The first teaching ever given by the Buddha was to five student monks (the five brothers of Kiều Trần Như) in the deer park. The Buddha spoke of the Four Noble Truths he had discovered while struggling for enlightenment; these are the central teachings of Buddhism. It was the Buddha's first awareness that life brings with it illness, age, misery and death that led him to search for a deeper understanding of how we live, and ways to end suffering.

Each of these lessons explains the key Buddhist steps in understanding the truth about life, the reasons behind those truths, the possibility of change and the way of life that can lead to a life free of suffering.

All Buddhists study, meditate, think and act in ways designed to help them come to a full understanding of each of these Four Noble Truths and to stay on the path the Buddha says will lead them to peace and happiness.

I. The First Noble Truth — Suffering

The first of the Buddha's sermons after his enlightenment described the Four Noble Truths: that life brings suffering, that suffering is part of living, that suffering can be ended, and that there is a path that leads to the end of suffering. These ideas sum up the key teachings of Buddhism.

After his experiences as a prince and as a wandering monk, the Buddha had learnt that all people have one thing in common: if they think about their own life, or look at the world around them, they will see that life is full of suffering. Suffering, he said, may be physical or mental. The Buddha's most important teachings were focused on a way to end the suffering he had experienced and had seen in other people. His discovery of the solution began with the recognition that life is suffering. This is the first of the Four Noble Truths.

A. Physical suffering. Physical suffering takes many forms. All of us have seen an elderly person with aches and pains in their joints, finding it hard to move or worried about falling on their sore bones and delicate skin. As we get older, life can become more difficult for all kinds of reasons: our eyes may not see as well, our ears may not hear as well, or our teeth may not be as strong, making it harder to eat. The pain of disease, which strikes young and old alike, is a reality for us all, and the pain of death brings much grief and suffering. Even the moment of birth gives pain both to the mother and the child.

The First Noble Truth is that the suffering of birth, old age, sickness and death is unavoidable. Some fortunate people may now be enjoying relatively happy and carefree lives, but it is only a matter of time before they, too, will experience suffering. What is also true is that this suffering — whether a cold, an injury or a sad event — must be borne alone. When you have a cold, it is your cold and only you experience how it feels. A man may care deeply that his mother is growing old, yet he cannot take her place and suffer the pains of aging for her; likewise a mother cannot experience her sick child's illness for him. The Buddha taught people to recognise that suffering is part of life and cannot be avoided.

B. Mental suffering. The Buddha also taught that suffering does not only come from the body. There are also forms of mental suffering. People feel sad, lonely or depressed. They suffer when they lose a loved one through separation or death. They feel irritated or uncomfortable in the company of people they dislike. People also suffer when they are unable to satisfy their limitless needs and wants. A baby cries when he cannot communicate his hunger, or when he wants something he cannot have. Teenagers may feel utterly frustrated if their parents won't let them join a party, watch certain movies or buy the clothes they want. Adults too can feel unhappy when they cannot pay their bills, frustrated when their job bores them, or lonely when their relationships are unfulfilling. All these are examples of what Buddhists call mental suffering — painful feelings that arise from being separated from the people we love, having to be with people we dislike, or not getting what we want.

C. Happiness in life. When the Buddha said that there is suffering in life, he also spoke about happiness. Buddhists speak of many kinds of happiness: the happiness of friendship; of family life; of a healthy body and mind; happiness from celebration and gifts, as well as from sharing and giving. Buddhists believe that happiness is real but impermanent — it does not last forever — and that when happiness fades it leads to suffering. Imagine a person given a beautiful vase by a close friend. They feel happy. But if the vase were to smash accidentally, the happiness would turn into suffering. The person suffers because their attachment to pleasure has not lasted.

Buddhists learn that many people try to escape from suffering by distracting themselves with temporary pleasures. Many try to block out sadness, pain, loss and grief by indulging in pleasures they think will bring happiness, but which actually disguise their real feelings and make them feel worse when the temporary happiness runs out. Imagine a person who likes chocolate and thinks eating it will always make them happy. If that person has a toothache and tries to feel better by eating chocolate, it might work once or twice, but the chocolate will never solve the toothache and soon will make it worse.

In this way, the Buddha taught his followers not to be distracted by momentary pleasures, but to look at the bigger picture of their life experiences. He taught that happiness and pleasures are temporary, and therefore that people should learn more about the True way to end suffering — lessons he taught in the next three Noble Truths.

Suffering is a fact of life. There are four unavoidable physical sufferings: birth, old age, sickness and death. There are also three forms of mental suffering: separation from the people we love; contact with people we dislike; and frustration of desires. Happiness is real and comes in many ways, but happiness does not last forever and does not stop suffering. Buddhists believe that the way to end suffering is to first accept that suffering is actually a fact of life.

