The Four Noble Truths Flashcards
What is the first noble truth?
That there is suffering
How many aspects does each truth have?
3
Describe the first aspect of the first noble truth
To admit it’s existence
Describe the second aspect of the first noble truth
To know that suffering should be understood, or carefully analyzed
In what language is the Buddhist text written in?
Pali
What is the Pali word for suffering?
Dukkha
What is the third aspect of the first noble truth?
Suffering or the unsatisfactoriness of the world is known.
What is one of the first insights you glean on the pondering of Dukkha?
That we all suffer
What is the difference between the four noble truths and mainstream religion?
The for noble truths provide objective reflection that cannot be denied by anybody while religion provides a metaphysical absolute ideal that may or may not be true, except that your belief makes it true.
The first noble truth, can it be an absolute statement?
No, because the fourth noble truth provides a vehicle for escaping or minimizing it.
You cannot have absolute suffering
and then have a way out of it, can you?
What is the exact meaning of Dukkha?
The Pali word, dukkha, means “incapable of satisfying” or
“not able to bear or withstand anything”: always changing,
incapable of truly fulfilling us or making us happy.
Life as we know it to be through the aggregates of the body cannot and will not bring happiness but an increased endeavor to seek more of it which can never be the case since we are physically limited.
What would happen if it were actually possible to find complete satisfaction in this material world?
The
sensual world is like that, a vibration in nature. It would, in
fact, be terrible if we did find satisfaction in the sensory
world because then we wouldn’t search beyond it; we’d just
be bound to it
Why is sufferings existence validated without saying my or his or hers?
Because suffering is suffering whether experienced by me or you.
What is so impactful about the concept of Dukkha?
- that we all experience it no matter our status in life, therefore making it easier to express compassion.
In some cases suffering is inevitable, describe the suffering that follows
Something happens which may last a minute or longer, we end up suffering the rest of our life because of our thoughts on it.
What is the general consensus on the experience of life and how the four noble truths challenge this premise.
- the general consensus about life is that life is enjoyed through our experience with the outside world.
- the Buddhist approach is the opposite.
What is grasping?
Grasping is wanting to hold on to something we like; wanting to get rid of something we don’t like; or wanting to get something we don’t have.
Things are as they are, so we can recognise and
appreciate them in their changing forms without grasping