Knowing the Four Noble Truths

The worldly beings know what ‘suffering’ is,  i.e. birth, decay, sickness, death, sorrow lamentation, grief, despair, being conjoined with things one dislikes, separation from things that on likes, not getting what one wants etc., as preached by the Buddha. However, they tend to look at it from the perspective of a ‘self’ or in other words as experiences that an individual undergoes as an entity or a person. They further believe that the cause for suffering is lack of wealth & possessions such as a house, a motor car and relationships such as mother father, son, daughter, partner etc. keeping with the common understanding of the world. As a consequence, they consider that access to material comforts such as wealth, a house, a motor car & relationships etc. helps one to be free from suffering and be happy. With such an understanding their minds become preoccupied with thoughts that relate to acquiring wealth & possessions and fostering relationships. With regard to the latter they take necessary care to ensure well being of the father, mother, children and partner because they will be saddened and undergo mental agony if any of such close relatives become seriously ill or meet with misadventure. Their intentions to gain happiness in that manner are driven by individual desire or craving.  
In terms of Buddhist teachings thoughts of worldly beings are considered to be unwholesome and are gripped with sense-desires (Kama), ill will (vyapada) & cruelty (himsa).

It can also be said that their interactions through speech & bodily action are often focused on ways and means of acquiring and maintaining wealth, possessions & kin, which are also considered as unwholesome, for e.g., they have no hesitation in using harsh words or to lie, steal,harm or even kill someone to fulfill their needs. They make their livelihoods consistent with such unwholesome behavioral patterns aided by necessary effort, mindfulness & concentration that are complimentary. “In effect the life of a worldly being can be considered as an existence of a group of eight unwholesome parts”, says Venerable Sudassana.(i.e. micca ditti, micca sankappa, micca vaca, micca kammantha , micca ajeeva, micca wayama, micca sati & micca samadhi)

The Venerable adds, “The things that the worldly beings wish to embrace or gather in order to be free from suffering and to be happy are essentially the ones that bring them suffering, given that they all are subjected to decay, destruction & death.”

On the contrary to the worldly belief the Buddha preached that the suffering he referred to, i.e. birth, decay, sickness, death etc, are not to be mistaken as experiences an individual undergoes as an entity or a person, but as phenomena that the aggregates (skandas) are subjected to. Hence, he summed up his preaching on suffering by revealing  to the world that ” in short the five clinging aggregates are suffering”. Thereby he emphasised that the objects seen, heard, smelled, tasted & so on (form or Rupa) and associated emotions that are pleasant ,unpleasant or neutral, perceptions and formations, (name or Nama) as ‘suffering’.

This alludes that the worldly belief is contradictory to the Buddhist teachings being the exact opposite to the latter. The reality is that the more one gathers & attracts to things of pleasure, the further he or she distances from happiness, as opposed to the becoming happier.

In this context worldly beings are said to be ignorant or having no knowledge of what suffering is and the cause for it as well as what cessation is or the path to cessation. (Dukhe agnanan, Dukkha Samudaye agnanan, Dukkha Nirodhaye Agnanan, Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada Agnanan)

Having recognised what suffering is, the Enlightened One identified the cause for it as craving which he has said operates at two levels. Rebirth occurs through relink consciousness that arises due to ‘existential root craving’ known in the commentary as Vatta Mulika Tanha. This is said to be three fold, i.e. craving for pleasures, craving to be and craving not to be. The second form or the level of craving occurs in the present existence as craving on from i.e , visual form , sound , smell , taste and touch which fall under ‘behavioral craving’ (Samudacara Tanha). 

He noted that cessation of craving eradicates suffering and the one who becomes free from ‘behavioral craving’ discards defilements and attain emancipation with a remainder of aggregates. This is known as Sopadhishesha Nibbana in teachings. Eventually the final extinction (Anupadhishesha Nibbana) occurs with the removal of ‘existential root craving’ so that there won’t be any further becoming.

However, the Tathagata did not preach a direct intervention to remove craving. He observed that desires or craving develops due to the way the worldly beings live & hence proposed that people should change the way they live. In that context The Blessed One proclaimed the Noble Eight Fold Path which essentially urges for a paradigm shift that he noted as inevitable for liberation. He stressed that the Right View (knowing things as they really are),is paramount in changing the way we think, speak and act as it makes one to disenchant and thus detach from clinging aggregates paving the way for liberation. In other words by gaining the Right View,  our thoughts will become wholesome, built upon non-desire (nekkhamma) , good-will(avyapada) & harmlessness (ahimsa) resulting in speech and action that are wholesome. Furthermore, our livelihoods are expected to become wholesome aided by efforts, mindfulness & concentration that are complimentary.

