The Four Noble Truths (Pali, "cattari ariya saccani") are taught in Buddhism as the fundamental insight or enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha), which led to the formulation of the Buddhist philosophy.

1. Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, impermanent, suffering.
2. Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha).
3. Nirodha: There is a way out of suffering, which is to eliminate attachment and desire.
4. Marga: The path that leads out of suffering is called the Noble Eightfold Path.

This outline form is exactly that used by doctors of the Buddha's culture when diagnosing and prescribing for a disease: identify the disease, its cause, whether it is curable, and the prescribed cure. Thus the Buddha treats suffering as a "disease" we can confidently expect to cure.

Because of its focus on suffering, Buddhism is often called pessimistic. But since Gautama Buddha presented a cure, Buddhists consider it neither pessimistic nor optimistic but realistic.

See also

• List of Buddhist topics

External links

• At Access to Insight:
  • The Four Noble Truths: A Study Guide (by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
  • Wings to Awakening Section 3.H.i: The Four Noble Truths (translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
• Talks given by Ajahn Sumedho:
  • At Amaravati Monastery's web: The Four Noble Truths
  • PDF version at Buddhanet.net: The Four Noble Truths eBook
• Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (log in as "guest")
• A View on the Four Noble Truths
• The Light of Asia (Book Eight), a poem in iambic pentameter by Sir Edwin Arnold.
• The Four Noble Truths, a BuddhaNet production by Ajahn Sumedho.