What Are The Four Noble Truths? A Buddhist Guide to Ending Discontentedness
- David Roylance
- Jul 24
- 18 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The Four Noble Truths are the foundational Teaching that explains why the unEnlightened mind experiences discontentedness and how that discontentedness can be completely eliminated.
The Four Noble Truths are:
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
Discontentedness is caused by our own cravings/desires/attachments because the mind wants everything to be permanent when everything in the world is impermanent.
The elimination of discontentedness is possible by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
The path to eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
These Four Noble Truths identify the problem, explain the cause of the problem, establish that the problem can be eliminated, and provide The Path leading to its elimination. Learning, reflecting on (i.e. independently verifying), and practicing The Four Noble Truths establish Right View and provide the foundation for beginning The Path to Enlightenment. Developing Right View and wisdom also helps eliminate ignorance—the unknowing of true reality.
The Four Noble Truths are like a trail marker that clearly shows you what lies ahead on The Path to Enlightenment. In a clear and concise way, a Practitioner can gain an understanding of what is causing discontentedness and how to eliminate it.
In this beginner’s guide, The Four Noble Truths are explained in simple terms and applied to daily life.
Key Takeaways
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
Discontentedness includes pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant.
Our own cravings/desires/attachments cause our discontentedness.
The unEnlightened mind attempts to obtain permanent contentment through people, objects, relationships, feelings, and circumstances that are impermanent.
Discontentedness can be eliminated by eliminating the cravings/desires/attachments that cause it.
The Eight Fold Path is the complete plan for eliminating discontentedness.
Meditation is an important part of The Path, but meditation alone is not the complete Path.
The Four Noble Truths need to be learned, reflected on (i.e. independently verified), and practiced.
Table of Contents
What Are the Four Noble Truths?
The Four Noble Truths provide a concise explanation of the problem experienced by every unEnlightened being and the complete solution taught by The Buddha.
1. Everyone That Is unEnlightened Will Experience Discontentedness
The First Noble Truth identifies the problem.
Every person who is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness because the mind continues to base its inner feelings on impermanent conditions.
The unEnlightened mind seeks pleasant feelings through what it sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches, and recognizes through the mind. Because the conditions producing these feelings are impermanent, the feelings will arise, change, and fade away.
As long as the mind is dependent on impermanent conditions for its inner feelings, it cannot reside permanently peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy.
2. Discontentedness Is Caused by Our Own Cravings/Desires/Attachments Because the Mind Wants Everything to Be Permanent When Everything in the World Is Impermanent
The Second Noble Truth identifies the cause of the problem.
The cause of discontentedness is not another person, an object, a relationship, or a circumstance.
Discontentedness is caused by the cravings/desires/attachments that exist in our own mind.
The mind wants people to behave a certain way.
The mind wants pleasant experiences to continue.
The mind wants relationships and possessions to remain unchanged.
The mind wants its opinions to be accepted.
The mind wants situations and circumstances to occur according to its expectations.
But everything in the world is impermanent.
Material objects change.
Relationships change.
The physical body changes.
Feelings change.
Thoughts and ideas change.
Situations and circumstances change.
When the mind craves something impermanent and wants it to be permanent, it creates its own discontentedness.
3. The Elimination of Discontentedness Is Possible by Eliminating Cravings/Desires/Attachments
The Third Noble Truth provides the solution.
Because cravings/desires/attachments cause discontentedness, eliminating cravings/desires/attachments will eliminate discontentedness.
The mind does not need to eliminate every person, possession, occupation, relationship, or circumstance from one’s life. The mind needs to eliminate the mental longing with a strong eagerness that pulls it toward the objects of its affection.
By eliminating this mental longing, the mind no longer depends on impermanent conditions for contentment and satisfaction.
The mind can then be trained to reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy—permanently.
4. The Path to Eliminating Discontentedness Is The Eight Fold Path
The Fourth Noble Truth provides The Path for applying the solution.
It is not enough to know that craving/desire/attachment causes discontentedness. A Practitioner needs a complete plan for training the mind to identify and eliminate those cravings/desires/attachments.
That plan is The Eight Fold Path:
Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
The Eight Fold Path is the life practice that trains the mind to eliminate the unwholesome qualities that cause discontentedness and develop the wholesome qualities leading to Enlightenment.
