Another look at the four noble truths

For a newbie, it should be fairly obvious that the Four Noble Truths (chatvari arya-satyani) should come at the beginning of their spiritual journey giving it direction.  Logically, it is difficult to imagine the Four Noble Truths as comprising the Buddha's actual awakening; after he recognized his mind had been liberated from the intoxicants (P., âsava) of phenomenal existence and ignorance (cf. M. i. 23).  In fact, the Buddha's mind had attained nirvana which is transcendent and immortal (P., amata); which is beyond suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation.  

If anything, the Four Noble Truths serve as a bare bones outline for the beginner—maybe also an oversimplified guideline.  But it lacks pertinent information about the Buddha's liberating insight (prajñâ) that came after the fourth meditation (dhyâna) with the destruction of the intoxicants.  Incidentally, some scholars have proposed that the Four Noble Truths may have been inserted by a later tradition.  It seems reasonable to assume that early Buddhism had no pressing need for the Four Noble Truths which was, instead, focused on meditation (dhyâna) and the subsequent destruction of the intoxicants which culminated in insight (prajñâ) and mind's liberation (vimukti).

Adding more credence to this, we learn that after Gautama had abandoned asceticism he sought another way of awakening.  He recalled the first meditation (dhyâna) he had experienced in his youth (M. i. 246).  Most likely it served as the basis for the other meditations which, at a later time, were lumped together into right concentration (samyak-samadhi) of the noble-eightfold-path (arya-ashtanga-marga).  We should also keep in mind that the Buddha was described as a meditator (P., jhâyin) who was engaged in meditative seclusion (P., patisallanam). 

 

Comments

[Sean Robsville]

Possibly the Four Seals of Dharma may be even more basic than the Four Noble Truths.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche says that "Anyone who accepts these four seals, even independently of Buddha’s teachings, even never having heard the name Shakyamuni Buddha, can be considered to be on the same path as he." http://rational-buddhism.blogspot.com/2011/05/rational-buddhism.html