Toh 44-13Chapter 13: The Truths of the Noble Ones

Commentary on the Sutra of the Four Noble Truths

Chapter 13: The Truths of the Noble Ones

Background

This chapter belongs to the collection of sutras recorded in the Kangyur, which is the Sutra section of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. In the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, especially in Tibetan practice lineages, this scripture is regarded as a direct teaching of Buddha Shakyamuni intended to make clear the path to awakening for all sentient beings.

The Four Noble Truths (Catvari Aryasatyani), the foundation of all teachings of the Buddha Dharma, were first presented by the Buddha with the highest honor at the Deer Park near Benares, immediately after he attained bodhi. In the Mahayana, however, these four truths are understood more profoundly, not only as truths about suffering and the path beyond it, but also as imbued with the impermanent buddha-nature of all dharmas.

Main Content

The First Truth: Suffering (Duhkha-satya)

The Buddha taught that suffering does not consist only of exceptional experiences such as illness, old age, or death. In the Mahayana, suffering also includes subtle suffering (duhkha-duhkhata): dependence upon dharmas that cause suffering, the formation of consciousness through dependent arising, and revolving in samsara because of the mistaken notion of a permanent “self.”

The Second Truth: The Cause of Suffering (Samudaya-satya)

Habitual craving (tanha), the thirst that attaches to objects, is identified as the root of suffering. In the Mahayana framework, mistaken views (avidya) concerning the nature of self-grasping (atman-graha) and grasping at phenomena (bhava-graha) are regarded as the deepest origin. This is the assumption that there exists an independent, unchanging entity in the mind and in the material realm.

The Third Truth: The Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha-satya)

The Tibetan Mahayana teaches that nirvana is not the destruction of consciousness, but freedom from streams of mind activated by mistaken views.