The Four Noble Truths are “the noble truth of suffering…. the noble truth of the origin of suffering…. the noble truth of the cessation of suffering…. [and] the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering…” (SN 56:11). Today we want to look at the Third Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering.

We have been learning about the Four Noble Truths. We have discovered that suffering pervades the unawakened life. We have also learned that “the origin of suffering” is “craving” (SN 56:11). All suffering is caused by your own mind craving for what ultimately cannot bring happiness. We can decide to let go, and live in the present moment.

"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination" (SN 56:11).

"Bhikkhus, when the uninstructed worldling is being contacted by a painful feeling, he sorrows, grieves, and laments.... He feels two feelings — a bodily one and a mental one. Suppose they were to strike a man with a dart, and then they would strike him immediately afterwards with a second dart, so that the man would feel a feeling caused by two darts" (SN 36:6).

What is Buddhism? Buddhism is unique. It has been called a religion, a philosophy, a psychology, a science of mind, and a technology of transformation. In this episode I argue that Buddhism is a religion, but not a religion like Judaism, Christinaity, and Islam. Technically Buddhism is not atheistic, but nontheistic. Belief in God is irrelevant. It is not about happiness in the hereafter, but inner peace in the here and now.