Spirituality Revealed

In this talk, Ram Dass talks to us about ‘The Four Noble Truths’. In the teachings that the Buddha gave immediately after his enlightenment, he pointed out the Four Noble Truths:

The first of the truths was that there is suffering, the second truth was that the cause of suffering within an individual is due to the ‘clinging’ of the mind, to the attractions and aversions one experiences; for example, if I have hair on my head, and I am attached to that hair, and then it goes, I will suffer; the cause of the suffering is the ‘clinging’ to the model of myself with hair. There is no reason to suffer just because I don’t have hair, unless I am ‘clinging’ to something with my mind. When you get old, you will suffer if you are ‘clinging’ to your youth; if you get sick, you will suffer if you are ‘clinging’ to your health; if it is winter, you will suffer if you’re ‘clinging’ to summer; if your children leave home, you will suffer if you’re ‘clinging’ to being a parent.

The third noble truth was this statement: If you let go of the ‘clinging’ of the mind, you will become free of suffering. This is a very profound teaching. If you have pain from a toothache, whether you suffer or not will be dependent on how your mind treats that strong stimulus. The other day I went into a hot tub and it was very hot! My friend who got into the tub suffered bitterly while I was in ecstasy. We both got into the same tub, but our set and our expectations were different – for my friend, it was too hot, for me, it was a new moment!

Even the death of a loved one is part of the process of life and death. Why are you suffering? When the leaves on the trees turn red and then drop off, you don’t suffer, you look at nature, and you see the cycles of birth and life and death, and you understand the way it all works.

Within the fourth noble truth is found the guide to the end of suffering: the noble eightfold path. The eight parts of the path to liberation are grouped into three essential elements of Buddhist practice—moral conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. The Buddha taught the eightfold path in virtually all his discourses, and his directions are as clear and practical to his followers today as they were when he first gave them.

The Noble Eightfold Path

Right understanding (Samma ditthi)
Right thought (Samma sankappa)
Right speech (Samma vaca)
Right action (Samma kammanta)
Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
Right effort (Samma vayama)
Right mindfulness (Samma sati)
Right concentration (Samma samadhi)

“In a world in which all phenomena are changing continually, you can see that the minute the mind grabs hold, in the presence of change, there will be suffering.”

“Beginning to appreciate those truths allows one to see one’s own personal predicament: When you look at your own suffering, you can see the way in which it is caused by your own mind.”

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