II. The Second Noble Truth — The Cause of Suffering

After the Buddha learnt that suffering is a part of life, he realised he could not find a way to end suffering without finding out what causes it — just as a doctor learns what is wrong with a patient by listing their symptoms, finding out what makes them worse and studying other cases before prescribing a cure. By watching people, the Buddha found that the causes of suffering are craving, desire and ignorance. The power of these things to cause all suffering is what Buddhists call the Second Noble Truth.

A. Craving. What are the things we crave? Food we love to eat, entertainment, new things, popularity, money, beauty, holidays and so many more, depending on who and where we are. Craving can be explained as the strong desires people have for pleasing their senses and for experiencing life itself. Buddhists believe that anything that stimulates our senses or feelings can lead to craving. People everywhere crave their favourite tastes, but we all know that not even the best sweets or our favourite meal last forever. Soon they are finished and forgotten as though they never happened. None of the pleasures we crave give us lasting happiness, which is why people crave to repeat these experiences again and again, becoming unhappy until they can satisfy their craving. Yet even if these pleasures are repeated again and again, we can still feel unhappy. Imagine eating your favourite food every meal, day after day: soon the day will come when you cannot enjoy it anymore, when it might even make you feel sick. The Buddha said it is the same with all things that please the senses.

B. Ignorance. Craving is like a great tree with many branches — branches of greed, bad thoughts and anger. The fruit of the tree of craving is suffering. But how does the tree of craving grow, and where can we find it? The Buddha taught that the tree of craving has its roots in ignorance; it grows out of ignorance, and its seeds flourish wherever they find ignorance. What is ignorance? Real ignorance is not just being uneducated or not knowing many things. Buddhists see ignorance as the inability to see the truth about things, to see things as they really are — which is not a question of eyesight or education. History shows many examples of how misunderstanding and limited information cause ignorance: until recently, most people believed the Earth was flat and that travellers could fall off it. Today we know the Earth is round, with no edge to fall off and no monsters. Science has likewise revealed sounds we cannot hear and waves of light we cannot see; without special instruments we would be ignorant that they exist at all.

Buddhists teach that as long as people remain ignorant of the world, they will suffer from all kinds of misunderstandings and delusions. But when people develop their minds and acquire wisdom through study, careful thought and meditation, they will see the Truth — they will see things as they really are. They will understand the Buddha's teachings about the suffering and impermanence of life, and the Four Noble Truths will be clear to them. The Buddha said that overcoming craving and ignorance leads to true happiness and Enlightenment.

The way to end suffering in life is to understand what causes it. Craving and ignorance are the two main causes of suffering. People suffer with their craving for the pleasures of the senses, becoming dissatisfied until they can replace their cravings with new ones; they suffer too when they cannot see the world as it really is and live with illusions and fears based on ignorance. Craving and misunderstanding can be solved by developing the mind, thinking carefully and meditating. Solving these main causes of suffering will lead a person to true happiness, just as it did for the Buddha himself 2,500 years ago.

III. The Third Noble Truth — The End of Suffering

After the Buddha realised the Truth about suffering and its causes, he spent six years committed to discovering a realization about the end of suffering — that, and his achievement of Nirvana, were his ultimate achievements. In those six years, he tried all the methods available to end suffering without success. Eventually he found his own solution to the problems of life, and these are now the core of Buddhist thought, teachings and practice. This is what he discovered: there is an end to suffering; it can happen to anybody, anywhere, here and now; and the key to ending all suffering is to remove all desire, ill will and ignorance.

What happens after suffering ends? After suffering, the Buddha taught, there is supreme happiness. Every step towards removing the causes of unhappiness brings more joy. On the path to the end of suffering — which Buddhists may spend their whole lifetimes practising — there are levels of happiness and freedom from craving and ignorance that can be achieved. In the beginning the happiness might come through better material conditions, more contentment, or better spiritual conditions and more peace. These are the reasons Buddhists can live happily without greed even among people overcome with craving, and live happily without anger even among people harbouring ill will. The more people free themselves from desire, ill will and ignorance, the greater their happiness — no matter what is going on around them. When they have completely removed desire, ill will and ignorance, they will experience the same supreme happiness the Buddha discovered.

Enlightenment. The second fruit of the end of suffering is what Buddhists call supreme Enlightenment. Enlightenment can be called liberation — a total, absolute and permanent end of all suffering. It is the ultimate and final goal of Buddhism. There are many qualities to enlightenment, but the most important are perfect wisdom and great compassion — extraordinary qualities that only the Buddha perfected. Through perfect wisdom he understands the real nature of all things; through great compassion he is able to help countless beings overcome their suffering.

The experience of Enlightenment or Nirvana is very difficult to explain. Even when Buddhists describe it as supreme happiness and perfect wisdom, they are not explaining it completely. Nirvana cannot be put into words — imagine explaining the colour blue to a person who has always been blind, or the sound of a bird to a deaf man. Enlightenment is an experience a person must have for themselves to understand. The Buddha described Nirvana in different ways: supreme happiness, peace, immortality; as uncreated, unformed, beyond the earth, water, fire and air, beyond the sun and moon, unfathomable and immeasurable; and as freedom from conflict and selfishness, the eradication of craving, hatred and delusion.

