Buddhas' Third Noble Truth

For those of you who know the noble truths taught by the Buddha, you already know that to live is to suffer and that the good things in life must be taken in context and not for granted. The good news is that the Third Noble Truth is that the end of suffering is attainable.

The end (cessation) of suffering can be attained through something called nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment, in other words it means that to stop our suffering we must first let go of our attachments. Which is easier said than done, because right now we are attached to everything and everyone around us! We must remember that when we pass on we will not be able to take anything with us, we must let go of everything but our minds.

The third noble truth is an expression of the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion or letting go living in the moment with peace. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment, from the cloths we wear to the people we love. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. This does not mean to only do things that feel good because you will inevitably suffer again when the pleasure wares off.

Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels, including meditation and deep thought, that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it, but that does not mean that it is not impossible to reach this state with lots of time, practice, patience and following the teachings of the Buddha.