Suffering Sucks: The Four Noble Truths and the End of Suffering.
Feeling lost,Suffering and see no way out. Or no path to happiness and peace of Mind? Let me share a path.The Buddha Provem Path of the Four Noble Truths, and the Eight Fold Path to end the human experience of Suffering.

Believe it or not but the Buddha was a man of science and wisdom, not a religious leader. He sought to understand the nature of existence and the root of human suffering. His teachings on the path to liberation and the end of suffering are known as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. In this article, we will explore the Four Noble Truths in a friendly and easy-to-read way, with a touch of humor.

The Four Noble Truths: The Four Noble Truths are the essence of Buddhist teachings and the foundation of Buddhist philosophy. They are:

1. The truth of suffering (dukkha): Life always involves suffering, in obvious and subtle forms.
   

2. The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya): The cause of suffering is craving and attachment to impermanent things.
   

3. The truth of the end of suffering (nirodha): The end of suffering is possible by letting go of craving and attachment.
   

4. The truth of the path to the end of suffering (magga): The path to the end of suffering is the Eightfold Path, which includes right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
   

The First Truth identifies the presence of suffering in everyone's life. The Second Truth seeks to determine the cause of suffering. In Buddhism, desire, craving and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied.
The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached.

The Fourth Noble truth states specifically the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. End of Suffering - The Eightfold Path: The Eightfold Path is the path to the end of suffering. It includes:

1. Right Understanding
   

2. Right Thought
   

3. Right Speech
   

4. Right Action
   

5. Right Livelihood
   

6. Right Effort
   

7. Right Mindfulness
   

8. Right Concentration
   

The Fourth Noble Truths present us with the precise life road map that leads to the end of suffering. And the arrival of a life of wisdom, purpose and happiness. However, it’s not the map itself which frees us. It’s by acting and following the map that we create the causes and conditions of our own awakening.
The first step on the Eightfold Path is Right Understanding. This means understanding the Four Noble Truths and the nature of existence. The word ‘suffering’ here is dukkha in Sanskrit, which can also be translated as pain, satisfactoriness, or discontent
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Often referred to as ‘all life is suffering,’ some hear the first noble truth and mistakenly think we’re being told that pleasure or happiness do not exist. The Buddha is not denying the existence of happiness or pleasure. Rather, he reminds us that the material pleasure and happiness we chase are incapable of satisfying us. For life changes continually and nothing in the material world stays the same. So, chasing the impermanent is a never ending and frustrating chase.
In conclusion, consider the Four Noble Truths as a life plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces. The Eightfold Path is the way to follow that roadmap. By understanding the Four Noble Truths and following the Eightfold Path, we can find lasting freedom from our suffering. Remember, Suffering Sucks, but the Buddha's teachings offer a way out.

ji Guru, Steve Monahan
The Four Fold Path Course