Expository The central concept of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths inform both Buddhist theory and Buddhist practice. Even though there are many different branches of Buddhist philosophy, they all share in common an appreciation of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are as follows. The first Noble Truth is that life is suffering. The second Noble Truth is that suffering is caused by desire. The third Noble Truth is that to eliminate suffering, one must eliminate desire. The fourth Noble Truth is that in order to eliminate desire, one should follow the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble truths seem very simple, but they can actually be quite difficult to understand; they can be even more difficult to put into practice. The Four Noble Truths provide a means by which to calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and achieve a sense of inner peace.

The First Noble Truth is that "life is suffering." This statement does...

At some point in time, a person will feel pain, anger, sadness, irritation, and fear. These are natural feelings that arise due to stimuli in the environment or due to social or psychological conditioning. The First Noble Truth is just to be aware and accepting of this simple fact of life. There is no judgment about suffering. Suffering is not bad; suffering simply exists.
Once it has been established that suffering exists, the next question is why it exists. Therefore, the Second Noble Truth is about why suffering exists. This explains to the person that suffering has a cause, because to know the cause, it becomes possible to eliminate the problem. According to Buddhist teachings, suffering is caused by desire. Desire is defined as any type of longing, craving, or discomfort that comes from wanting something. Any time a person is not happy, it…