Why The Buddha Taught The Four Noble Truths
The Buddha acquired extensive wisdom through his independent journey to Enlightenment. However, he did not attempt to teach everything he understood.
He compared the limited number of Teachings he shared to a few leaves held in his hand, while the knowledge he had acquired on his journey to Enlightenment was compared to all the leaves in a forest.
Why did he teach only a small portion of what he knew?
He focused on what was beneficial and what led to elimination, peace, direct knowledge, and Enlightenment.
He taught:
Discontentedness
The cause of discontentedness
The elimination of discontentedness
The way leading to the elimination of discontentedness
The Four Noble Truths guide a Student toward the purpose of The Teachings of The Buddha: understanding and eliminating the discontentedness experienced by the unEnlightened mind.
The purpose is not merely to acquire information.
The purpose is not to participate in ceremonies or rituals.
The purpose is not to accept beliefs without investigation.
The purpose is to understand how the mind is causing its own discontentedness and then train the mind to eliminate the cause.
Every Perfectly Enlightened Buddha—past, present, and future—awakens to The Four Noble Truths. This is because they establish Right View and form the foundation upon which the other Teachings on The Path to Enlightenment are built.
For the same reasons, every being who is going to experience Enlightenment will need to cultivate wisdom and awaken to The Four Noble Truths.
The First Noble Truth: Discontentedness
The First Noble Truth states:
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
The word discontentedness is important because the word “suffering” may cause a Student to think only about severe physical pain, emotional distress, tragedy, or misery.
Discontentedness includes much more.
The Buddha describes three types of conditioned feelings as discontentedness:
Pleasant Feelings
Pleasant feelings can include:
Happiness
Excitement
Elation
Thrill
Exhilaration
Euphoria
Pleasant feelings are included as discontentedness because they depend on impermanent conditions.
The unEnlightened mind experiences a pleasant feeling and wants it to continue. The mind may then develop craving/desire/attachment toward the person, object, experience, or circumstance producing the pleasant feeling.
But the condition will change.
The feeling will change.
When the mind cannot maintain the pleasant feeling, it may move toward a painful feeling or a feeling that is neither painful-nor-pleasant.
Painful Feelings
Painful feelings can include:
Sadness
Anger
Frustration
Irritation
Annoyance
Guilt
Shame
Fear
Stress
Anxiety
These feelings are more readily recognized as discontentedness because the unpleasant result is directly experienced by the mind.
Feelings That Are Neither Painful-nor-Pleasant
These feelings can include:
Boredom
Loneliness
Shyness
Displeasure
Discomfort
Dissatisfaction
Feeling unsatisfied
These feelings may not appear as severe as anger, sadness, or fear, but the mind is still not peaceful and content.
Through contact with The Six Sense Bases, the mind experiences pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant. When the mind experiences these conditioned feelings, it is discontent because those feelings depend on conditions that are impermanent.
Why Pleasant Feelings Are Included as Discontentedness
A person may ask:
“How can happiness or excitement be discontentedness?”
The problem is not that the mind experiences something pleasant. The problem is that the unEnlightened mind forms the pleasant feeling based on impermanent conditions and then wants to hold on to that pleasant feeling.
The mind may think:
“I want this experience to continue.”
“I want this person to make me happy.”
“I want this possession to feel successful.”
“I want this situation to remain as it is.”
“I cannot be content if this changes.”
But the condition will change because everything in the world is impermanent.
The mind that chases pleasant feelings is also inviting painful feelings and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant. It cannot permanently maintain the conditions that created the pleasant feeling.
A Practitioner therefore learns to stop basing the mind’s inner feelings on temporary and changing conditions.
The Second Noble Truth: The Cause of Discontentedness
The Second Noble Truth states:
Discontentedness is caused by our own cravings/desires/attachments because the mind wants everything to be permanent when everything in the world is impermanent.
This Truth directs the Practitioner inward.
The unEnlightened mind commonly thinks that other people or circumstances cause its anger, disappointment, frustration, fear, jealousy, or stress.
The mind may think:
“That person made me angry.”
“Their words caused my frustration.”
“My circumstances are preventing me from being peaceful.”
“I would be content if others behaved the way I want.”
“I would be content if I obtained what I wanted.”
But another person does not place a craving inside the mind.
The craving already exists.
The mind wanted or expected something to occur. When the person, object, or situation did not satisfy that expectation, the mind reacted with discontentedness.
