DHA

I.

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS.

HARMA means truth, especially re-
ligious truth, or briefly, religion.

The Dharma taught by the Buddha (the
Enlightened One) and held by the Sangha
(the Buddhist Brotherhood) is formulated
in four statements, called " the four noble
truths."

The first noble truth is on the existence
of suffering.

Birth is suffering, old age is suffering,
disease is suffering, and death is suffering.
Sad it is to be joined with that which we
abhor. Sad is the separation from that
which we love, and sad is the craving for
that which cannot be obtained.

The second noble truth is on the origin
of suffering.

The origin of suffering is desire. It is

that lust of becoming which, leading from incarnation to incarnation, begets the illusion of self. It is that thirst for pleasure which finds delight here and there and is constantly clamoring for satisfaction. It is the craving for the gratification of the senses, the clinging to life for the sake of self; the longing for self-destruction for the sake of escape; or, briefly, all cleaving to self and selfishness.

The third noble truth is on the emancipation from suffering.

The emancipation from suffering is accomplished by the utter cessation of lust, of craving, of thirst. He who abandons all lust, all craving, all thirst, will be free from passions and cut himself off from all thought of self. Thus he will be emancipated from the origin of suffering.

The fourth noble truth is on the eightfold path that leads to the emancipation from suffering.

The eightfold path is (1) right comprehension; (2) right aspirations; (3) right speech; (4) right conduct; (5) right living;

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(6) right endeavor; (7) right self-discipline; and (8) the attainment of the right bliss.

There is salvation for him whose self disappears before Truth, whose will is bent upon what he ought to do, whose sole desire is the performance of his duty. His interest is in that which endures, not in that which is transient. He lives, but does not cling to life, and thus, when he dies, death does not touch him.

He who is wise will enter the path and make an end of suffering.

The formula in which those take refuge who accept the four noble truths as their norm of life, reads as follows:

"I take my refuge in the Buddha. "I take my refuge in the Dharma. "I take my refuge in the Sangha."

that lust of becoming which, leading from incarnation to incarnation, begets the illusion of self. It is that thirst for pleasure which finds delight here and there and is constantly clamoring for satisfaction. It is the craving for the gratification of the senses, the clinging to life for the sake of self; the longing for self-destruction for the sake of escape; or, briefly, all cleaving to self and selfishness.

The third noble truth is on the emancipation from suffering.

The emancipation from suffering is accomplished by the utter cessation of lust, of craving, of thirst. He who abandons all lust, all craving, all thirst, will be free from passions and cut himself off from all thought of self. Thus he will be emancipated from the origin of suffering.

The fourth noble truth is on the eightfold path that leads to the emancipation from suffering.

The eightfold path is (1) right comprehension; (2) right aspirations; (3) right speech; (4) right conduct; (5) right living;

(6) right endeavor; (7) right self-discipline; and (8) the attainment of the right bliss.

There is salvation for him whose self disappears before Truth, whose will is bent upon what he ought to do, whose sole desire is the performance of his duty. His interest is in that which endures, not in that which is transient. He lives, but does not cling to life, and thus, when he dies, death does not touch him.

He who is wise will enter the path and make an end of suffering.

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The formula in which those take refuge who accept the four noble truths as their norm of life, reads as follows:

"I take my refuge in the Buddha.
"I take my refuge in the Dharma.
"I take my refuge in the Sangha."