About 2, 500 years ago, Lord Buddha arrived in our midst to show us the true meaning of life and impart to us the true knowledge of human existence. He left for our benefit his immortal teachings that are considered pearls of the world
philosophy even centuries after his demise. Know about the "Four Noble Truths" - considered to be one of the most important parts of Lord Buddha's teachings. If you like reading about "The Four Noble Truths", please click here and pass on this article to your friends and dear ones. Happy Buddha Purnima to all of you!
The holy occasion known
as Buddha Purnima commemorates the birth, enlightenment and ultimate
liberation of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. This great soul
is supposed to have born in 563 B.C. as prince Siddhartha in the
royal household of Nepal. Secluded from normal life and surroundings
until his youth by his father, who had been predicted of his son's
getting inclined to spirituality in his young days, Siddhartha grew
up to realize his destiny as soon as he entered the sphere of
worldly people. The sight of a diseased man, an old man, a corpse
one after the other filled him with curiosity and upon being told by
his charioteer that everyone including himself was to meet the same
fate, he was greatly disturbed. When he came by a calm ascetic, he
resolved to overcome all human sufferings by living the life of
asceticism.
He left his family and all worldly possessions to pursue the way to
end all human miseries that came in the form of old age, illness and
death. For years, he meditated on the true self of being and gained
the ultimate knowledge. Years later, he came to understand why human
life was full of sufferings. Not content with his own salvation, he
imparted his hard-acquired knowledge to his followers and whoever
was ready to listen to him. In lucid terms, he described the causes
of human misery. These causes, as delineated by Lord Buddha, are
known as "The Four Noble Truths" and appear many times throughout
the most ancient Buddhist texts - the Pali Canon. The "Four Noble
Truths" throw light on:
a) The Nature of Suffering
b) The Origin of Suffering
c) The Cessation of Suffering and
d) The Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering.
The four truths are said to be among the realizations that dawned on
Lord Buddha during his long hours of meditation beneath the Bodhi
tree. These are:
The Nature of Suffering (Dukkha) - A little reflection on our part
can show us that the world is full of suffering. Our birth is in
itself a painful process, so is ageing, illness and death. But the
interim period between life and death is full of suffering which
results from our union with what is displeasing, separation from
what is pleasing, inability to get what we want and getting what we
do not want (such as grief, pain and despair). In short, all
existence is unsatisfactory and filled with suffering.
The Origin of Suffering (Samudaya) - According to Buddha, all our
sufferings have their origin in our desires, accompanied by delight
and lust, craving for lowly joys, fame and approval from fellow
beings, sensual pleasures and suchlike. It is this constant thirst
for earthly pleasures that leads to renewed existence, that is, our
bondage to the world - the haven of all misery.
The Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha): The purpose of human birth is
to work on attaining the permanent cessation of suffering. Everyone
of us have faced suffering at some point of our lives. Some of us
may not be experiencing misery at this moment but such a state
devoid of suffering is temporary. Suffering is an integral part of
human life and each of us has to face misery again and again in this
life and in countless future lives. To stop this cycle of suffering,
we should develop strong renunciation for this endless cycle, and
resolve to attain enlightenment ourselves and to lead every living
being to that state, which alone can bring about the permanent
cessation of suffering.
The Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Marga): The cessation of
suffering can only happen if we are able to bring about a complete
ethical, moral, mental and spiritual transformation in ourselves for
the better. This can take place if we follow each of the precepts
mentioned in the Noble Eightfold Path that consists of right view,
right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right
effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
More than 2, 500 years have passed since the demise of this great
soul and yet, his teachings have as much significance today as
during his own times.
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