Level 2: 4 Noble Truths

After his enlightenment, the very first teaching the Buddha gave to his 5 ascetic companions was that of the four noble truths. These four facts introduce us to the truth that yes, there is great pain in life. But because this pain is caused, the end of pain has a cause, too. By training our minds and walking the spiritual path we can free ourselves from suffering.

The four noble truths of Buddhism lead to happiness by introducing us to the true cause of our unhappiness. We typically blame others, including perhaps a higher being, as the cause of our suffering. But as we learn through meditation, the source of our suffering is our own mind. Change our minds and we change our world, transforming even our most challenging hardships into potential sources of happiness.

In Buddhism, understanding suffering is key to liberating ourselves from it. The three types of suffering in Buddhism are the suffering of birth, old age, illness and death, the suffering of things not staying the same forever, and the suffering of not seeing the world as it really is. The three causes of suffering are our attachment to pleasure, our aversion to pain, and our failure to understand the true source of suffering – our own mind.