The Four Noble Truths
"Bhikkhus, it is through not realizing, through not
penetrating the Four Noble
Truths that this long course of birth and
death has been passed through and undergone by me as well as by you.
What are these four? They are the noble truth of dukkha; the noble
truth of the origin of dukkha; the noble truth of the cessation of
dukkha; and the noble truth of the way to the cessation of dukkha. But
now, bhikkhus, that these have been realized and penetrated, cut off is
the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed
becoming, and there is no fresh becoming." - Digha Nikaya 16
The First Noble Truth
"Now this, monks, is the Noble Truth of dukkha: Birth is dukkha,
aging is dukkha, death is dukkha; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief,
& despair are dukkha; association with the unbeloved is dukkha;
separation from the loved is dukkha; not getting what is wanted is
dukkha. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are dukkha." — Samyutta Nikaya
LVI.11
Sariputta's elaboration
[Ven. Sariputta:] "Now what, friends, is the noble truth of
stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful;
sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful;
association with the unbeloved is stressful; separation from the loved
is stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the
five clinging-aggregates are stressful.
"And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent,
coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, & acquisition
of [sense] spheres of the various beings in this or that group of
beings, that is called birth.
"And what is aging? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness,
graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties
of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called
aging.
"And what is death? Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up,
disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the
aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty
of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called
death.
"And what is sorrow? Whatever sorrow, sorrowing, sadness,
inward sorrow, inward sadness of anyone suffering from misfortune,
touched by a painful thing, that is called sorrow.
"And what is lamentation? Whatever crying, grieving, lamenting,
weeping, wailing, lamentation of anyone suffering from misfortune,
touched by a painful thing, that is called lamentation.
"And what is pain? Whatever is experienced as bodily pain,
bodily discomfort, pain or discomfort born of bodily contact, that is
called pain.
"And what is distress? Whatever is experienced as mental pain,
mental discomfort, pain or discomfort born of mental contact, that is
called distress.
"And what is despair? Whatever despair, despondency, desperation
of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that
is called despair.
"And what is the stress of association with the unbeloved?
There is the case where undesirable, unpleasing, unattractive sights,
sounds, aromas, flavors, or tactile sensations occur to one; or one has
connection, contact, relationship, interaction with those who wish one
ill, who wish for one's harm, who wish for one's discomfort, who wish
one no security from the yoke. This is called the stress of association
with the unbeloved.
"And what is the stress of separation from the loved? There is
the case where desirable, pleasing, attractive sights, sounds, aromas,
flavors, or tactile sensations do not occur to one; or one has no
connection, no contact, no relationship, no interaction with those who
wish one well, who wish for one's benefit, who wish for one's comfort,
who wish one security from the yoke, nor with one's mother, father,
brother, sister, friends, companions, or relatives. This is called the
stress of separation from the loved.
"And what is the stress of not getting what is wanted? In
beings subject to birth, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to
birth, and may birth not come to us.' But this is not to be achieved by
wanting. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted. In beings
subject to aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to
aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair, and may aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, & despair not come to us.' But this is not to be
achieved by wanting. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted.
"And what are the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are
stressful? The clinging-aggregate of form, the clinging-aggregate of
feeling, the clinging-aggregate of perception, the clinging-aggregate
of fabrications, the clinging-aggregate of consciousness: These are
called the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are stressful.
"This, friends, is called the noble truth of stress.
— Majjhima Nikaya 141
Defined in terms of the senses
"And what is the noble truth of dukkha? 'The six internal sense
media,' should be the reply. Which six? The medium of the eye... the
ear... the nose... the tongue... the body... the intellect. This is
called the noble truth of dukkha." — Samyutta Nikaya LVI.14
Dukkha as a raging fire
The All is aflame. What All is aflame? The eye is aflame. Forms are
aflame. Consciousness at the eye is aflame. Contact at the eye is
aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at
the eye — experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain
— that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of
passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell
you, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains,
distresses, & despairs.
"The ear is aflame. Sounds are aflame...
"The nose is aflame. Aromas are aflame...
"The tongue is aflame. Flavors are aflame...
"The body is aflame. Tactile sensations are aflame...
"The intellect is aflame. Ideas are aflame. Consciousness at
the intellect is aflame. Contact at the intellect is aflame. And
whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect
— experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain — that
too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the
fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I say, with birth,
aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, &
despairs." — Samyutta Nikaya XXXV.28
Dukkha should be known
"'Dukkha should be known. The cause by which dukkha comes into
play should be known. The diversity in dukkha should be known. The
result of dukkha should be known. The cessation of dukkha should be
known. The path of practice for the cessation of dukkha should be
known.' Thus it has been said. In reference to what was it said?
"Birth is dukkha, aging is dukkha, death is dukkha; sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are dukkha; association with
what is not loved is dukkha, separation from what is loved is dukkha,
not getting what is wanted is dukkha. In short, the five
clinging-aggregates are dukkha.
"And what is the cause by which dukkha comes into play? Craving is
the cause by which dukkha comes into play.
"And what is the diversity in dukkha? There is major dukkha &
minor, slowly fading & quickly fading. This is called the diversity
in dukkha.
"And what is the result of dukkha? There are some cases in which a
person overcome with pain, his mind exhausted, grieves, mourns,
laments, beats his breast, & becomes bewildered. Or one overcome
with pain, his mind exhausted, comes to search outside, 'Who knows a
way or two to stop this pain?' I tell you, monks, that dukkha results
either in bewilderment or in search. This is called the result of
dukkha.
"And what is the cessation of dukkha? From the cessation of
craving is the cessation of dukkha; and just this noble eightfold path
— right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration — is
the path of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha.
"Now when a disciple of the noble ones discerns dukkha in this
way, the cause by which dukkha comes into play in this way, the
diversity of dukkha in this way, the result of dukkha in this way, the
cessation of dukkha in this way, & the path of practice leading to
the cessation of dukkha in this way, then he discerns this penetrative
holy life as the cessation of dukkha."
— Anguttara Nikaya VI.63
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