What the Buddha Taught

In the Buddha’s first sermon, he briefly explained The Four Noble Truths, which were analyzed in greater detail in Buddhist texts. The first Noble Truth, Dukkha, means “The Noble Truth of Suffering.” Rahula laments that many people interpret this to mean “life is suffering,” a simplistic translation that casts Buddhism as a pessimistic religion. He posits that Buddhism is not optimistic or pessimistic; it is realistic. He offers an analogy in which a doctor frightens a patient and exaggerates an illness, while another doctor falsely claims there is no illness, so no treatment is needed. For Rahula, the Buddha is like a doctor who realistically describes the patient’s illness and communicates a real cure. The Pali word Dukkha cannot simply be translated into the English words “pain” or “suffering” since it also means “imperfection” and “impermanence” (43). He prefers to use the Pali word rather than translate it and lose these subtle nuances.

The Buddha acknowledges the joys of life, from family happiness to physical, mental, and sensory happiness. However, happiness is impermanent, as these joys fade and can even produce distress when they are gone.