What Is Craving/Desire/Attachment?
Craving/desire/attachment/wants/expectations/grasping/holding/clinging: A mental longing for something with a strong eagerness—the mind pulling in a direction toward the objects of its affection.
This craving may involve:
A person
A relationship
A possession
An experience
A feeling
An opinion
Recognition
Praise
Status
Wealth
A particular outcome
A situation occurring according to one’s expectations
The object itself is not the craving.
The craving is the mental longing that exists in the mind.
A possession does not create discontentedness by merely existing. Discontentedness arises when the mind becomes attached to the possession, wants to acquire it, fears losing it, or expects it to provide permanent contentment.
The Mind Wants Permanence
The unEnlightened mind repeatedly attempts to hold on to things that cannot remain unchanged.
It wants youth to remain permanent even though the body ages.
It wants health to remain permanent even though the body can become sick.
It wants relationships to remain permanent even though relationships change.
It wants pleasant feelings to remain permanent even though feelings arise, change, and fade away.
It wants possessions to remain permanent even though possessions deteriorate, break, disappear, or change ownership.
It wants opinions and circumstances to remain agreeable even though the world is constantly changing.
This conflict between the mind’s craving for permanence and the impermanent nature of the world causes discontentedness.
Impermanence means that everything is constantly changing and that no conditioned material object remains permanent. Material objects, relationships, thoughts, ideas, feelings, and states of mind all change. Everything that arises will cease.
The Mind Is Responsible for Its Own Discontentedness
Understanding the Second Noble Truth establishes personal responsibility.
This does not mean that the harmful or unwholesome conduct of another person is wise.
It means that a Practitioner understands that the internal reaction of anger, resentment, jealousy, fear, or frustration is connected to cravings/desires/attachments within one’s own mind. The relationship between craving, anger, and ignorance is explained more fully in The Three Poisons.
The Practitioner then asks:
What did the mind want?
What did the mind expect?
What was the mind trying to control?
What impermanent person, object, or circumstance was the mind attempting to make permanent?
What craving caused the mind to become discontent?
This investigation moves the Practitioner away from blaming the outside world and toward identifying the actual cause of the discontentedness so that it can be eliminated.
The Third Noble Truth: The Elimination of Discontentedness
The Third Noble Truth states:
The elimination of discontentedness is possible by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
This Truth is encouraging.
The Buddha did not merely explain that everyone who is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness. He explained that the cause can be identified and eliminated.
If craving/desire/attachment is the cause of discontentedness, then eliminating craving/desire/attachment eliminates the problem.
The mind does not need to remain permanently trapped in:
Anger
Sadness
Fear
Worry
Frustration
Irritation
Jealousy
Guilt
Shame
Loneliness
Dissatisfaction
Excitement
Dependence on temporary happiness
These discontent feelings arise because of conditions within the unEnlightened mind.
Through training, those conditions can be removed.
Eliminate the Craving, Not Necessarily the Object
Practicing non-attachment does not necessarily mean eliminating relationships, occupations, possessions, or ordinary participation in the world.
A Practitioner does not need to abandon a relationship merely because attachment has been identified.
A Practitioner does not need to discard every possession.
A Practitioner does not need to stop working, planning, helping others, or pursuing beneficial goals.
What needs to be eliminated is the mental longing with a strong eagerness.
A person can have a relationship without expecting the other person to produce permanent contentment.
A person can have a possession without becoming mentally dependent on it.
A person can work toward a beneficial goal without thinking that peace and contentment depend on achieving the desired result.
A person can make plans while understanding that circumstances may change.
Existing in the world and participating in life are not the problem. The problem is the mind chasing, grasping, holding, and obsessing over impermanent objects and outcomes.
Learn and understand The Natural Law of Kamma: How Your Decisions Shape Your Life.
What Happens When Craving Is Eliminated?
When the mind eliminates craving/desire/attachment, it no longer searches for permanent contentment through impermanent conditions.
It becomes inwardly peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy. This is a permanent mental state that can be obtained and experienced.
The elimination of craving is giving it up, letting go of it, becoming free from it, and no longer relying on it. Craving can be released from the mind through training the mind.
Through this training, the mind can reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy.
The mind can become satisfied with what is.
