the Buddha said, eloquently summarizing The Four Noble Truths.
Of course the Buddha did not use the word suffering. The word he used comes down to us in Pali as dukkha. It can help to leave this untranslated and to let it stand, as it does, for the entire range of mental suffering we experience: how we feel when what we want does not happen; when what we do not want happens; when we might lose what we have; when we do lose what we have; and on and on. Dukkha covers this whole mess of longing, frustration, anxiety, fear, loss, grief, sorrow, and all the rest that seems so inextricably tangled up with being human.
• [the pervasiveness of] dukkha
• the arising or origin of dukkha
• the cessation of dukkha
• the way leading to the cessation of dukkha
The Fourth Noble Truth above, also referred to as The Noble Eightfold Path, groups eight aspects under three headings:
Wisdom – Right View, Right Motive
Ethics – Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood
Meditation – Right Effort, Right Awareness, Right Concentration
The Pali word samma, here traditionally translated as right, does not mean the opposite of wrong, but something more like entirely (or perfectly) appropriate. For more on the Eightfold Path and a segue into diversity and unity in Buddhism, see this dharma talk by Kamalashila.
click here or on the Buddha to return to the classes page