First Noble Truth

The first teaching Buddha gave after his enlightenment was the four noble truths. He gave a new meaning to the word “noble”. Until that point this word had been used to describe the upper-caste Brahmins in India’s caste system. So Buddha was suggesting someone was noble, not because of their social standing, but because they could open to the truth of suffering. He was suggesting that nobility came from within your own broken heart. He called this truth “dukkha” which literally means a hole in the wheel where the axil goes that is off center. So it’s a bumpy ride.

If our suffering is noble, then we don’t have to pathologize it. We could embrace our insecurities with more tenderness and kindness, and discover our own humanity right where we are. We are intrinsically prefect and awake. We can not gain this. We cannot lose this. It’s already here in our experience. Samsara is nirvana and nirvana is samsara. It’s the central paradox of the spiritual life.