For a free mini-course on the Four Noble Truths and how they can help us live more fulfilling lives, visit https://bit.ly/Bddhist4NTs.

In the first Noble Truth (see previous episode), the Buddha describes the human predicament: we keep chasing after things (or people or accomplishments) we think will satisfy our sense that there's something more, something better for us. But external things or relationships will never bring us lasting happiness; only connecting with our true nature can do that.

In the second Noble Truth, the Buddha "diagnoses" the cause of our unhappiness: we misunderstand the nature of reality, and based on that we try to grab onto what we want and keep it, while we try to push away what we don't want. Spoiler alert, though: that never works for long.