The Four Noble Truths

Question 1

What are the four Noble truths

Answer 1

Dukkha - all life involves suffering
Samudaya - all suffering is caused by tanha
Nirodha - The cessation Of Dukkha lies in the cessation of Tanha– we can stop suffering if we stop wanting things
Magga - the path to cessation - We can learn to do this by following the teachings of the Buddha, and the noble eightfold path

Question 2

What is Tanha?

Answer 2

It is translated as craving, desire, thirst, attachment, greed

Question 3

What are the three forms of Tanha?

Answer 3

• Kamma Tanha — this is the desire for the object of sensory desire. Certain objects or things give us pleasure e.g. chocolate, alcohol, music, sex. This pleasure is unreliable as it doesn’t last and lessons each time we experience it
• Bhava Tanha — this is the desire for existence. It includes our desire to exist and continue to live. It also means the desire to be a certain sort of person e.g. a millionaire or a rockstar. It could be desire not to grow old or ill
• Vibhava Tanha — This is the craving for nonexistence. It could mean the desire to not be alive or it could mean the desire for other objects or people not to exist

Question 4

What is Nirodha

Answer 4

It includes stopping craving material things, wealth and possessions.
Ending our attachment to possessions.
Ending our attachment to people.
Ending our attachment to beliefs.
Ending our attachment to our self and realising anatta

Question 5

Are the four Noble truths too negative? YES

Answer 5

• “all life involves suffering” = Dukkha. which is very negative way to view existence
• “ Dukkha surrounds all experiences” which is very negative and we will still have memories and we can do it all again
• Nirodha is removing the attachment of humans to stop suffering but attachment is good. Nirodha is very negative
• being a monk is cut off from the world, no family or attachment = less Dukkha but monks don’t get the positive things that others do
• Nirodha - Give up attachments to beliefs, accept inequality, accept no God/gods etc. attachments make us happy

Question 6

Are the four Noble truths too negative? NO

Answer 6

• they are not too negative in the sense that one of the noble truth is to let go of wanting things which is possible which will result in being happy
• The goal is to reach enlightenment and be free from Dukkha which is a positive goal to reach and a path to follow
• Dukkha = Not too negative or pessimistic, just realistic. Everything will be tinged with a bit of Dukkha which is inevitable
• greed is bad. It isn’t being pessimistic, it is true. Need to let go of being greedy “greed makes you ill“ - Dalai Lama