The Buddha said, and demonstrated through his own life, that Nirvana can be achieved in our lives, while living — it is not a place to which we go after death. Buddhists believe that we can eradicate all the causes of suffering in this life and achieve enlightenment — live in bliss — if we follow the Buddha's teachings.

IV. The Fourth Noble Truth — The Middle Path

In the beginning, Prince Siddhartha lived in luxury and wealth in his father's palace. After he renounced his privileged life and became a wandering monk, he experienced the hardship of a life with nothing. He spent years torturing his mind with hard thoughts and solitude, starved his body, enjoyed no comforts and suffered all the experiences of a life without belongings. Not long before he achieved his insights and attained enlightenment, he realised both these extreme ways of life were as fruitless as each other. He realised that the true way to happiness was to avoid these extremes and follow a moderate way of life, which he called the Middle Path.

Buddhists describe the three ways of life by comparing them to the strings of a lute. The loose string is like a life of careless indulgence and makes a poor note when played. The tight string is like a life of extreme hardship and denial, producing a bad sound and, worse, likely to snap at any moment. Only the middle string, neither slack nor tense, produces a harmonious note — it has the same qualities as the Middle Path. Those who follow this way avoid the extremes of indulgence and denial; they do not seek endless pleasures, nor do they torment themselves with pain and self-denial. The Fourth Noble Truth is that the Middle Path leads to the end of suffering. It is the Buddha's treatment for the problem of suffering in all our lives; this teaching, called the Noble Eightfold Path, can only work if a person chooses to apply it to their life and takes full responsibility for following the steps.

The eight steps of the Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right Understanding: to understand the Law of Cause and Effect and the Four Noble Truths.
2. Right Attitude: not harbouring thoughts of greed and anger.
3. Right Speech: avoiding lying, gossip, harsh speech and tale-telling.
4. Right Action: not to destroy any life, not to steal or commit adultery.
5. Right Livelihood: avoiding occupations that bring harm to oneself and others.
6. Right Effort: earnestly doing one's best in the right direction.
7. Right Mindfulness: always being aware and attentive.
8. Right Concentration: making the mind steady and calm in order to realise the true nature of things.

The eight steps are divided into three ways of practice: Good Conduct (Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood), Mental Development (Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration) and Wisdom (Right Attitude, Right View).

Good Conduct. The power of speech is a unique gift of humankind: used properly, it brings harmony, happiness and wisdom; abused, it brings ignorance, delusion, pain and deceit. Right Speech is about controlling the abuse of speech and cultivating its best potentials — avoiding lies, tale-bearing, harsh words and nonsense while practising truthful, gentle, sensible and meaningful speech. Right Action concerns what we do: avoiding actions that damage ourselves and others, and taking action that improves our sense of self and adds to a healthy society — the foundations for Mental Development and Wisdom. Right Livelihood shows how to become a useful, productive citizen who contributes to one's own welfare and that of others; Buddhist teachings advise against harmful professions such as trading in weapons, living beings, flesh, intoxicants and poison, as well as against cheating and gambling.

Mental Development. Through Mental Development, Buddhists learn to be alert and aware in body and mind. Right Effort is fourfold: to avoid evil and unwholesome states of mind from arising; to overcome unwholesome states already present; to cause good states not yet present to arise; and to develop and perfect wholesome states already present. Right Mindfulness focuses us on the truth of what is happening in the body, in feelings, with the mind, and through our ideas and thoughts. Right Concentration develops this attention, enabling a Buddhist to develop one-pointedness of mind, which brings many strengths and freedoms, including the clarity and calmness to stay on the path of Good Conduct.

Wisdom. Wisdom is Right Attitude and Right View. Developing Right View is about distinguishing between right and wrong, good and bad, and leads to a complete understanding of the Four Noble Truths. Right View is free from delusion and ignorance and moves easily into deep wisdom, clear sightedness and acceptance. Freedom from negative thoughts that distract, debilitate or lead to wrong speech, action, effort, mindfulness or concentration is what Buddhists call Right Attitude. A follower of the Eightfold Path who follows Right View and Right Attitude may achieve the wisdom to understand things as they are, to perceive the relationship between cause and effect, and thus to remove ignorance and craving and experience the end of suffering — the ultimate goal of the Eightfold Path.

Summary. The way to the end of suffering is called the Middle Path. It is an Eightfold Path involving understanding and practice of Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Attitude and Right View. These eight elements can be divided into three ways of practice: Good Conduct, Mental Development and Wisdom. The goal of the Noble Eightfold Path is to bring a true understanding of the Four Noble Truths and deliver their ultimate Teaching — the end of suffering.

(Source: buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism)