THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
In these uncharted days of Covid-19, it seems appropriate to consider the metaphor of the Buddha as physician.
As a physician of the human condition, the Buddha provided us with a diagnosis of our suffering (the first noble truth) and an etiology, or cause, of our suffering (the second noble truth). Then he gave us a prognosis for our disease (nirvana, the third noble truth) and finally a prescription for the necessary treatment (the fourth noble truth, the path).
The four noble truths are a plan of action, not simply a collection of ideas to be pondered. In the Buddha’s “First Discourse,” there is a specific action enjoined upon us to go with each of the truths.
Regarding the first noble truth of suffering,: “This suffering, as a noble truth, should be fully understood,” said the Buddha. And, likewise, with the other three:
