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The Four Noble Truths

DN 16 The Buddha addressed the community thus:

“It is through not fully understanding and penetrating the four noble truths that I, as well as you, have experienced the cycle of rebirth-and-death for a very long time. Because of not fully understanding the noble truth of suffering we have experienced the cycle of rebirth-and-death; by not fully understanding the noble truth of the origin of suffering; the noble truth of the cessation of suffering; the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering, that we have for a long time experienced the cycle of rebirth and death.”

SN 56.11 So long as my penetration and insight into these four noble truths as they really are was not thoroughly complete in their three phases and twelve aspects, then I did not claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect awakening in this world.

But when my penetration and insight into these four noble truths as they really are was thoroughly complete in their three phases and twelve aspects, then did I claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect awakening in this world.

    1. This is the noble truth of suffering (dukkha).
    2. Suffering is to be fully understood.
    3. Suffering has been fully understood.
    1. This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: wanting (taṅha) causing rebirth.
    2. Wanting (the origin of suffering) is to be abandoned.
    3. Wanting (the origin of suffering) has been abandoned.
    1. This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: extinguishing (nirodha) that wanting.
    2. The end of wanting (the cessation of suffering) is to be realised.
    3. The end of wanting (the cessation of suffering) has been realised.
    1. This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: the noble eightfold path (ariya aṭṭhaṅgika magga).
    2. The noble eightfold path (the way to the cessation of suffering) is to be developed.
    3. The noble eightfold path (the way to the cessation of suffering) has been developed.

Thus, in regard to things unheard before in this generation, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

MN 26 I considered: “This Dhamma that has been awakened to is profound, hard to see and hard to understand, peaceful and sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise. But this generation delights in attachment to a self, takes delight in attachment to a self, and rejoices in attachment to a self. It is hard for such a generation to see this truth, namely, the empty process of cause and effect, dependent cessation and origination.

Furthermore, it is hard to embrace this truth, namely, the stilling and disappearance of the will, the relinquishing of everything that has been acquired, the destruction of wanting, everything fading away, cessation, nibbāna.”

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[Brahma Sahampati entreats the Buddha to teach:] “There are beings with little dust in their eyes that are wasting through not hearing this Dhamma. There will be those who will understand this Dhamma”.