The Ethics Of The Four Noble Truths

The significance of the Buddhist teachings has impacted the everyday lives of Buddhist adherents as it provides a set of guidance, in which the goal of individuals is to improve themselves through effort and ultimately reach Nirvana, enlightenment. Through the Four Noble truths; The existence of Dukkha (Suffering),

Critically discuss the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, explaining the reasons or arguments given by Buddhism to support these Truths and discussing at least one objection that could be raised against the first Noble Truth and one objection that could be raised against thesecond Noble Truth.

The second Noble Truth is that suffering itself has a cause. At the simplest level, this may be said to be desire; but the theory was fully worked out in the complex doctrine of "dependent origination," or pratityasamutpada, which explains the interrelationship of all reality in terms of an unbroken chain of causation (Conze).

In chapter four of “Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction”, Damien Keown, discusses the "Four Noble Truths'" and explores focal principles of the Buddha's teachings. "The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to put an end to suffering and rebirth." (Keown, 43) to attain nirvana. This is mostly through driving a moral life, and somewhat through the wisdom picked up by studying the Four Noble Truths. In this paper, I will be stating why is suffering an inevitable part of life according to Buddhism. As well as, how can we overcome suffering. All in which will prove that Buddhism, life is suffering and it is an unavoidable part of life.

Critically discuss the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, explaining the reasons or arguments given by Buddhism to support these Truths and discussing at least one objection that could be raised against the first Noble Truth and one objection that could be raised against the second Noble Truth.

Perfunctory explanations of the four truths are as follows: the truth of suffering (duhkha), which explains that suffering is a part of existence from the time we are born and perpetuated by time and negative emotions; the truth of the origin of suffering, which states that, because we attach ourselves to selfish desires and things that cannot be, the origin of suffering lies within ourselves; the truth that one can be free from suffering, which states that one can be free if they sustain from selfish behaviors and renounce cravings; and the truth that one can overcome suffering by following the Middle Way, which is explained in the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Four Noble Truths, as stated in The Dhammapada, are suffering, the

“What is the noble truth of the origin of suffering? It is craving which renews being and is accomplished by relish and lust…” The Buddha on the origin of suffering – Sammyutta Nikava

The First Noble Truth describes that life is filled with suffering and that it is experienced by everyone. The Second Noble Truth clarifies that the dukkha, or suffering, is caused by the desire of private fulfillment,

The four noble truths stem from the Buddhist religion. At the core, they're viewed as the foundational truths of Buddhism. 1. Suffering (Dukkha) In the Buddhist faith, Dukkha is known to be anything that's temporary and has an ending.

In Buddhism the Four Nobel Truths explain the root of humans problems, chief among these being suffering. While suffering is part of human life it does not always have a negative impact on one’s life. This suffering can be a force of good that propels people to do better and reflect on other people’s hardships. If one were to expel all their cravings and desires they would not have the drive necessary to achieve their goals and be a benefit to society. It seems that when you take away suffering the good things in life are not as meaningful and subsequently life become this drab meaningless existence. That’s not to say that meaningless suffering should not be negated with all haste but that you have to take the bad with the good. Contrarily, if one were to have less desires they would naturally live a simpler life that would not be as stressful and as filled with suffering.

The first Noble Truth “Life means suffering” is shown throughout Siddhartha’s journey to reach enlightenment. Siddhartha experiences suffering both physically and mentally. Siddhartha suffers physically when he decides to join the Samanas and must neglect his body in order to eliminate himself. He also experiences suffering when his son does not obey him, and he decides to leave the river and go to the city. For this first Noble Truth, I believe that life is suffering and change, and they are the only constants in life. Both happiness and sadness exist in the world, but you can’t have one and not the other and that’s the reality of human life because it isn’t perfect. Therefore, after reading of Siddhartha’s physical and mental struggles, I felt that I could really relate to them as a college freshman. There are so many temptations surrounding me including drinking and partying, but by partaking in these activities, I won’t feel happy permanently. I may feel happy temporarily and then I will likely suffer after when I have studying or I don’t feel well.

Buddhism promotes the idea of Kamma, which donates that man’s action ripes in consequences; good things appear in good consequences and vice versa. It’s like a body and its shadow; you reap what you sow. The reason for suffering is due to the cravings that cause man to sink in materialistic things and is difficult to leave them behind.

Buddha believed that suffering comes from our minds, the root cause of our suffering is embedded in our brains through attachment, anger and ignorance. Humans put so much thought into these things that we ultimately engage in problems that cause ourselves or others suffering, weather we are aware of this or not. Anger can bring suffering and all our actions have consequences, doing harm to other people will cause us and others pain and can also bring us karma, which is a spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual can influence the future of that individual and

Dukkha which refers to something that is bad and therefore unsubstantial is the first noble truth. It is the realization that life itself is suffering. Dukkha is death, decay, grief, destruction and despair. It comprises of the imbalances of life, attachments, and the disturbances of life that cause disharmony. It is quite difficult to accept dukkha as truth because the human mind is fragile and isn’t capable of accepting the disturbing or upsetting. The human mind is only capable of simplifying life 's complexities and ignoring what may be traumatizing. Life is only blissful when one dilutes themselves with false pretenses of happiness and lives in ignorance. One only needs to open their eyes to see that dukkha exists and is abundantly all around us. No one in the human race has ever existed only to live a life of blissfulness void of death, grief, sadness, or despair. Even supposing that there was an individual born into a life of of happiness it doesn’t change the fact that they live in this world. A world where social communication is inevitable and consequently causes human to meet others that are less fortunate or live lives of destitute or unhappiness. Therefore the man that lives in the world of human life, is a victim of Dukkha regardless of his own happiness. Even maintenance of the good things in life, such as good health, is a form of agony and attachment- Duhhka. Duhhka can even be the mere change of life.