four noble truths

four noble truths

An Analysis of The Four Noble Truths

The most common and widely known conception of the Buddha’s practices consists of the Buddha’s composition of the Four Noble Truths.   The Buddha states that these truths impart all the necessary information that is essential to set out on the journey towards freedom.   He says that these Truths, due to their comprehensiveness, contain within themselves all wholesome and rewarding teachings.   However, while many Buddhist practitioners have devoted attention to explaining the actual content of the four truths, only infrequently is any consideration given to the logic behind the word ‘noble’.   Similarly, it is this illustrative word ‘noble’ that demonstrates the reason why the Buddha chose to develop his teachings in this specific manner, and it is this same term that permits us to experience the uniqueness that suffuses the entire ideology and principle of the enlightened one.   The word ‘noble’ identifies a particular category of person with a desire to learn.   In his teachings, the Buddha separates humans into two broad categories:   The multitude of spirits that are tainted by delusion exist on the one side, and they can be referred to as the worldings.   The noble and spiritual elite occupy the other side of the spectrum; this selective group obtains such preferential status not from birth or social position but rather from their inward nobility and morality of character.   It is this group of people that “speaks the truth” and has to “use words that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful and useful” (Rahula, p. 38).   By living honorably, such nobles are able to adhere to the Buddhist ethical and moral code “by promoting a happy and harmonious life for both the individual and for society” (Rahula, p. 39).
While the path from worldliness to spiritual and metaphysical nobility is a steep one that involves consistent rehearsal and progress, it is not a consistent task.   At a...