These inner qualities of the Enlightened mind are not based on temporary conditions in the world. Therefore, they do not disappear when an impermanent condition changes.
The elimination of discontentedness is not merely learning to manage discontentedness more effectively or coping with feelings. The goal is the complete elimination of the cravings/desires/attachments that cause discontentedness. By eliminating the cause of discontentedness, you will eliminate discontentedness from the mind.
The Fourth Noble Truth: The Path Leading to The Elimination of Discontentedness
The Fourth Noble Truth states:
The path to eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
Understanding that craving causes discontentedness is important, but intellectual understanding alone will not eliminate craving.
A Practitioner needs to train the mind.
The Eight Fold Path is the complete and perfect plan for accomplishing that training.
Right View
Right View begins with understanding The Four Noble Truths.
A Practitioner understands:
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
Our own cravings/desires/attachments cause discontentedness because the mind wants permanence in an impermanent world.
Discontentedness can be eliminated by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
The Path for eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
Right Intention
The Practitioner trains the mind toward:
Non-craving
Non-ill-will
Harmlessness
Right Speech
The Practitioner trains to eliminate:
Lying
Slander
Harsh Speech
Frivolous Speech
And more deeply to:
Speak at the proper time
Speak what is true
Speak gently
Speak beneficially
Speak with a mind of loving-kindness
Right Action
The Practitioner makes wholesome choices through bodily conduct that does not cause harm to oneself or others.
Right Livelihood
The Practitioner earns a living without engaging in harmful, dishonest, or unwholesome conduct.
Right Effort
The Practitioner applies effort to:
Prevent unwholesome mental states from arising
Abandon unwholesome mental states that have arisen
Produce wholesome mental states that have not yet arisen
Maintain and develop wholesome mental states that have arisen
Right Mindfulness
The Practitioner develops awareness of the mind and, more specifically, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The Practitioner develops awareness of bodily sensations that arise prior to discontentedness, feelings, the condition of the mind, and mental objects.
Right Mindfulness helps the Practitioner observe when craving/desire/attachment is arising.
Without awareness of the mind, a person may experience anger or frustration without recognizing the craving that caused it.
Right Concentration
The Practitioner develops concentration through meditation, practicing singleness of mind, and the complete practice of The Eight Fold Path.
The Eight Fold Path needs to become a life practice. It is not limited to meditation, a temple, a retreat, or a particular time of day.
It needs to be practiced through one’s intentions, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration throughout daily life.
How The Four Noble Truths Work Together
The Four Noble Truths are one complete Teaching that explains the truth of what is occurring within the unEnlightened mind.
The First Noble Truth Identifies the Problem
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
The Practitioner first recognizes that the untrained and unEnlightened mind experiences conditioned feelings that are unsatisfactory.
The Second Noble Truth Identifies the Cause
Discontentedness is caused by our own cravings/desires/attachments because the mind wants everything to be permanent when everything in the world is impermanent.
The Practitioner then examines the mind to identify what it wants, expects, grasps, holds, or attempts to control.
The Third Noble Truth Identifies the Solution
The elimination of discontentedness is possible by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
The Practitioner understands that freedom is possible because the internal cause can be removed.
The Fourth Noble Truth Provides The Path
The path to eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
The Practitioner follows the complete training that gradually weakens and eliminates cravings/desires/attachments.
The Four Noble Truths therefore provide:
The problem
The cause
The solution
The complete Path for applying the solution
Without the First Noble Truth, the mind may not accurately recognize its problem.
Without the Second Noble Truth, the mind may continue blaming other people and circumstances.
Without the Third Noble Truth, the Practitioner may not understand that permanent freedom from discontentedness is possible.
Without the Fourth Noble Truth, the Practitioner would not have the complete plan needed to train the mind.
Common Misunderstandings About the Four Noble Truths
Did The Buddha Teach That All Life Is Suffering?
No.
The word “suffering” does not accurately represent what The Buddha was Teaching a Practitioner to eliminate from the mind.
The word “suffering” may direct the mind only toward obvious physical pain, emotional distress, or severe hardship.
Discontentedness has a broader meaning.
It includes pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant because all of these conditioned feelings are impermanent.
The Teaching is not that every moment of life consists only of severe pain.
The Teaching is that an unEnlightened mind cannot obtain permanent contentment by depending on temporary and impermanent conditions.
Is This Teaching Pessimistic?
No.
