Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Ramalli and welcome to today's RE lesson.

My priority is to ensure that by the end of today's lesson you will have successfully met the learning outcome.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain the importance of the Four Noble Truths and how they influence Buddhists today.

To help guide us through our lesson today, there are five keywords.

The five keywords are the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the three poisons, Dhammapada, and dukkha.

The Four Noble Truths are an important part of the Buddha's teachings and they explain the truth about existence according to the Buddha.

The Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Noble Truths, also known as the Middle Way.

The three poisons refer to the causes of dukkha, so the causes of suffering that affect all beings, which are ignorance, greed, and hatred.

The Dhammapada is the source of wisdom and authority that includes some of the most famous teachings of the Buddha.

And dukkha is a belief that all life includes suffering and unsatisfactoriness.

In today's lesson on the Four Noble Truths, our lesson is going to take two parts.

First of all, we're going to explore the Four Noble Truths, and then we're gonna move on to consider the importance and influence of the Noble Truths.

Okay, let's begin.

In the Buddha's first sermon, known as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, or Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dharma, he declared, "I teach suffering and the cessation of suffering." So here the Buddha declared, "I teach suffering and how to end suffering." These teachings are known as the Four Noble Truths.

All schools of Buddhism accept the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths form the core of the Buddha's Dharma, or his teachings.

The Four Noble Truths are, one, life involves suffering, known as dukkha.

Two, the cause of suffering, samudaya.

Three, it's the end of suffering, or nirodha.

And four, the path to end suffering, magga.

Okay, let's complete a check for understanding.

I would like you to fill in the missing word from the Buddha's teaching.

"What I teach is suffering and the.

of suffering." Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done to everybody that said the missing word is cessation, well done.

The Four Noble Truths can also be compared to visiting the doctor.

So, for example, the first Noble Truth, life involves suffering, dukkha, is like when a person is feeling unwell and they visit their doctor.

The second Noble Truth is the cause of suffering, or samudaya.

So on visiting the doctor, the doctor will ask about the person's symptoms. The third Noble Truth is the end of suffering, or nirodha.

And this is where the doctor then looks for and identifies the cure to make that person feel better and feel well again.

And then the fourth Noble Truth is the path that ends suffering, which is magga.

In this example here it's where the doctor would prescribe the cure for the patient.

How does this analogy help to understand the Four Noble Truths? I would like you to pause the video here and either reflect on your own or with your partner how you think this analogy might be helpful to understand the Four Noble Truths.

Press play when you're ready to move on with the lesson.

Welcome back, everybody.

So perhaps you found this analogy useful by considering the Buddha taking the role of the doctor, and the Buddha bringing the medicine to the people or the doctor bringing the medicine to the people, and the Buddha giving that medicine to the Buddhists to enable them to understand how to end their suffering.

Perhaps you also liked this analogy and found it helpful because it makes the teachings and the role of the Buddha in relation to a doctor more accessible in understanding how the Four Noble Truths can work and be effective in eliminating suffering.

Well done, everybody.

The first Noble Truth is all life involves suffering, or dukkha.

Suffering comes in many forms. Three forms correspond to the first three of the Four Sights that the Buddha saw when he left the palace for the first time time.

Those were old age, sickness, and death.

Roshan is a Theravada Buddhist living in the UK.

He further explains the Buddha's teachings on dukkha.

Roshan says, "The Buddha taught that the problem of suffering affects all people.

It is a natural part of life.

It involves more than physical suffering.

Old age, sickness, and death.

Humans are driven by desires and cravings.

Yet even when these desires are fulfilled, the satisfaction or pleasure is temporary.

As humans, we often feel a sense of dissatisfaction or unfulfillment.

This is the essence of dukkha, suffering." Okay, let's pause for a moment and complete a check for understanding.

Which of the following is the first of the Four Noble Truths? A, the cause of suffering, samudaya.

B, the path to end suffering, magga.

C, life involves suffering, dukkha.

Or D, the end of suffering, nirodha.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check the answer.

Well done to everybody that selected C as the correct answer.

The second Noble Truth is the cause of suffering, samudaya.

The main causes are known as the three poisons, illustrated on the Tibetan Wheel of Life.

The three poisons are illustrated by three animals.

The pig represents ignorance, the snake represents hatred, and the cockerel represents greed.

Sam says, "I'm a bit confused.

What does a pig, snake, and cockerel got to do with suffering, Roshan?" Roshan responds, "These animals represent the three poisons on the Tibetan Wheel of Life, a visual representation of samsara, the cycle of birth, life, and death.

The animals represent the main causes of suffering, ignorance, hatred, and greed.

Buddhists must overcome ignorance by learning the Buddha's Dharma, his teachings, and avoid emotions such as hatred and greed." Okay, let's just check your understanding of what we've just heard.

Which one of the following is not one of the three poisons? A, ambition; B, greed; C, ignorance; D, hatred.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done to everybody that selected A.

Ambition is not one of the three poisons.

So moving on now to consider the third Noble Truth, and this is really important here in regards to considering the end of suffering, nirodha.

The Buddha taught if a person can remove all desire, craving, and ignorance, they can end dukkha, and this can lead to enlightenment.

This is an important teaching because it demonstrates the possibility to escape samsara.

Although some suffering is inevitable, the Buddha taught it is possible to overcome this through the right effort and actions.

Roshan says, "If I end my cravings, then my suffering will cease." Remember, the word cease means to end.

True or false? The third Noble Truth is the end of suffering, nirodha.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done to everybody that said that statement is true.

Why is that statement true? Well, the Buddha taught that if a person can remove all desire, craving, and ignorance, then they can end dukkha, suffering.

Now to consider the fourth Noble Truth, and the fourth Noble Truth is the Eightfold Path, and the teachings on these are found in the Dhammapada.

These are eight steps that Buddhists can follow to overcome suffering, achieve enlightenment, and escape samsara.

It is also known as the Middle Way, a way to live a balanced life between the extremes of luxury and asceticism.

The fourth Noble Truth is the path to end suffering, and this is the Eightfold Path.

Right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

So the Buddha taught that if individuals can follow this path, then that will enable them to end their suffering.

Buddhists might look to a source of authority to find out more about important teachings.

Here we have a verse from the Dhammapada, verses 190 to 191.

It says, "He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha penetrates wisdom, the Four Noble Truths.

Suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering." I would like you to consider, how might this verse be interpreted by Buddhists? Pause the video here and either on your own or with a partner consider a response to this question.

Press play when you're ready to move on and check your answer.

Okay, welcome back, everybody.

So I asked you to consider how this verse from the Dhammapada might be interpreted by Buddhists.

So through understanding the nature of suffering and practising the Eightfold Path, one can achieve freedom from suffering.

Well done, everybody.

It's really useful to have a bank of verses that you can know and recall when answering exam practise questions.

Let's complete a check for understanding.

Which one of the following is not one of the Four Noble Truths? A, all life involves suffering.

B, followers need to understand the cause of suffering.

C, craving and desires should be increased.

D, following the Eightfold Path is the path to end suffering.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you said C was the correct answer.

So now we're in a position where we're going to check your understanding of the Four Noble Truths by completing a practise task.

I would like you to explain two Buddhist teachings about the Four Noble Truths.

In your answer, I would like you to refer to sacred writings or another source of Buddhist belief and teaching in your answer.

Here's some guidance that you might like to follow in order to complete your answer.

So I would like you to make two points and each point would be developed, and I would like you to include the name of a source and what it says or what it teaches.

This might be a quotation, a verse, or a general belief or teaching.

So it could be a verse from the Dhammapada, it could be a teaching of the Buddha.

So pause the video here, good luck completing the practise task, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Welcome back, everybody.

Time to check your answers for the first practise task.

So your answer may look something like this.

One teaching that Buddhists have about the Four Noble Truths is that all life involves suffering, known as dukkha.

This means that suffering affects all people and is a natural part of life.

Another teaching that Buddhists have about the Four Noble Truths is that the Buddha discovered a way to overcome suffering through the Four Noble Truths.

The Buddha taught, "What I teach is suffering and the cessation of suffering." And this means that by following the Four Noble Truths, suffering can be overcome.

Fantastic, everyone, well done on all your hard work completing the first practise task.

So now we're moving on to the second and final part of our lesson on the Four Noble Truths by considering the importance and the influence of the Noble Truths.

Niti is a Theravada Buddhist monk and Ting is a Mahayana Buddhist monk.

They discuss the importance of the Four Noble Truths.

Niti says, "I believe that the Four Noble Truths are known through study and meditation.

I believe understanding the Four Noble Truths is the most important way to achieve my goal of enlightenment." Ting says, "I agree with you.

The Four Noble Truths of very important.

I like to study these truths as well as focusing on developing kindness and compassion.

These virtues are key for my experience of enlightenment." Jacob asks, "Why are the Four Noble Truths important to you, Roshan?" Roshan responds, "The teaching is important to me because if I understand the different forms of suffering, then I can do my best to eliminate these from my life.

The three poisons help me to understand the root causes of suffering.

For example, by avoiding feelings of hatred and greed, I can reduce dukkha.

This is important in helping me on my spiritual path to achieving enlightenment." True or false? Most Buddhists believe that understanding the Four Noble Truths helps them achieve enlightenment.

Well done if you said that statement is true.

Fantastic, well done.

Sam asks, "How does a belief in the Four Noble Truths influence you, Linn?" Linn responds, "A belief in the Four Noble Truths influences so much of my life.

I believe that attachments to my desires cause me to suffer, so I try hard not to get attached to material possessions or feelings that I may have, like fear.

Understanding there is an end to suffering, nirodha, means I am influenced to avoid attachments and cravings." Jacob asks, "How does a belief in the Four Noble Truths influence you, Roshan?" Roshan responds, "In the Dhammapada, verse 273, the Buddha teaches, 'Of all the truths, the Four Noble Truths are the best.

' This influences me to follow the teaching because it is the very best.

I believe that by understanding the three poisons that cause suffering, I can avoid words and actions that show ignorance, greed, or hatred.

I follow the Eightfold Path to cease suffering." Okay, let's complete a check for understanding.

Fill in the missing word from the Buddha's teaching.

"Of all the truths, the Four Noble Truths are the.

." You've got five seconds to choose the missing word, good luck.

And well done if you said the missing word is best.

Fantastic, well done.

So now we are going to complete our second and final practise task, and you're gonna show your understanding on the importance and influence of the Noble Truths.

Alex has begun to answer the evaluation question below.

He has written a paragraph using Buddhist teachings in support of the statement.

"The Four Noble Truths are the most important Buddhist teaching." Evaluate this statement and in your answer you should give reasoned arguments in support of this statement, you should give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view, you should refer to Buddhist teachings, and you should reach a justified conclusion.

Read his answer and write the next paragraph using Buddhist teachings to support this statement.

Here is Alex's paragraph in support of the statement, "The Four Noble Truths are the most important Buddhist teaching." Alex says, "Some Buddhists may disagree and say that the three marks of existence are the most important teaching.

This is because Buddhists recognise anicca, the impermanent nature of all things.

This helps Buddhists to reduce their attachments and ultimately end suffering." Now I'd like you to write your paragraph in support using Buddhist teachings.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Time to check your answers.

You could have said, "Many Buddhists would agree with this statement because the for Noble Truths address dukkha, suffering, and its cessation.

This realisation can lead to enlightenment, which is the goal for most Buddhists.

To achieve enlightenment, Buddhists must first understand and accept the Four Noble Truths.

Recognising that dukkha is caused by the three poisons, greed, ignorance, and hatred, helps them to overcome suffering.

By reflecting on this understanding daily and following the path outlined, enlightenment can be attained, leading to the realisation of Buddhahood." Well done everybody on all your hard work on the practise task.

So that brings us to the end of today's lesson on the Four Noble Truths and the summary of our learning.

One of the most important teachings of the Buddha is the Four Noble Truths which explain dukkha, suffering, and its end.

The analogy of a doctor is a common way to understand these teachings.

The three poisons are explained as the cause of suffering.

The Eightfold Path contains guiding principles which will help Buddhists achieve an end to suffering.

And the Four Noble Truths influence Buddhists to avoid attachments and cravings.

Thank you very much for joining me for today's RE lesson, goodbye.