Four Noble Truths
Suffering's cause, cure
The Four Noble Truths are the foundational teachings of Buddhism, traditionally attributed to the Buddha's first sermon.
They are: life involves suffering (dukkha); suffering arises from craving and attachment; suffering can cease; and the path to cessation is the Eightfold Path.
These truths frame Buddhist practice as diagnosis and cure: Understanding the Four Noble Truths is the first step in Buddhist study.
Release from cyclical existence
- cessationA full stopping
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- mokshaRelease from rebirth cycle
bodhi · unbinding · freedom · release · extinction · deathless · unconditioned · peace
Cosmic moral order
- BuddhaEnlightened spiritual founder
- teachingsTransmitted knowledge or principles
- samsaraCycle of rebirth
- cravingPowerful urge to have
cessation · liberation · Theravada · Mahayana · Siddhartha Gautama · sutra · sermon · Deer Park
Bodily or emotional distress
- dissatisfactionState of being displeased
- impermanenceQuality of not lasting
- attachmentConnection or fondness
- cravingPowerful urge to have
desire · aging · illness · death · sorrow · grief · anguish · lamentation
Focused attention practice
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
- right actionMorally sound deed
- vipassanaClear-seeing contemplative practice
- samadhiProfound meditative absorption state
ethics · discipline · contemplation · renunciation · detachment · sangha · monastic · retreat
Mental comprehension of something
- realizationGrasping what's true
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- discernmentKeen perception and judgment
cognizance · clarity · comprehension · recognition · knowledge · awakening · perception · epiphany
nirvana
Release from cyclical existence
- cessationA full stopping
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
moksha · bodhi · unbinding · freedom · release · extinction · deathless · unconditioned · peace · bliss
dharma
Cosmic moral order
- BuddhaEnlightened spiritual founder
- teachingsTransmitted knowledge or principles
- samsaraCycle of rebirth
craving · cessation · liberation · Theravada · Mahayana · Siddhartha Gautama · sutra · sermon · Deer Park · Benares
pain
Bodily or emotional distress
- dissatisfactionState of being displeased
- impermanenceQuality of not lasting
- attachmentConnection or fondness
craving · desire · aging · illness · death · sorrow · grief · anguish · lamentation · misery
meditation
Focused attention practice
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
- right actionMorally sound deed
- vipassanaClear-seeing contemplative practice
samadhi · ethics · discipline · contemplation · renunciation · detachment · sangha · monastic · retreat · cultivation
understanding
Mental comprehension of something
- realizationGrasping what's true
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
discernment · cognizance · clarity · comprehension · recognition · knowledge · awakening · perception · epiphany · seeing
- BuddhismBuddha, dharma wheel, nirvana, dharma, Mahayana
- ancient wisdomVedas, proverb, Upanishads, maxim, Epicureanism
- BuddhaSiddhartha, Gautama, Buddha, enlightenment, bodhi
- Chinese BuddhismBuddhist monasteries, Buddhist texts, Mahayana, Shaolin Temple, Shaolin
- Eastern SpiritualityBuddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto
- Indian BuddhismBuddha, stupa, stupas, bodhisattva, Mahayana
Four Noble TruthsTen Commandments
Scriptural moral code
divine commandments · Sharia law · Mosaic Law · Halakha · canon law