The Four Noble Truths

Polish Buddhists

Main article: Four Noble Truths According to the Pali Tipitaka

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and the gamas of other early Buddhist schools, the Four Noble Truths were the first teaching of Gautama Buddha after attaining

Nirvana. They are sometimes considered to contain the essence of the Buddha's teachings: 1. Life as we know it ultimately is or leads to suffering/uneasiness (dukkha) in one way or another. 2. Suffering is caused by craving. This is often expressed as a deluded clinging to a certain sense of existence, to selfhood, or to the things or phenomena that we consider the cause of happiness or unhappiness. Craving also has its negative aspect, i.e. one craves that a certain state of affairs not exist. 3. Suffering ends when craving ends. This is achieved by eliminating delusion, thereby reaching a liberated state of Enlightenment (bodhi); 4. Reaching this liberated state is achieved by following the path laid out by the Buddha. This method is described by early Western scholars, and taught as an introduction to Buddhism by some contemporary Mahayana teachers (for example, the Dalai Lama).
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According to other interpretations by Buddhist teachers and scholars, lately recognized by some Western non-Buddhist scholars, mere statements, but are categories or aspects that most worldly phenomena fall into, grouped in two: 1. Suffering and causes of suffering 2. Cessation and the paths towards liberation from suffering. Thus, according to the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism 1. "The noble truth that is suffering" 2. "The noble truth that is the arising of suffering" 3. "The noble truth that is the end of suffering" 4. "The noble truth that is the way leading to the end of suffering"
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the "truths" do not represent

they are

The traditional Theravada understanding is that the Four Noble Truths are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them. position is that they are a preliminary teaching for people not yet ready for the higher and more expansive Mahayana teachings.
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The East Asian Mahayana

The Noble Eightfold Path

Main article: Noble Eightfold Path

The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Paththe fourth of the Buddha's Noble Truthsis the way to the cessation of suffering (dukkha). It has eight sections, each starting with the word "samyak" (Sanskrit, meaning "correctly", "properly", or "well", frequently translated into English as "right"), and presented in three groups known as the three higher trainings. (NB: Pli transliterations appear in brackets after Sanskrit ones): Praj is the wisdom that purifies the mind, allowing it to attain spiritual insight into the true nature of all things. It includes: 1. di (ditthi): viewing reality as it is, not just as it appears to be. 2. sakalpa (sankappa): intention of renunciation, freedom and harmlessness. la is the ethics or morality, or abstention from unwholesome deeds. It includes: 3. vc (vca): speaking in a truthful and non-hurtful way 4. karman (kammanta): acting in a non-harmful way 5. jvana (jva): a non-harmful livelihood Samdhi is the mental discipline required to develop mastery over one's own mind. This is done through the practice of various contemplative and meditative practices, and includes: 6. vyyma (vyma): making an effort to improve 7. smti (sati): awareness to see things for what they are with clear consciousness, being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion 8. samdhi (samdhi): correct meditation or concentration, explained as the first four jhnas The practice of the Eightfold Path is understood in two ways, as requiring either simultaneous development (all eight items practiced in parallel), or as a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another.