When the Buddha summarised the Four Noble Truths in the statement: "The one who sees dukkha sees also the arising of dukkha, sees also the cessation of dukkha, and sees also the way leading to the cessation of dukkha", he eloquently summarised the basis of Buddhist doctrine which still survives to this day. Furthermore, he outlined the path that one must follow in order to free oneself from suffering (dukkha), the foundation of which is the ongoing practice of meditation and contemplative awareness.
The first two truths he refers to, (known as Dukkha and Samudaya), deal with the existence and arising of human suffering. This suffering is said to be due to the attachment we hold to our sense of self and therefore to external trappings and pleasures. For when we are sick, old, separated from what we desire, or united to that which is undesirable, we suffer, and there is not a moment in our lives when we are truly free of suffering.1 The arising of suffering is caused by human thirst or craving, known as tanha, to have that which one does not have. This desire and craving is what leads to the cycle of rebirth, known as samsara, through the buildup of karma. It is through the practice of meditation that one removes oneself from an attachment to these things which one calls the 'self', (which is the root of all suffering), and therefore from the cycle of samsara.
The last two truths, (known as Nirodha and Magga), explain not only that we can attain Nirvana through the escape from this attachment and suffering, but also show us the way to do so. To escape from dukkha we must eliminate tanha, so Nirvana is also known as Tanhakkhaya or the 'extinction of thirst'.2 It is through the cultivation of a meditative awareness that one may realise the inherent impermanence in the world and embark upon the path which leads to enlightenment. It is the fourth Noble Truth, in the form of the Noble Eightfold Path, namely: right understanding, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration, upon which one must embark.
It is this path, in the words of the Buddha, "which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and which leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to [Nirvana]."3 This path can be divided up into three sections; ethical conduct (sila), mental discipline (samadhi), and wisdom (panna)4 in the following way:
Panna (or Wisdom)
Right understanding
Right thought
Sila (or Ethical Conduct)
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Samadhi (or Mental Discipline)
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration
These three aspects of the path are all vital to the practice of meditation, each section being an ongoing and integral part of the meditators progress. By striving to achieve right speech and action towards herself and others, and leading a perfect livelihood, (which means not living off something which causes herself or others pain), she will be engaging in proper ethical conduct. By fostering right understanding of the path, and right thought towards herself and others, she will cultivate wisdom.5 These are both important steps, but it is the third aspect, samadhi, is what we would call true meditation. This involves the three final steps of the Eightfold Path, which describe the gradual cultivation of meditative awareness.
The first, Right Effort, is the step in which the meditator undertakes to prevent and eradicate 'unskillful' thoughts and to develop and maintain 'skillful' thoughts6. The second, Right Mindfulness, is where what we see as true meditation comes into practice. Here, the aspirant cultivates sati: "direct, clearheaded, unreflective, non-judgemental observation of what is actually happening"7 towards the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, namely; the body, the feelings, the emotions and the thoughts.
It is through this intense cultivation of meditative awareness that the meditator progresses through the jhana states and attains the prolonged one-pointed concentration that enables her to achieve a state of insight (vipassana), leading to Nirvana. Thus the practice of meditation is central to the Buddhist tradition, by allowing the meditator to see the truth of dukkha, the arising of dukkha, the cessation of dukkha, and also the way leading to the cessation of dukkha.
1 George Grimm, The Doctrine of The Buddha (Berlin:Akademie-Verlag GmbH.,1958), p.61.
2 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught (London: The Gordon Fraser Gallery Ltd.,1978), p.35.
3 Walpola Rahula, "Dhammacakkappavatana-sutta." What the Buddha Taught, p.92.
4 Michael Jordan, Eastern Wisdom (Dubai: Carlton Books Limited, 1997), p.86. and P. Kearney, "Buddhism (i) Foundation and Doctrine." RE131 lecture. U of Queensland, 8 May 2000.
5 Michael Jordan, Eastern Wisdom, p.86.
6 Venerable Maha Sthavira Sangharakshita, The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path (Malaysia: Manjushri Sdn. Bhd., 1987),p.118.
7 Rod Bucknell, "Prepatory practices. Right Effort. Right Mindfulness." RE124 lecture. U of Queensland, 10 March 1999.