Like a great physician of the mind, Shakyamuni taught the four truths that life is suffering, that ignorance is the cause of suffering, that suffering can be eliminated, and that the Eightfold Path is the way to eliminate suffering. A medical doctor must accurately diagnose the cause of a patient’s illness and must know the nature of the illness when it is recognized. Shakyamuni taught that we must accurately understand the nature of human suffering. This is the significance of the first of the four truths.
Basic Buddhist Concepts