindful enquiry, appreciation and kindness – including mindful thought, mindful speech and mindful action – in this way we can re-establish harmony with the world, and kinship with all beings.
Gotama also mentions many times that we need to recognise, to understand, and to free ourselves from, what he calls ‘the three poisons’ – craving, aggression (and other ‘negative’ emotions) and delusion. These three poisons are again indicative causes of suffering and need to be addressed if we are to achieve health and wellbeing.
Keep in mind that these four injunctions, whether we refer to them as truths, tasks or skills, aren’t to be adhered to as rules we blindly accept because Gotama said so! They are propositions or suggestions for action that need to be questioned and tested in the laboratory of our own everyday life. It is vital that we each decide what ethical values we try to live by – and to take responsibility for these values and the actions we undertake. In this sense, whether we think of ourselves as Buddhists, secular or not, it is important we develop our own understanding of Gotama’s four points and ask ourselves do they make sense, are they helpful in enabling me, and those around me, to live a more peaceful, healthy and fulfilling life? Only then do these ‘noble truths’ become valuable tools for living well.
I hope this is helpful.
References
Batchelor, Stephen. 2015. After Buddhism: rethinking the dharma for a secular age. London: Yale University Press.
Gethin, Rupert. 1998. The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.