THE THIRD NOBLE TRUTH.

 

There is an end to suffering

If something has a cause, all we have to do to get rid of it is remove that cause. Therefore if the cause of suffering is attachment and aversion born of ignorance, it would seem that to rid ourselves of suffering we simply have to remove the ignorance.
Like all phenomena, suffering and discontent are not permanent. They arise and fall away in dependence upon causes and conditions. We can observe this in our everyday lives. If we have expectations of a gift and it is not given then disappointment will arise. The disappointment has arisen in dependence upon our expectations and our attachment to the idea of receiving that gift.
If suffering and discontent were independent phenomena, then irrespective of causes and conditions they would remain unchanged. The disappointment would be there even if the gift was given as it would not be dependant on the causes and conditions of receiving or not receiving the gift.
Within the four noble truths are two distinct sets of causes and results. The cause of suffering has the result of suffering itself, and the method to end that suffering results in its annihilation. All we have to do, therefore, to put an end to our suffering is to destroy its causes. Without its causes suffering cannot arise, and the result will be the fourth noble truth, the cessation of suffering, which is peace.
Next >> .END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).5/2/2012.