In the Buddhist religion, there exists a group principles known as the Four Noble Truths. In order the truths are:1. Life is suffering.
With these principles firmly established a Buddhist practitioner can begin and later maintain their journey to nirvana, or freedom from suffering. The Truths serve as guidelines when applied to Buddhism as well as important and useful precepts when applied to other religions, most notably Taoism.
Within the Buddhist religion, the Four Noble Truths are considered to be one of the first teachings of the founder of Buddhism, Siddatha Gautama. The Buddha taught these truths after a period of disenchantment with the Caste system of India and Hinduism, and later led to a time of self discovery that he eventually called the Middle Way. It has been speculated whether these truths were in fact taught by the Buddha to his followers, or that his disciples created them. Regardless of the origination, the Four Noble Truths are an absolutely fundamental staple of the Theravada Buddhist perspective.
The first Noble Truth; “Life is suffering (Dukkha)” establishes that suffering is part of the human condition and that humans are born into suffering. There is no way around this condition and the journey to nirvana begins with the acceptance that suffering is a certainty in life.
The second Noble Truth; “Suffering is caused by Craving (Tanba)” gives a reason as to why there is such a state as suffering. At the root of this condition of suffering is our human bond and connection to desire. Humans long for companionship, seek happiness from and because of others, crave a spiritual purpose, mourn the death of people and the end of relationships. All of these can be manifested as projections of desire. The Buddha teaches us to let go of our desires and our attachments to inanimate and conscious entities. Once this suffering has been acknowledged and hence pursue its elimination, one is on the path to nirvana.
The third Noble Truth; “The extinction of Craving (Nirvana)” maintains that once our desires, cravings, and suffering are absent, we can achieve nirvana. This truth is the reinforcement that actualizes this state of nirvana. It is the resulting effect of enlightenment as an end to suffering and thus, an end to the cycle of rebirth found in Buddhism. It’s important to point out that to see nirvana as a happy end to a spiritual journey, is to miss the meaning and in essence, give in to the desire of wanting to reach nirvana. The Buddha taught that nirvana is the elimination of craving and not a place one reaches after the cycle of rebirth ends.
The fourth Noble Truth; “The Eightfold Path of the Middle Way” articulates the means to which freedom from suffering can be reached. By following the Middle Way, or the center point between personal excess and personal disallowance as well as adhering to the Eightfold Path like the Buddha did, one can attain nirvana. The steps in sequence and meaning in the Eightfold Path are as follows:
1. Correct belief.
2. Correct aspiration.
3. Correct speech.
4. Correct conduct.
5. Correct livelihood.
6. Correct endeavor.
7. Correct mindfulness.
8. Correct meditation.
Further, the Eightfold Path is assembled into sub groupings which are;
· Steps 1 and 2 as wisdom.
· Steps 3 through 5 as ethical conduct.
· Steps 6 through 8 as mental development.
Taken as a whole, the Eightfold Path can be viewed as detailed instructions that are to be followed singularly and personally with no outside help to rely on. The Buddha had said on his deathbed, “work out your own liberation.” This clearly implies the personal aspect of devotion that is required to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
When looked at outside the perspectives of Buddhism, the Truths can be viewed as a guide to casually or seriously live by. The Truths could be followed concretely by religious ascetics, or nonchalantly by people that don’t adhere to any religion. The Truths could fit into a “lifestyle” or “way of life” for people that are not Buddhist, but of another religion entirely. Taoism is one example of a way of living that the Four Noble Truths could fit into and within.
The Tao in Taoism (“Taoism” is the Western spelling of Daoism) is everything in the cosmos including humanity. Expressed through the yin and yang forces, the positive and negative work together to create an ultimate balance within the universe. In Taoism the phrase, wu wei, means “nonpurposiveness” or “inaction.” This term is an important and vital part of Taoism that elucidates to live without desire and to have no ambitions is to live an existence that is in harmony with the Tao. As suffering is a born trait in Buddhism, disharmony is present inside of all of us because we are born unknowing of the Tao and need to be awakened. Once the awakening has occurred, harmony with the Tao is possible, that is to say, harmony with everything is achieved.
The concepts of harmony and disharmony in Taoism are very similar to suffering from desire and reaching nirvana in the Four Noble Truths. If we resist the flow of the Tao, we live in a disharmonious state. Similarly in Buddhism, if we succumb to our desires we suffer. It is only when we accept and let go of our connections to passions, people, material objects, etc. that we can begin to live an enlightened existence in Buddhism. This is manifested in Taoism as resistance to the Tao. When we have attained harmony with the Tao, we are in essence letting go of the emotions and unruly states that oppose the flow of the Tao. By relieving ourselves from worldly and unworldly attachments such as physical possessions and emotional bonds, we awaken to the natural flow of the Tao. Specifically, the first Noble Truth that tells us suffering is born into life, corresponds to the need in Taoism to be awakened to who we really are and to acknowledge the presence of the Tao as well as our relationship to it. The second Noble Truth that states, desire is the cause of suffering, applies to Taoism in the form of unknowingly leading a complex life that constantly is in opposition to the Tao. This opposition results from our attachments and the overly complex nature in which humans live their lives. The third Noble Truth that says, relief from suffering is possible, ties into Taoism as a realization of our place in the Tao. Basically this means that once we accept ourselves as components of the Tao, only then can we begin to live in a harmonious state. Lastly, the fourth Noble Truth which tells us to personally follow the Eightfold Path of the Middle Way, coincides with the “letting go” in Taoism to relieve oneself of disharmony. The liberation of suffering to nirvana through the Middle Way in Buddhism is similar to the term wu wei in Taoism. By living in a simple fashion and not polluting the human mind with desires and attachments is to be one with the Tao. The Middle Way also stresses that, to become enlightened is to not live in extremes, such as luxury or poverty - that becomes borderline starvation - but to live in a common ground or happy medium that is the middle. This concept shares the commonality in Taoism of the so called person that, “achieves without achieving” by living in the present moment without regard to past, future, or disharmonious attachments and feelings. This is to say that, by living in the present and leading a simple life, that’s only concern is to maintain harmony with everything, is to be one with the Tao.
Clearly, there are many similarities between Buddhism and Taoism. The similarities discussed here are different manifestations of reaching a harmonious state with slightly differing paths. While the Four Noble Truths provide a detailed way in which to personally reach an enlightened state, Taoism provides a like concept in its own version of letting go and simplifying oneself to realize and exist with the Tao. Certainly the Four Noble Truths are unique to Buddhism, but looked at outside of its parent religion, the Truths can definitely be applied with precision to Taoism.
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