Not Understanding and Not Penetrating The Four Noble Truths

Monks, just as a stick thrown up into the air falls now on its bottom, now on its top, so too as beings roam and wander on, hindered by ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and fettered by craving, now they go from this world to the other world, now they come from the other world to this world.

For what reason?

Because they have not seen The Four Noble Truths.

What four?

The noble truth of discontentedness, the noble truth of the cause of discontentedness, the noble truth of the elimination of discontentedness, the noble truth of the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness.

Therefore, Monks, an effort should be made to understand: ‘This is discontentedness’; an effort should be made to understand: ‘This is the cause of discontentedness’; an effort should be made to understand: ‘This is the elimination of discontentedness’; an effort should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness.’

… … … …

Monks, it is because of not understanding and not penetrating The Four Noble Truths that you and I have roamed and wandered through this long course of The Cycle of Rebirth.

What four?

It is, Monks, because of not understanding and not penetrating the noble truth of discontentedness …

the noble truth of the cause of discontentedness …

the noble truth of the elimination of discontentedness …

the noble truth of the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness that you and I have roamed and wandered through this long course of The Cycle of Rebirth.

That noble truth of discontentedness, Monks, has been understood and penetrated.

That noble truth of the cause of discontentedness has been understood and penetrated.

That noble truth of the elimination of discontentedness has been understood and penetrated.

That noble truth of the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness has been understood and penetrated.

Craving for existence has been cut off; the conduit to existence has been destroyed; now there is no more renewed existence.

(Reference: SN 56.33)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how beings continue to roam and wander throughout The Cycle of Rebirth due to “ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and fettered by craving”.

The wisdom that beings are not understanding are those found throughout all these Teachings on The Path to Enlightenment. To get started, The Buddha specifically points to the wisdom found in The Four Noble Truths.

Without deeply understanding and practicing The Four Noble Truths to experience the breakthrough knowing discontentedness, the cause of discontentedness, the elimination of discontentedness, and the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness, a being will not establish Right View and, therefore, be unable to eliminate discontentedness and escape The Cycle of Rebirth.

Through understanding the cause of discontentedness as craving/desire/attachment, a Practitioner can then apply effort towards the elimination of craving/desire/attachment through training the mind. Then, “craving for existence has been cut off; the conduit to existence has been destroyed; now there is no more renewed existence”, a being has escaped The Cycle of Rebirth through attaining Enlightenment.