55. The Four Noble Truths
By Luang Pu Thate Desaraṅsī
January 30, 1988
Everyone born already has a kammaṭṭhāna within themselves. Every person already has a kammaṭṭhāna, both externally and internally. The external is the contemplation of the "body," the internal is the "mind." If anyone did not have a kammaṭṭhāna, they would be incapable of doing good or bad, incapable of attaining Magga and Phala. All people are completely equal in these kammaṭṭhānas.
When they say religion is declining, it's actually that people are not practicing. Religion hasn't declined anywhere; it remains constant. Magga, Phala, and Nibbāna exist like that at all times. As long as the Four Noble Truths exist, Magga, Phala, and Nibbāna also exist. It's just that Magga, Phala, and Nibbāna do not appear. The wise ones, beginning with the Buddha, are clever. The Four Noble Truths do not come from anywhere; they exist within each and every one of us. If we investigate and see these truths with our own hearts, we attain Magga, Phala, Nibbāna, and reach the Sammāsambuddha.
Dhamma is something that exists. When the Buddha arose, the religion arose. When the Buddha passed into Parinibbāna, the Four Noble Truths still appear, namely: Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha, Magga. While he was alive, he spread the religion, pointing inwardly to this person, this self. The Four Noble Truths are right there. By contemplating in that way, one sees them. Those who practice accordingly see them clearly. He passed into Parinibbāna, but only he passed away. The religion remains where it is. If the religion declines, it declines right here — meaning that people are not practicing. If the Buddha were to arise again in the world, he would practice this very thing, not something far away. By contemplating these Four Noble Truths, one gains clear knowledge and true insight right here in this world.
All kinds of suffering exist everywhere. Suffering exists all the time. Suffering is something to be comprehended — it is not something to be abandoned. Where could you abandon suffering? You can't give it away to anyone, because it is complete and perfect in every person. But people don't want to contemplate suffering; they only seek happiness, so they don't see it. When they contemplate suffering, suffering subsides, and then they see happiness. Suffering is the measure of happiness. All dhammas must exist in pairs. If there were no suffering as a measure, where could you get happiness as a measure? There is none. If there were only suffering, there would be no happiness. If there were only happiness, there would be no suffering. They must be compared with each other, so that one knows which is more and which is less — whether happiness is greater than suffering or suffering greater than happiness.
The Four Noble Truths exist. Human beings in the world contemplate that they are like this. From birth, there is suffering. The suffering of the aggregates exists within all of us. From the moment of birth, it is already there — no one has brought it to us, and no one can throw it away. It is present with us every day. Only those who confront suffering will see suffering. Those who do not contemplate it become heedless, deluded, and intoxicated, mistaking suffering for happiness. That's all there is to it. They do not see the source, the origin of suffering.
Suffering existed even before the Buddha arose. It exists everywhere — every person, every place, every situation. For example, hot, cold, soft, hard — they exist in this world, not in any other world. Heat, cold, softness, hardness — all exist in this world. They constantly impinge upon us. When they impinge, we see them as suffering.
People who do not contemplate suffering want to escape from it. Without fighting it, they never understand suffering. The Noble Ones, beginning with the Buddha, when suffering arises, they contemplate suffering and see the cause of suffering. The cause of suffering is the three kinds of taṇhā (craving): ambition, struggling and striving, wanting to have, wanting to be good, wanting to be this, wanting to be that — both externally and internally. Externally, wanting wealth and money. Internally, taṇhā arises in the mind — just ambition, struggling, striving, liking, being pleased. That liking, being pleased, and contentment is itself suffering.
That is called the cause of suffering, namely taṇhā — craving, ambition. Having obtained something, one is not satisfied and wants even more, without end. Having obtained a lot, one must accumulate. Having many things, one must store and protect them. Just look at people who have a great deal — they have everything, everything. Their homes and towns are full; they have no place to store it all. Thus, distress arises. Then they don't want to have or store anything. No need to look far — people with many children, people with many wives, wanting to use them. But when they have them, there is distress and chaos. Then they don't want them anymore. But it's necessary. If they don't want them, where can they throw them away? They are distressed. We don't want to have, don't want to be. Things obtained in abundance are excessive, more than needed. Thus, they become suffering, and one no longer wants to have.
All suffering arises from these three kinds of taṇhā. The three taṇhās exist nowhere else but right here in the realm of sensual desire. A person born cannot be without them. This is called suffering. Suffering exists. Samudaya (origin) exists. Nirodha (cessation) — the cessation of suffering. When there is suffering, there must also be the cessation of suffering. Dhammas come in pairs, as just mentioned. To cease suffering, one must have the Magga-paṭipadā (the Path of Practice), beginning with Right View. When there is Right View, everything in the Path becomes right.
Sammādiṭṭhi — Right View. What does it see rightly? If told, one does not understand. One must know for oneself: what is seeing correctly and rightly? Having practiced and trained from the beginning, doing recitation and kammaṭṭhāna, there is both wrong and right, both good and bad. Before it settles down — oh! It is immense. One has practiced a great deal.
Thus, the Path is said to be present in a single moment of Sammādiṭṭhi, which is the state of being endowed with the Path (Magga-samaṅgī). Everything else is merely conforming. Practice that is deceptive is not real. The word "Right View" must be seeing for oneself. "Right Thought" is the same. What thought is right? One must see for oneself. Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood — all are right. One must see all of them for oneself. What others say is not accurate; whatever they say is merely conforming. Only when one has Right View does it become Sammādiṭṭhi, then it settles into the Ariya-magga (Noble Path), which supports reaching Nirodha, the cessation of suffering.
How does one become the Magga-paṭipadā? In practice, there is both right and wrong. Those who practice wrongly can still attain jhāna and samādhi. But they are mistaken from the start. For example, angry at a village or town, they focus on a kasiṇa until fire burns down the whole village and town. Angry at opponents, they curse each other. A rishi curses someone, and that person's head splits into seven pieces — it really happens. Rishis also curse because their practice is wrong, not in line with Sammādiṭṭhi.
Thus, it is said: Dukkha exists, Samudaya exists, Nirodha exists, Magga exists. They have existed from time immemorial. Whether someone practices correctly or incorrectly, they exist just like that. Dhamma is something that exists like that. The Buddha realized: "Oh, it is like this." Thus, it becomes correct. "It is like this" is what is called the Path — the state of being endowed with the Path (Magga-samaṅgī). These are Dukkha-sacca, Samudaya-sacca, Nirodha-sacca, Magga-sacca.
The Buddha and his disciples, the monks, contemplated and saw clearly and truly. He abandoned, let go. Having seen the truth, he was able to relinquish and let go. That is called Dukkha-ariyasacca, Dukkha-samudaya-ariyasacca, Dukkha-nirodha-ariyasacca, Dukkha-nirodha-gāminī-paṭipadā-ariyasacca. Because he knew and saw according to reality, he was able to let go. He did not cling or grasp. At the moment he contemplated and saw, he relinquished and uprooted it. But when he did not contemplate, it returned. However, this time he did not suffer, even though suffering still existed.