We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are four noble, wonderful truths and are basic principles of practice: Ill-being (suffering), the Making of Ill-being (the cause of suffering), the Cessation of Ill-being (the absence of suffering), and the Path (the path to end suffering). The first truth addresses sufferings such as birth, old age, sickness, death, the inability to obtain what one desires, separation from loved ones, association with those one dislikes, and the grasping of the five skandhas: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. The second truth points out that the roots of suffering are not only craving but also anger and ignorance. The causes of suffering include craving, anger, ignorance, pride, doubt, and wrong view. Among them, wrong view includes five types of erroneous perceptions:
- View of the body: believing the body is the self.
- Extreme view: a one-sided extreme view (caught in eternalism or nihilism).
- Wrong view: a view not in accord with the truth of cause and effect.
- Attachment to views: being caught in a perception considered to be absolute truth.
- Attachment to rites and rituals: being caught in prohibitions and rituals.
The teachings of the Buddha are based on the principle of Dependent Co-arising, in which Ill-being, the Making of Ill-being, Cessation, and the Path rely on each other to manifest, just like the interbeing of the 18 realms (six sense organs, six sense objects, six consciousnesses). There is a harmful misunderstanding that the five skandhas themselves are suffering; in reality, the attachment to the five skandhas is suffering, like a dog chasing to bite the stone instead of the person who threw it. Besides the Southern School’s view on the Three Dharma Seals as impermanence, suffering, and nonself, the Dharma Seal Sutra presents three other seals: emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness. Suffering is not the nature of all things but is caused by wrong perceptions regarding impermanence and nonself.
The misunderstanding of “extinction of desire” leads to a dry and lifeless image, whereas Buddhism is a lively reality. The Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing are considered modern Bodhisattva precepts, carrying a spirit of openness, not only prohibiting but also guiding practice and nourishing joy. Traditional monastic precepts need to be understood according to the spirit of their content rather than rigid form, including the precepts:
- Not sleeping on high, broad beds (living simply).
- Not using money (avoiding attachment).
- Not wearing cosmetics or adornments (avoiding corruption by material things).
- Not eating at the wrong time (eating one meal a day to nourish health and mindfulness).
