One of the core tenets of Buddhism is that our life is marked by unsatisfactoriness and imperfection. At first, it may seem like a pessimistic outlook, but what it really does is help us gain a realistic view of reality and understand the cause of turmoils that befall us both within and without. This is what the Second Noble Truth clarifies with great precision and insight into the basic human condition, defined two and half millennia ago by the Buddha as follows:

Now this, monks, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving that 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. ~ In the Buddha’s Words

Below you can listen to a lecture given by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi on the meaning of the Second Noble Truth of Buddhism:

From the Buddha’s definition of the Second Noble Truth, we can see that he’s looking deeply at the underlying root of all forms of dukkha (suffering). And what he’s doing is not just pointing out the outer signs but looking at the underlying cause of suffering.

Sometimes the Pali word tanha (Sanskrit: trishna) is translated as desire, but that is somewhat misleading because there can be good and bad desire in Buddhism. So the more accurate English word would be craving — a thirst to swallow up things and absorb them into oneself as the basis of one’s own identity. When the Buddha analyzes the nature of craving, he distinguishes three types of craving.

The first type is craving sensual pleasure through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. We crave beautiful forms, delightful sounds, fragrant odors, delicious food, and pleasant bodily sensations, all of which stimulate our minds.

The second type is craving continued existence. This craving manifests most prominently in clinging to the five aggregates of attachment: body, feelings, perceptions, volitions, and consciousness. These five constituents form what we believe to be our true “self.” This craving for existence is what ultimately drives the stream of consciousness into a new manifestation after the death of our physical body: rebirth and new incarnation. And in this way, the craving can be understood as the dynamic force that drives the cycle of rebirths.

The third type is craving for non-existence, which is very hard to comprehend. At first glance, it may seem to imply a craving that drives someone to end his own life, but it’s never explained in the Buddhist texts in that way. If we attempt to interpret its meaning, then we could say that it’s a repulsion to existence and refusal to continue in the cycle of rebirths, desire to cease to exist after death, nothing else after that.

Furthermore, there are two ways in which craving functions as the cause of dukkha: psychological and meta-psychological.

The psychological aspect can be seen in how we crave for something that we don’t have. For example, we might want to buy a new expensive smartphone because we don’t like the one we have. First, we have to struggle to get the money to buy one. Then, we get the money and buy the new phone, and we feel amazing; there is a delight of possession. But then comes another form of Dukkha which manifests in anxious concern for our new phone. We are worried that it might break down, get lost, or be stolen; we experience the anxiety of possession. Then, with time our new phone gets old and out-of-date. We see our friends with new phones, and we don’t like our phone anymore, and we want to buy a new one. And so the cycle continues endlessly.

The meta psychological aspect is the craving that creates attachment to the five aggregates which, after the breakdown of our physical body at the moment of death, drive the stream of consciousness into a new existence and perpetuate the round of birth and death. This aspect shows the deep existential relationship between craving and Dukkha.

Complement with another lecture by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi on the First Noble Truth, one of the most fundamental teachings of Buddhism

“So long, monks, as my knowledge and vision of these Four Noble Truths as they really are … was not thoroughly purified in this way, I did not claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment,” the Buddha said in his first discourse. This utterance tells us that, contrary to popular belief, the Four Noble Truths are far from introductory teachings of Buddhism, for to fully understand them is to attain enlightenment.

The four noble truths are reminiscent of a medical formula, and the Buddha himself is compared to a great physician. Just as the doctor diagnoses the patient and prescribes the medicine, the Buddha pinpoints humanity’s ailment and prescribes the treatment to overcome it.

As such, the first noble truth diagnoses the affliction, the second noble truth reveals its origin, the third noble truth points to the cure, and the fourth noble truth shows the way to the cure.

This is how the Buddha defined the First Noble Truth of suffering (dukkha):

Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering. ~ In the Buddha’s Words

Here’s a wonderful talk given by Ven. Bikkhu Bodhi’s on the First Noble Truth:

From the Buddha’s definition of the First Noble Truth, we can discern three aspects of dukkha (suffering): the physical suffering, the psychological suffering, and existential suffering (the five aggregates of attachment).

