Suffering & the Path Out | #85

By Armaan Athwal

The Four Noble Truths

There’s a certain clarity in Buddhist thought that doesn’t try to oversell itself. One of its core ideas is the Four Noble Truths. A framework that doesn’t ask for belief, just attention. A way of understanding why we struggle, and how we might suffer less.

1. There is suffering.
   Not always dramatic, not always loud. Sometimes it’s as simple as irritation. A lingering feeling that something’s missing. It can be found in chasing success, comparing yourself constantly, or wanting to skip through the parts of life that feel dull or inconvenient.
   
   The word “suffering” might feel heavy, but it’s really just pointing to that unease that sneaks into ordinary moments.
   

2. Suffering has a cause.
   Usually, it’s craving. Wanting something to last forever. Wanting something to go away.
   
   It’s the mental habit of reaching, resisting, or clinging. You want to feel at peace, but only once your inbox is clear, your future is certain, your plans go exactly as expected. That conditional peace becomes a moving target.
   

3. Suffering can end.
   Not by escaping life, but by seeing it more clearly. Letting things be what they are, instead of constantly trying to bend them into shape.
   
   It’s possible to feel discomfort without needing it to disappear. The end of suffering doesn’t mean the end of pain, it means loosening the tight grip we keep around what we think should be happening.
   

4. There’s a path out.
   It’s called the Eightfold Path. A set of principles that act less like rules and more like training:
   Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration

Together, they’re not a checklist, but more of a practice. There’s no grand promise at the end. Just the idea that things can be met more clearly. And that maybe, with some practice, the mind becomes a bit lighter to carry.

Quote of the Day

“You do not suffer because things are impermanent. You suffer because things are impermanent and you think they are permanent.” - Thich Nhat Hanh