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The Four Noble Truths

It was said that Siddhartha attained enlightenment after 49 days of meditation and by so doing, everything in life appeared apparent to him. The nature and cause of everything was simplified into the "Four Noble Truths" upon which all human beings were subjected in life.

The first noble truth speaks about the reality of pain, suffering, disease, old age and in the long end, death (Dukkha). Everyone of us knew this, in a lesser or greater degree. As human beings we get wounded, sick, hungry, thirsty, emotionally deprived and when we contracted a disease, we suffer until we get the medication. In history we have heard about countless searchs for the fountain of youth, this was actually an attempt by early Kings and Emperors to get the most of themselves because they were unwilling to submit to reality and wish their power could afford them exemption from the first noble truth. We may be financially capable to escape hunger and disease and have a lot of friends to keep us company but in the long end, old age gets in our way and we die in due time.

The second noble truth speaks about the cause of pain, suffering, disease, fear about old age and death (Samudaya). Attachment, desire, yearning, craving in all its similar forms is the cause. This scenario is easily explainable if we should look straight ahead in accepting this reality. If you should love the taste of food and pursue the best tasting menu to satiate your palate you soon end up obese and find it difficult to move. Then comes ailments brought about by too much eating; hypertension, heart ailments,etc. If you love your partner the feeling may become obsessive until you are hurt even just in seeing him/her talk to another person, why is it hard not to be jealous? A lady would end up marrying a rich husband and in time she would suffer for the ample time that he couldn't go home due to business appointments seminars, night outs; or in worse case the husband maybe alcoholic and gets home ending up in a heated argument. He beats her and she couldn't do a thing about it. She loves him. The logic about the second noble truth is clearly evident. Take an electrical wire, attachment to things and persons as object of desire and affection results in a strengthened hold. If electricity is passed on to the electrical wire, it is forwarded to things attached to it, considering we are, we get electrocuted. Figure out the extreme pain of a husband who lost his wife in childbirth, a son who lost his mother, a brother


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