The First Noble Truth

Devotional for March 29, 2015

The First Noble Truth

This is one of the "three signs of being"- that suffering, hardship, and unsatisfactoriness is the lot of humankind. It does not deny happiness or pleasure and life's simple joys, but argues that they too come to an end and are therefore transient and passing.

The Buddha likened pleasure to "licking honey from a knife"-sooner or later we will get hurt by it; it is not that there is anything wrong with pleasure, but the compulsive pursuit of it leads to unhappiness. Even if we are sitting comfortably and all seems well, in no time at all we have to move and find a new position.

To probe little deeper, something inside human beings is restless and unsatisfied and craves now for "this" and for "that". Nothing seems enough. As Pascal said, all the troubles in the world arise because man is unable to sit quietly alone in a room.

Biddulph, D & Flynn D. (2009). The Teachings of the Buddha; the wisdom of the Dharma from the Pali Canon to the Sutras. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 101.