The sixteen aspects of the four noble truths - Mont Salève - 2017

OVERVIEW

Fundamental teaching of the first cycle of teachings given by the Buddha, the four noble truths describe in just a few words the different aspects of suffering, its origin, its cessation and the path to freedom from it. In order to meditate on them in depth and to give ourselves the possibility of escaping definitively from all the destructive processes that overwhelm us, it is essential to clearly distinguish their different dimensions - their sixteen aspects. This is what Rinpoche, with extreme clarity and kindness, reveals to us here, shedding new light on all our daily experiences of happiness and suffering.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THESE TEACHINGS?

This teaching is an invaluable description of the mechanisms of suffering, as well as a guide to putting an end to it. Rinpoche addresses successively:

The three successive utterances of the four noble truths: by highlighting the nature of saṃsāra, that is to say of the five physical and mental aggregates that currently constitute us, as well as the nuances brought by each utterance of the four noble truths.
The sixteen characteristics of the four noble truths and the sixteen misperceptions they dispel: by describing how different beliefs or opinions, sometimes deeply ingrained within us, prevent us from perceiving reality as it is and how the various aspects of the four realities of the noble beings allow us to overcome them.
The way to meditate on the four noble truths: with particular emphasis on what is closest to us - the truth of suffering and our attachment to this present life.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

If Rinpoche teaches again and again the four noble truths, it is most likely to help us finally open our eyes to the reality of our current situation, haunted by uncertainty and dissatisfaction, and to bring us this tremendous message of hope: it is possible to put a definitive end to all our suffering and beyond that to help all beings to access the splendor of complete Enlightenment.