Identifying a problem is not pessimistic when the cause can be eliminated and a complete Path leading to its elimination is provided.
The First Noble Truth identifies discontentedness.
The Second Noble Truth explains its cause.
The Third Noble Truth establishes that it can be eliminated.
The Fourth Noble Truth provides The Path to accomplish the elimination.
The destination is not despair.
The destination is a mind that is peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy—permanently.
Must a Practitioner Eliminate Every Ordinary Desire?
All craving/desire/attachment will produce discontentedness. There is no wholesome craving/desire/attachment.
However, eliminating craving does not necessarily mean eliminating relationships, occupations, possessions, plans, or beneficial goals.
The Practitioner needs to eliminate the mental longing with a strong eagerness.
You can work toward a goal without thinking that your contentment depends on the outcome.
You can enjoy a relationship without attempting to control the other person.
You can use possessions without becoming attached to them.
You can make plans while understanding that all conditions are impermanent.
Is Meditation Alone Enough?
No.
Meditation is an essential part of training the mind, but meditation alone is not the complete Path.
A person cannot meditate while continuing to maintain wrong intentions, harmful speech, unwholesome actions, or wrong livelihood and think they will attain Enlightenment.
A Practitioner could not attain Enlightenment without meditation, but one also could not attain Enlightenment through meditation alone.
The entire Eight Fold Path needs to be learned and practiced throughout daily life.
Are The Four Noble Truths Beliefs That Must Be Accepted?
The Four Noble Truths are to be learned, reflected on (i.e. independently verified), and practiced.
A Practitioner can observe:
What happens when the mind craves something.
What happens when an expectation is not fulfilled.
What happens when the mind attempts to control another person.
What happens when the mind becomes attached to an opinion.
What happens when an impermanent condition changes.
What happens when the mind identifies and lets go of a craving.
Through direct observation, a Practitioner can verify whether craving/desire/attachment produces discontentedness and whether letting go brings the mind closer to peacefulness and contentedness.
Enlightenment is developed through gradual training, gradual practice, and gradual progress—not through merely accepting information.
There are no beliefs in The Teachings of The Buddha. With a belief, you do not know whether something is true or false. You are merely believing it.
Someone may have convinced you to believe it, or you may have convinced yourself.
To attain Enlightenment, you need to cultivate wisdom so that you know the truth and can clearly see true reality. Believing something will not accomplish this goal.
For the same reason, a Practitioner does not merely accept these Teachings. A Practitioner needs to cultivate wisdom and independently verify them to awaken the mind.
How to Apply The Four Noble Truths in Daily Life
Consider a situation where someone says something about you that you know is untrue.
The mind becomes angry.
The immediate reaction may be:
“That person made me angry.”
But The Four Noble Truths guide the Practitioner to investigate more deeply.
1. Everyone That Is unEnlightened Will Experience Discontentedness
Recognize what is occurring in the mind.
The mind is experiencing anger, irritation, frustration, or resentment.
These are painful feelings and therefore discontentedness.
Do not deny the feeling.
Do not justify it.
You can know with wisdom that:
“The mind is experiencing discontentedness.”
Based on The Eight Fold Path, it would be wise to “cut off and let go” of the arising feeling while it is still experienced as a bodily sensation.
If it is not recognized as a bodily sensation, recognize and eliminate it when it becomes a feeling in the mind. If it is not eliminated there, it will begin affecting the condition of the mind. At that stage, it still needs to be “cut off and let go.”
2. Identify the Craving/Desire/Attachment
The other person did not place anger inside the mind.
Investigate what the mind wanted or expected.
Perhaps the mind wanted:
Everyone to speak positively about you.
The other person to agree with your opinion.
Your reputation to remain exactly as you wanted.
The other person to understand you.
The statement never to have been spoken.
The situation to be different from what it is.
The mind wanted an impermanent person or circumstance to remain or behave according to its expectations.
The craving/desire/attachment caused the anger.
3. Eliminate the Craving/Desire/Attachment
Understand that not everyone will agree with you.
You cannot control another person’s speech.
You do not need the past to be different from what occurred.
You can let go of the expectation while still responding wisely.
Eliminating the craving does not mean agreeing with false speech or being passive when harmful conduct is occurring. It means addressing the situation without anger, hatred, or attachment.
