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Four Noble Truths. THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH: DUKKHA. The Foundation of Buddhism. The four noble truths are considered as the foundation of the Buddha’s teaching. The first sermon of the Buddha presents a brief account of them.
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Four Noble Truths THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH: DUKKHA
The Foundation of Buddhism • The four noble truths are considered as the foundation of the Buddha’s teaching. • The first sermon of the Buddha presents a brief account of them. • The Buddha expounded this sermon to five ascetics at Isipatana in Benares. • Four noble truths: 四聖諦 expound:詳細述說 • Account: 解釋 ascetics: 苦行者
The four noble truths are: • 1. Dukkha (suffering/conflict) 苦諦 • 2. Samudaya (arising or origin of dukkha) 集諦 • 3. Nirodha (the cessation of dukkha) 滅諦 • 4. Magga (the way/path leading to the cessation of dukkha) 道諦
translations and interpretation • Suffering : is not a correct translation for dukkha Interpretation: life according to Buddhism is nothing but suffering and pain This is a misleading interpretation. Interpretation: 詮釋 Misleading: 誤導、使人誤解
Is Buddhism pessimistic? • Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. • It is realistic. • It does not lull you into a fool’s paradise • It does not frighten and agonize with imaginary fears and sins. • Pessimistic – 悲觀的 optimistic-樂觀的 • Realistic-如實的、現實的 lull-使安靜 • Frighten 使害怕 agonize –使煩惱
It is a way to reality of life and to tranquility and happiness. • The figure of physician • i. pessimistic – exaggerate 誇大 • ii. optimistic- false consolation-假的安慰 • iii. Realistic- diagnoses symptoms correct • understand cause and nature of illness, sees can be cured, administers course of treatment (bhaisajya-guru) • Diagnose: 診斷 symptoms 症狀
Dukkha represents the world view of the Buddha. • In addition to the basic meaning of ‘suffering’, it includes the meanings of ‘ impermanence’, ‘ emptiness’ , ‘insubstantiality’.
Happiness is not denied by Buddhism. • There are different types of happiness: • spiritual-material • happiness of family life • happiness of recluse • happiness of attachment • happiness of detachment etc. • But all these included in dukkha. • Detachment- 捨離
Jhana/dhyana is also suffering • Higher spiritual states such as dhyana (trance) , which are only pure equanimity and awareness counted as dukkha. • The reason is that these are subject to impermanence, dukkha and change(anicca dukkha viparinamadhamma). • Spiritual states- 精神狀態 trance- 禪定 • equanimity- 平等心 awareness- 覺知
Three aspects of sense-pleasure • Concerning sensual pleasures, one has to understand three things: • i. Attraction or enjoyment (assada) • ii. Evil consequence (adinava) • iii. Freedom or liberation (nissarrana) • (Mahadukkhakkhandha sutta) • Sensual pleasures –感官快樂 enjoyment-享受 • Consequence –結果 liberation-解脫
Enjoyment and unsatisfaction with enjoyable object both are facts of experience. • Detachment from the sensual object is freedom or liberation (nissarana). • To see things in these three aspects, neither is pessimism nor optimism. • Understanding things from this point of view is the way to see life completely and objectively. • Objectively-客觀地
Without understanding three aspects of sense pleasure, • it is not possible for him to understand desire for sense –pleasures, • to a make person understand the desire for sense-pleasures • the instructed person’s understanding it.
Three aspects of dukkha • i. ordinary suffering (dukkha-dukkha) • ii. Suffering of change (viparinama dukka) • iii. Suffering as conditioned states (samkhara-dukkha) (Visuddhimagga)
i. Ordinary dukkha • What is experienced in life like • birth • Old age • Sickness • Death • Association with unpleasant persons and conditions • Separation from the beloved • Not getting what one desires • This type mental –physical suffering accepted universally as suffering and pain.
ii. Suffering of change • The vicissitude of suffering due to change of pleasant situations is called suffering of change(viparinama-dukkha) • Vicissititude-變化無常/ 變換
iii. Suffering as conditioned states • This concept is involved in the ideas of ‘ a being’, ‘individual’, or as ‘I’. • According to Buddhist philosophy, individual or I is only a combination of ever-changing physical and mental forces or energies. • They are divided into five groups or aggregates (pancakkhandha). • Aggregate-蘊 combination-結合 • Involve- 有關
In short, five aggregates of attachment are dukkha • What is dukkha? It is the five aggregates of attachment. • Five aggregates and dukkha are not two different things; these five themselves are dukkha. • five aggregates-五蘊