Suffering

I won't lie, when I first started reading "4 Noble Truths", I had no idea what was going on. I went back and read it again, trying to really understand and grasp the ideas.

The 4 noble truths all relate to each other: the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the extinction of suffering, and the noble truth of the path that leads to the extinction of suffering.

The noble truth of suffering pretty much means anything that makes us miserable... not getting what we want, feeling pain & sorrow.. etc.

The noble truth of the origin of suffering explains how suffering, in one way or another, is caused by attachment. We all want these "delightful & pleasurable things", but what we don't know is that we're really setting our selves up for suffering. These things can be smells, tastes, sights, sounds or visual things.

The noble truth of the extinction of suffering is finding a way to detach ourselves from what we want and desire. It is an "extinction" of the craving to want these things. The book states that once there is no more greed or hate, we will find Nirvana, or peace.

The noble truth of the path that leads to the extinction of suffering is simply "The Middle Path". The Middle Path is a road between 2 extremes, which eventually leads to Nirvana. This road "makes one both see and know, which leads to peace".

The Noble Eightfold path is "The Middle Path". If you follow the Noble Eightfold path, you will end suffering.

Pic-my own. central park, nyc