4. Apply The Eight Fold Path
Apply Right View by accepting responsibility for the feelings arising in the mind.
Apply Right Intention by developing non-ill-will and harmlessness with the intention to renounce, or let go of, this arising feeling.
Apply Right Speech by speaking at the proper time, speaking what is true, speaking gently, speaking beneficially, and speaking with a mind of loving-kindness, while avoiding lying, slander, harsh speech, and frivolous speech.
Apply Right Action by choosing bodily conduct that does not cause harm.
Apply Right Effort by abandoning the unwholesome quality of anger and cultivating the wholesome quality of loving-kindness.
Apply Right Mindfulness by remaining aware of the mind and recognizing any returning craving.
Apply Right Concentration by maintaining a stable and well-trained mind with focus and clarity.
This is how The Four Noble Truths become a daily life practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Four Noble Truths in Simple Terms?
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
Discontentedness is caused by our own cravings/desires/attachments because the mind wants everything to be permanent when everything in the world is impermanent.
The elimination of discontentedness is possible by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
The path to eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
What Is the Meaning of The Four Noble Truths?
The meaning of The Four Noble Truths is understood through one complete framework: the problem of discontentedness, its cause, its elimination, and The Path leading to its elimination.
Why Are The Four Noble Truths Important?
The Four Noble Truths establish Right View and provide the foundation for understanding The Path to Enlightenment.
They explain the problem, the cause of the problem, the solution, and The Path for applying the solution.
What Causes Discontentedness According to The Buddha?
Our own cravings/desires/attachments cause discontentedness because the mind wants everything to be permanent when everything in the world is impermanent.
The mind longs for people, objects, feelings, relationships, opinions, or circumstances to remain as it wants. When impermanent conditions change, the mind experiences discontentedness.
Can Discontentedness Be Completely Eliminated?
Yes.
The elimination of discontentedness is possible by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
Through training the mind to let go and no longer depend on impermanent conditions, it can reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy—permanently.
How Are The Four Noble Truths Connected to The Eight Fold Path?
The Fourth Noble Truth states that the path to eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
The Four Noble Truths establish Right View, which is the first factor of The Eight Fold Path. The remaining factors provide the complete training needed to eliminate cravings/desires/attachments.
Which Teaching Should a Beginner Learn First?
A beginner would be wise to begin by learning, reflecting on (i.e. independently verifying), and practicing The Four Noble Truths.
They explain:
Why the unEnlightened mind experiences discontentedness.
What causes the discontentedness.
How it can be eliminated.
Which Path needs to be practiced to transform the mind.
Walking The Path Toward the Elimination of Discontentedness
The Four Noble Truths provide a clear and complete foundation for understanding The Teachings of The Buddha.
The First Noble Truth teaches:
Everyone that is unEnlightened will experience discontentedness.
The Second Noble Truth teaches:
Discontentedness is caused by our own cravings/desires/attachments because the mind wants everything to be permanent when everything in the world is impermanent.
The Third Noble Truth teaches:
The elimination of discontentedness is possible by eliminating cravings/desires/attachments.
The Fourth Noble Truth teaches:
The path to eliminating discontentedness is The Eight Fold Path.
A Practitioner does not need to continue blaming people, objects, or circumstances for the condition of the mind.
Instead, look inwardly.
Observe the discontentedness.
Identify the craving.
Recognize what the mind wanted to make permanent.
Develop a plan to eliminate the craving.
Practice The Eight Fold Path.
Through gradual training, gradual practice, and gradual progress, cravings/desires/attachments can be weakened and eliminated. As the cause of discontentedness is eliminated, the mind moves closer to Enlightenment—a mind that is peaceful, calm, serene, content with joy, and satisfied with what is.
Continue Learning
For a broader explanation of how these Teachings form a complete life practice, continue with The Teachings of The Buddha: A Beginner’s Guide to The Path to Enlightenment.
To understand the destination of The Path, read What Is Enlightenment in Buddhism?
To begin developing the mind through dedicated training, read Buddhist Meditation for Beginners: How to Develop a Daily Practice.
To explore the awakening of the mind, read What Does It Mean to Be Spiritually Awake?
David Roylance is a dedicated Practitioner, Teacher, and published author who has taught The Teachings of The Buddha since 2005. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he guides Household and Ordained Practitioners worldwide through courses, retreats, and special events on The Path to Enlightenment.
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