The Buddha and his teachings - OCRThe First Noble Truth – dukkha

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths are teachings that are fundamental to Buddhists. They describe the truth of the universe and the nature of reality. They are:

1. Life is unsatisfactory – dukkha.
2. Suffering is caused by craving – samudaya.
3. An end to craving is an end to suffering – nirodha.
4. To end craving, follow the Buddha’s path, which is called the magga.

The First Noble Truth – dukkha

Dukkha refers to the ‘suffering’ or ‘unsatisfactoriness’ of life. A person might temporarily fulfil their desires but suffering – whether physical, emotional or mental – cannot be avoided.

Types of suffering

• Dukkha-dukkha – the suffering of suffering. This refers to the physical and emotional discomfort and pain all humans experience in their lives.
• Viparinama-dukkha – the suffering of change. This refers to the suffering that arises from an inability to accept change. People cling to pleasurable experiences and feel sad when they pass, and they cannot accept the truth of impermanence.
• Sankhara-dukkha – the suffering of existence. This could almost be described as background suffering. It is the profound unsatisfactoriness of existence, caused simply by existence.