THE RELEVANCE OF FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

Abstract

Buddhist thought and practice came to be known as an evolutionary phenomenon in Indian history with the great Awakening {sambodhi) of Gotama the Buddha. For centuries, the Buddha is known as a religious leader, a philosopher and a social reformer, but first and foremost, the Buddha was an awakened teacher. He was awakened to not only the nature of human experience, but also about the way to "wake up" others. As a great teacher, he had realised actual problems of human life and taught innumerable people the ways to overcome and transform their difficulties. His teaching, in brief, is known as Dhamma, i.e. a way of living, which leads to Awakening. The heart of the Buddha's teaching lies in the Four Noble Truths (Cattari Ariyasaccani) which he expounded in his very first sermon' to his old colleagues, the five ascetics, at Isipatana (modern Sarnath) near Banaras. The paper examines the Four Noble Truths which the Buddha explained.