Do you Agree with the First Two Noble Truths?

"Oh, it is real. It is the only real thing. Pain. So let us name the truth, like men. We are born to joy that joy may become pain. We are born to hope that hope may become pain. We are born to love that love may become pain. We are born to pain that pain may become more Pain, and from that exhaustible superflux. We may give others pain as our prime definition." (Smith 100) The Buddha believed that the first Noble Truth of life is dukkha which is translated into "All life is suffering"(Pain).

The second noble truth the Buddha believed in was "All suffering comes from desire( tanha) thirst or craving. It is understood in Buddhism that pain is a part of this cycle of life and as long as we have place our selfish desires and pleasures, we will have nothing but more pain. He also believed that much of what we may find enjoyable was in fact superficial. He believed that life was lived unfulfilling and filled with insecurity, and that most things that were enjoyable resulted in pain. He believed that all these things such as desires and pleasures are just distraction to distract us from the pain that is so deeply bedded within us all. Only at quite rare moments have I felt really glad to be alive. I could not but feel with a sympathy full of regret all the pain that I saw around me, not only that of men, but of the whole creation."(Smith 100-101).

I have to say I do believe in the first and second noble truths because the more you live life you will truly endure suffering, and most of the suffering will come from our selfishness and pleasures, we are trying to obtain in this world. We have to come to an higher understanding that our wants and desires are only temporary, and will not give us the pleasure, and desires we believe they will because in this life everything is temporary including ourselves. Buddha teaches us once we come into this understanding and realize that all of selfishness and desired pleasure are the real root to our suffering is when we come to understand that all is temporary.

I think both statements speaks to all the pain we all see in the world all around us, and yet there are times when we still feel a since of happiness with our so called lives, despite the suffering that is happening all around us and I believe that is what is meant in that statement. There is truly pain in just about all aspects of life just waiting to raise its little head, and Buddha clearly makes that noted in his teaching. The realization that all is temporary including ourselves will then give us the understanding "All life is suffering and All suffering comes from our desires." This has given me a new foundation as to how I view, or believe what it is that I think might make me happy, and come to the understanding that it will not. Its only temporary and the suffering will only continue as long as I keep placing my selfish desires and pleasures upon my life will nothing change and this is what I have learned from the Buddha and Buddhism teachings.

Cite this page