The Four Noble Truths: The beginning and the end of Buddha-Dhamma

By Hwal-Seong Sunim

This book is the Dhamma talks by Venerable Hwal-Seong Sunim, who has long endeavored to adapt the original teachings of the Buddha to the Abhidhamma of our age. Focusing on the exquisite structure and dynamic relationships of the Four Noble Truths, it reexamines the core teachings of Buddha, and shows that Buddhism transcends time and place and is very relevant to our time. Readers will benefit from his unparalleled insight and wise approach to the world and our own problems.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CALM VOICE SOCIETY
• Release date: Jun 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9791191224108

Book preview

Table of Contents

Opening Remarks

The Beginning and the End of Buddha-Dhamma

Breathing the Four Noble Truths

The Great Declaration of Suffering

The Cause of Suffering

The Cessation of Suffering

The Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering

Why Suffering, not Nibbana

The Structural Sequence of the Four Noble Truths

Truthfulness of the Structure

The Double Pillars of the Dhamma and the Way (Magga)

Why we should be grateful to the Buddha

Opening Remarks

I was ordained in the meditation hall rather than in the lecture hall. In the beginning of my life as a monk, Venerable Gyeong-Bong Sunim, my teacher, gave me a strict instruction. He said, Meditate for three years before attending the lecture hall or studying the scriptures. In that way I did not begin ordained life by systematically learning the scriptures as is the practice of novice monks. In retrospect, it might seem a bit ironic that a monk like myself founded the Calm Voice Society and undertook the task of translating the Pāli texts into Korean.

I followed this road, considering that the Four Noble Truths, as it is said in the scriptures, are the core of the Buddha’s teachings. With the passage of time, I have become more convinced that to understand the Four Noble Truths in the light of the Noble Eightfold Path and the twelve-linked chain of dependent origination (shortened hereafter as dependent origination) is the foundation of Buddhism, everything else is mere explanation. With that understanding I approach the Four Noble Truths with a view that they encompass the totality of Buddha-Dhamma.

i. The Beginning and the End of Buddha-Dhamma

Buddha-Dhamma begins with the Four Noble Truths. The systematic practice of Buddhism begins with the Noble Eightfold Path, of which right view is the first step. The Buddha teaches us that those who study Buddha-Dhamma should first have right view. Right view is the beginning of practice, and it leads the way. It is clearly stated in the scriptures that right view is to gain right understanding of The Four Noble Truths. This I believe is unique to Buddhism. All other religions or teachings exhort people to do good deeds and become great persons, however only Buddhism clearly defines the core of its teaching in one phrase, to understand the Four Noble Truths.

Understanding the Four Noble Truths is right view. It forms the foundation upon which the other elements of the Noble Eightfold Path are built. This is the quintessential structure of the Buddha's teachings. Right view is the foundation as well as the first step of Buddha-Dhamma. To hold right view is to understand the structure of the Four Noble Truths of dukkha (suffering), samudaya (the cause of suffering), nirodha (the cessation of suffering), and patipada (the path leading to the cessation of suffering). Isn’t it intriguingly systematic?

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