The Four Noble Truths are central key of the entire Buddhist teachings. Though easy to understand, its application grows richer and more profound as the practice grows further. The first noble truth is suffering, a condition that all living beings experience in various forms. The cause of suffering is craving or selfish desire. However, the third noble truth or Nirvana is a state which transcends all the sufferings. The fourth noble truth is the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha's teaching on the way to attain Nirvana. All these four noble truths are very practical and have everything to do with the present moment and how we relate to it.
Life means suffering.
One who has come to this earth is sure to pass through different stages of life, which includes happiness and sorrow, both. The world and the human nature - both are not perfect and therefore, to live means to suffer. During our lifetime, we have to endure different physical sufferings such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological sufferings like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression as well. Although there are different degrees of sufferings and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive on the other side of sufferings such as ease, comfort and happiness. But still, life on the whole is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This further leads to the fact that we are unable to keep anything permanently that we long for; and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too!
The origin of suffering is attachment.
The main cause of sufferings is attachment to transient things, which do not only include the physical surrounding objects but also our ideas, feelings and on the whole our perception. When we are attached to a particular thing or a person, we do not understand that these are temporary and are sure to depart from us one day or the other, and therefore, we ignore what is hidden in the future. The people and things we are passionate about and crave for, when part from us, we suffer!
The cessation of suffering is attainable.
The third noble truth or the Nirodha expresses the idea that sufferings can be eliminated by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. There is a simple way to end the sufferings - Remove the cause of the suffering, which every being can do by winning over his heart and mind. Nirvana, therefore, means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas.
The path to the cessation of suffering.
The path of Self-Control and self-Improvement gradually ends all the sufferings. The path, better known as the Eightfold Path is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence and excessive self-mortification, which further puts an end to the Cycle of Rebirth. The path that eliminates the sufferings and leads ones to 'moksha' can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual's rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Every Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects are bound to disappear gradually as one moves on the path of self control.
