Twin Cities KTC Buddhist Meditation Center

The Four Noble Truths

by | Mar 26, 2018 | Uncategorized

On MARCH 11, Lama Yeshe taught on THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS.

This was the first teaching that the Buddha gave after reaching Enlightnement.  It offers methods for overcoming many different types of suffering.  First, as we look clearly at our situation we see that there exists unavoidable discomfort and suffering.  Second, learning about the causes of suffering we recognize the role we play in generating and perpetuating it. Third,  we come to realize that suffering can be eliminated.  Fourth,  there is a path of skillful strategies that we can employ to eliminate that suffering.  Once freed from suffering we can experience limitless joy, love, and compassion.  Understanding these Four Noble Truths is fundamental to understanding subsequent teachings of the Buddha.  They also serve as a motivation for spiritual practice.    Click here for a short overview of the Four Noble Truths by Thrangu Rinpohe.  

Below is the audio version of that talk that started a few minutes into the teachings.  The first (unrecorded portion) is here in print.

The First Noble Truth: Truth of Suffering
The first noble truth is the full understanding of suffering. Of course, in an obvious way, people are aware of suffering and know when they have unpleasant sensations such as hunger, cold, or sickness. But the first noble truth includes awareness of all the ramifications of suffering. It encompasses the very causal nature of suffering. This includes knowledge of the obvious aspects as well as the subtle aspects of suffering. The obvious aspect of suffering is immediate pain or difficulty in the moment. We frequently ignore or deny the subtle aspects.
Four types of suffering the Buddha taught in his first teaching: birth, old age sickness and death. You can’t avoid three of these. The only way to avoid old age is to die before you get there.
There is another way to look at suffering. Not getting what you want, getting what you don’t want and getting what you want and later not wanting it. Buyers remorse is this third type of suffering.
A third way to look at suffering is (1) there is the suffering of change. The pleasant experiences don’t last. (2) Suffering on top of suffering: different unpleasant experiences appear in groups. (3) All pervasive suffering: there is an underlying sense of subtle anxiety due to life’s uncertainty.
 
The tape begins here with The Second Noble Truth: Truth of the Cause of Suffering.

Lama Yeshe in Tibet

Lama Yeshe is the resident teacher at Hay River KTC Buddhist Meditation Center near Ridgeland, WI.  For more information about the center and Lama Yeshe refer to KTCHayRiver.org.

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