The first aspect of dukkha is defined in this way, “Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering.” As you can see, all four elements correspond to the suffering of the physical body, which starts at the moment of birth and ends with death. We might not remember it, but our birth was a painful process not just for our mothers but also for us. We were expelled from the womb into the world, helpless, against our will, and forced to go through all the stages of life. Next comes aging, when our skin becomes wrinkled while our physical and mental faculties start to whither away. As our bodies are weakened, they become susceptible to many illnesses that inevitably lead to death and the body’s complete dissolution.

The second aspect of dukkha is contained in this line, “Union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering.” This is the psychological suffering that we are bound to experience throughout the course of our entire life. As we’re forced to associate with unpleasant people, get into stressful situations, lose our loved ones, and fail to attain the things we desire. All of these are the inevitable and intrinsic part of everyone’s journey and can’t be avoided.

The third aspect of dukkha is by far the hardest to comprehend because it’s defined using the term “five aggregates of attachment.” This one phrase encompasses the Buddha’s teaching on the false sense of fixed identity that we believe to be our true “self.” The Buddha teaches us that this self consists of five components (aggregates): body, feelings, perceptions, volitions, and consciousness. These aggregates are anything but stable and undergo a constant process of arising and fading away every moment. To be attached to these changing processes and seek your “self” in them is the most basic delusion that serves as the source of our unhappiness and discontent.

Every day we wake up and fall into our usual routines. But deep down we want to curl up in bed and stay there all day long, walled up from life. It’s very tempting to forget all our worries and pretend like we don’t have a job we need to go to, the bills we need to pay, or the boss we have to please. But we also know that avoiding life is not going to make our problems go away. Tomorrow they will still be there, waiting for us.

Is there a secret, or rather secrets to life that can make us stronger, more resilient, and happier? Yes, there are three of them, and the Buddha realized them thousands of years ago. We don’t have to give up everything and move to a monastery to benefit from these Buddhist principles. All we need to do is to start our path of learning the Buddha’s teachings and practice them in our daily lives.

#1. Buddhist Principle that States Everything Is Constantly Changing (And How that Benefits Our Daily Life)

We all know the saying, “Don’t give up, it will get better.” At some point in our life, someone told us those words in a very comforting way. But did we take time to reflect deeply about the reason why these words are so soothing and healing? Because they express one of the most powerful Buddhist principles: everything is changing and impermanent.

Here’s the Buddha’s quote from Dhammapada (Words of Truth):

Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā.

All conditioned things are impermanent.

(Dhammapada, Chapter XX, verse 277)

Whatever adversity we’re facing right now, whatever painful emotions we’re experiencing, they will all pass because they are impermanent.

#2. Buddhist Principle that Uncovers a Simple Cause of All Unhappiness (And What to Do About it)

What is unhappiness? We use this word so often, but do we know its true meaning? Or better yet, do we know what causes it? The answer to this question is linked to one of the previous Buddhist principles – impermanence. And here’s how… We feel unhappy when we cling or attach ourselves to something that is impermanent.

As the Buddha puts it:

Sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā.

All conditioned things are dukkha.

(Dhammapada, Chapter XX, verse 278)

When someone breaks our heart, we’re unhappy because we are attached to a person whose feelings have changed and he or she does not feel the same way about us.

When we experience a financial loss, we’re unhappy because we are attached to material things which are subject to change and unstable.

When we get older, we’re unhappy because we are attached to our bodies that were young and attractive, but have become old and frail.

#3. Buddhist Principle that Shows There Is No Fixed Self or “I” (And How It Can Make Us Happy)

What do we say when we meet someone for the first time? We say “Hi, my name is…..” Whatever comes after that phrase is our identity. It’s our sense of self, a sense of who we are in this world. We believe that this self or “I” is constant and unchanging but this is the biggest delusion of our lives. By completely identifying with our name, occupation, social status, we cling to an illusion created by our mind. And what happens when we are attached to an illusion? Eventually, it dissolves and we suffer.

Here’s the Buddha’s original saying:

Sabbe dhammā anattā.

All dhammas are without self.

(Dhammapada, Chapter XX, verse 279)

Buddhists believe that everything is impermanent and changing, including our own “self”. Once we realize this through the study of Buddhist scriptures, and rigorous practice of mindfulness and meditation, it will give us the power to stop worrying and create our own reality every single moment of our lives.