The four noble truths: fundamentals of the Buddhist teachings

The four noble truths are these: life involves suffering; desire is the source of our suffering; there is a way to put an end to our desire; the way out of desire is to live one's life according to eight basic principles. In July 1996, for the first time in the West, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave two exclusive days of teaching in London on The Four Noble Truths - the heart of the Buddha's teachings. The Four Noble Truths - the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering and the truth of the path leading to this cessation - was the first sermon the Buddha gave after he was enlightened. As well as elucidating these teachings, His Holiness the Dalai Lama also explains the relationship between relative and absolute compassion. "Whenever I have been given the opportunity to introduce Buddhism I always make it a point to explain Buddhism in terms of two principles. One is the development of a philosophical viewpoint based on the understanding of the interdependent nature of reality. And the second principle is that of non-violence which is the actual action of a Buddhist practitioner and which derives from that view of the interdependent nature of reality." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama Introducing The Four Noble Truths -- The Truth Of Suffering -- The Truth Of The Origin Of Suffering -- The Truth Of Cessation -- The Truth Of The Path -- Appendix. His Holiness The Xiv Dalai Lama ; Translated By Geshe Thupten Jinpa ; Edited By Dominique Side. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 158-159). Addressing a Western audience, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet draws on the first sermon given by the Buddha to outline four truisms about life, including the reality of suffering and the need to overcome base desires. Original. IP.