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The Four Noble Truths

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The Four Noble Truths is one of the Buddha's main teachings. They are:

  1. Dukkha - suffering is an inescapable part of life
  2. Samudaya - suffering stems from the Three Poisons
  3. Nirodha - there is an end to suffering
  4. Magga - the path to the end of suffering

Dukkha​

Dukkha is the first Noble Truth. It says that suffering is an inescapable part of life. This is like a doctor saying that everybody will be hurt at some point in their life.

This was realised by Siddhartha Gautama (who later became the Buddha) walked outside of his palace and saw three things:

  1. An old man, showing aging
  2. A sick man, showing illness
  3. A corpse, showing death and the impermanance of life

Samudaya​

Samudaya is the second Noble Truth. It says that suffering stems from one or more of the Three Poisons: greed, hate and ignorance. This is like a doctor giving a diagnosis.

Nirodha​

Nirodha is the third Noble Truth. It says that there is an end to suffering, achievable by changing how our minds think. This is like a doctor saying that there is a cure for somebody's ailment.

Magga​

Magga is the fourth Noble Truth. It is often considered one of the most important. It is the Noble Eightfold Path. This is like a doctor giving a cure to somebody.