As a consequence, we will be associating the eight parts described in the Noble Eight Fold Path having gained the knowledge of what suffering is and the cause for it as well as what cessation is & the path to cessation. (Dukhe nanan, Dukkha samudaye nanan, Dukkha nirodhaye nanan, Dukkha nirodha gamini patipada nanan). The one treading on the path reaches beyond the worldly existences (become lokottara) and therefore his or her life is considered as an existence of a group of eight wholesome parts, samma ditti, samma sankappa, samma vaca, samma, kammanta, samma, ajeeva, samma wayama, samma sati & samma samadhi.

Can We Let Go?

In his first sermon the Buddha revealed to the world about suffering (Dukkha) as the first of the Four Noble Truths & identified craving (Tanha) as the cause for suffering, the second Noble Truth. He further preached that suffering ceases when craving ends which is the Third Noble Truth. These three Truths are considered as phenomena which take place naturally. On that account, when the Tathagata declared the path to end suffering as the Fourth Noble Truth, he did not preach to simply end craving to achieve cessation of suffering but declared a path as a truth by itself. The Noble Eight Fold Path helps the practitioner to discard craving and cease suffering.

Any direct effort to restrain craving is considered as an attempt through ‘self’ which is contrary to Buddhist teachings and thus it is expected to take place spontaneously when necessary conditions are fulfilled. In this context the widely accepted idioms, linked to Buddhist teachings in some instances, such as ‘let go’ or ‘detach’ to achieve emancipation (by ceasing suffering) are not plausible as an intervention of a doer becomes apparent. Spontaneous release on the other hand does not involve a doer and is considered to be a natural occurrence which corresponds to the arising of suffering, its cause & its cessation.  

The teachings elucidate that the Right View provides insight to suffering enabling one to abandon craving & accomplish cessation, as one peruses the Noble Eightfold Path. The path involves practice at two levels, firstly, the preliminary practice (purvabhaga prathipada) which focuses on fostering the path and removing hindrances. When the hindrances fade away the practitioner moves to the next level gaining the Right View at supermundane state where he or she sees things as they really are, with ultimate concentration (Anantharika Samadhi).

Complete eradication of fermentations (Asrava) is only achieved in this latter state of meditation by removal of latent tendencies (Anusaya), and hence is beyond the comprehension of a worldly being. Within the world where one associates things of pleasure such as gold, silver, car, house etc. and attachments, such as farther, mother, son daughter etc., craving prevails.

However, it isn’t, by any means, a call to simply discard relationships & to neglect parents or children without due care. The principle has to be understood within the context, i.e. a state beyond the world (lokottara) where one embraces abundance of compassion, loving kindness, care & equilibrium, a Noble state that exceeds humanity. It advocates release from restricted bondages, moving beyond selfishness.

The preliminary practice aims to gain penetrative insight to see the body as a name-matter form rather than a ‘person’. The composition of the body is further analysed as a thing formed by the Four Great Elements and that there is no difference between the body and those formed by the Four Great Elements found externally. For instance, the property of hardness (patavi) in the body is noted as same as the hardness found in external objects. The only distinction is that the body, which is internal & formed of the Four Great Elements, associates the mind. The body is a manifestation of the mind while the two are interdependent. Nutriments for the body are edible foods while the mind is a product of ignorance, kamma & craving. Another technique is to observe the body as a composition of 32 parts, i.e. hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh & bones etc.

In order to develop the penetrative vision and to see as discussed above, the practitioner needs to calm the mind. A tranquility meditation technique such as mindfulness of breathing (Anapana Sathi) is beneficial in this regard. Continence of the speech and action is considered contributory and thus morality is a necessity.

The disciple should meditate until he or she reaches the final goal of abandoning the notion of an existence of an entity, a sentient or person, but just a body. The Name Matter formation should be clearly identified and moreover, that it is a phenomenon which is subject to causality. "One has to make an effort only up to this state until the hindrances are removed and leave the rest to take its own course, naturally", says Venerable Sudassana.

The mind that is free from hindrances will begin to experience pleasantness that will culminate to a state of joy or rapture & happiness followed by relaxation & tranquility that develops ultimate concentration. Such concentration unveils the reality of the phenomena with development of the Right View at the super mundane state, where one begins to see things as they are, gaining insights to the visible form. At this point the disciple realises that the visible form is a mere image created by the eye and not what exists externally (applies to other forms, e.g. audible, as well). Such realisation results in disgruntlement making the person to ‘let go’ of all ‘attachments’ enabling he or she to reach ultimate liberation.