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Foundation of Buddhist Thought #1
The Four Noble Truths
The four noble truths are well known as the Buddha's first and most essential explanation of his enlightened realizations. The truths diagnose the human existential crisis--suffering and its origin--and prescribe a solution--cessation and the path. To understand the four noble truths is to understand Buddhism as a whole.
In The Four Noble Truths , Geshe Tashi draws on his decades of training in Tibetan Buddhism to illuminate these truths for a modern audience. His respectful engagement with Buddhists outside his own tradition and his insights into Western culture make this book refreshing. It will reward even those already acquainted with the fundamentals of Buddhism.
The Four Noble Truths is the first of six stand-alone volumes in the Foundation of Buddhist Thought series.
In The Four Noble Truths , Geshe Tashi draws on his decades of training in Tibetan Buddhism to illuminate these truths for a modern audience. His respectful engagement with Buddhists outside his own tradition and his insights into Western culture make this book refreshing. It will reward even those already acquainted with the fundamentals of Buddhism.
The Four Noble Truths is the first of six stand-alone volumes in the Foundation of Buddhist Thought series.
168 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2005
62 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Geshe Tashi Tsering
9 books5 followersGeshe Tashi Tsering was born in Tibet in 1958 and received his Geshe Lharampa degree (similar to a doctorate in divinity) from Sera Monastery in India in 1987. Since 1994, he has been the guiding teacher of the Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, while also teaching at other Buddhist centers worldwide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashi_T...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashi_T...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 25, 2009
This is a fantastic book for the enthusiastic Mahayana Buddhist. I love how Geshe Tashi Tsering ties in the common Mahayanist concepts into the Four Noble Truths, explaining them all with clarity and straight forward language. I have a lot of curly philosophical questions that are being answered by his book and more importantly, a lot of inspiration towards the practical side of being a Buddhists. I'm looking forward the rest of the books in this six-part series.
July 27, 2016
This book is actually pretty deep - as the basics often are. I have read parts of this book online and its talking about critical aspects of mind consciousness which I would not assign to the classification of "novice text." For example, in one section the author describes the "telling differences" between the Mahayana and Theraveda understanding of "craving for transitory aggregates." This is the type of topic that makes the eyes of most Buddhist I know glaze over - and yet it is a very important consideration in the understanding in the mechanics of consciousness. My take on this book is that it is scholarly and suitable for advance students attempting to deepen their understanding by revisiting the profundity to be found in the basics. Enlightening explanations of Pali and Tibetan terms and the use of obscure but pertinent quotes are all more than I normally expect from a mere "novice" text.
October 24, 2008
good read for a beginner
April 30, 2025
Just as our suffering does not come from external sources but is caused by our own delusions and karma, so the complete end of that suffering arises from the gradual elimination of our delusions. In that way, peace arises from chaos, cessation of suffering arises from suffering, and nirvana arises from samsara."
Page 22
The annihilation of the craving that keeps us clinging to cyclic existence is, at its very deepest level, the annihilation of our misconceptions about reality...We are bound to cyclic existence by the ignorance that actively fails to understand the nature of reality and that everything is interdependent and lacks any sense of intrinsic, independent reality.
Page 104
It seems no matter what we do we are still complicit in harming others by what we consume. Of course, it is good to be mindful, but it is also good to be realistic. We are citizens of a world where big business has control, and I think only a fanatic could live without compromise in any way. The goal is spiritual development, and fanaticism will not get us there. We have to live and we need material things to survive, and as far as possible we should get them without causing harm to others.
It seems no matter what we do we are still complicit in harming others by what we consume. Of course, it is good to be mindful, but it is also good to be realistic. We are citizens of a world where big business has control, and I think only a fanatic could live without compromise in any way. The goal is spiritual development, and fanaticism will not get us there. We have to live and we need material things to survive, and as far as possible we should get them without causing harm to others.
Page 22
The annihilation of the craving that keeps us clinging to cyclic existence is, at its very deepest level, the annihilation of our misconceptions about reality...We are bound to cyclic existence by the ignorance that actively fails to understand the nature of reality and that everything is interdependent and lacks any sense of intrinsic, independent reality.
Page 104
It seems no matter what we do we are still complicit in harming others by what we consume. Of course, it is good to be mindful, but it is also good to be realistic. We are citizens of a world where big business has control, and I think only a fanatic could live without compromise in any way. The goal is spiritual development, and fanaticism will not get us there. We have to live and we need material things to survive, and as far as possible we should get them without causing harm to others.
It seems no matter what we do we are still complicit in harming others by what we consume. Of course, it is good to be mindful, but it is also good to be realistic. We are citizens of a world where big business has control, and I think only a fanatic could live without compromise in any way. The goal is spiritual development, and fanaticism will not get us there. We have to live and we need material things to survive, and as far as possible we should get them without causing harm to others.
December 29, 2024
I don't consider myself a Buddhist, but I'm a practitioner of Wing Chun Kung Fu and my Sifu recommended this book to me, because as you get higher up the ranks in Wing Chun, much of the philosophy side of it is centred around the Buddhist way of thinking.
This book manages to explain itself in a simplistic and comprehensible way, and goes that extra mile to give Western interpretations to its teachings, making it all the easier for someone surrounded by the Western mindset/culture to understand and apply to their daily lives.
It's a very cathartic read. It's rare that I'll finish a book and want to go right back to the start as soon as I finish the last page, but I did with this. The lessons it holds are invaluable in helping to break down the concept of suffering, and learning how to control our emotions and hone the mind.
One of those books I feel everybody should read at least once!
This book manages to explain itself in a simplistic and comprehensible way, and goes that extra mile to give Western interpretations to its teachings, making it all the easier for someone surrounded by the Western mindset/culture to understand and apply to their daily lives.
It's a very cathartic read. It's rare that I'll finish a book and want to go right back to the start as soon as I finish the last page, but I did with this. The lessons it holds are invaluable in helping to break down the concept of suffering, and learning how to control our emotions and hone the mind.
One of those books I feel everybody should read at least once!
February 17, 2020
A clear, well-presented, and useful presentation of the first, last, and most central of the Buddha's teachings. One cool thing is that the author, along the way, contrasts the Theravadan and Mahayana viewpoints. This is the text for the first of a 6-part course called the Foundation of Buddhist Thought, presented by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. I look forward to reading volume 2: Relative Truth, Ultimate Truth.
July 8, 2017
A very well written and crystal clear work!
September 3, 2017
Good introduction to Buddhism.
February 9, 2016
This is an amazing book, I would say, for those who really want to understand Buddhism as a whole brief system. By composing this book, I think that Geshe Tashi actually drew a whole picture of Buddhism and looking at this picture, we can clearly see how core Buddha's teachings topics related to others.
Starting from the Four Noble Truths Sutra, which is translated from Pali, Geshe showed us, step by step, the meanings of the Buddha's words that are visible in the sutra in words, and then he showed us the underlying teachings that are directly and indirectly related to the Four Noble Truths. The sixteen characteristics of the four noble truths are clearly explained, which provides deeper understanding of each truth.
The beauty of this book is that, I think, Geshe explained each truth according to Theravada and Mahayana traditions, which gives us a extensive understanding of the topic. I love the way how Geshe explained the links between Four Noble Truths and 12 links of Dependent Origination, and also the differences between the concepts of "liberation" in Theravada and Mahayana. Also, Geshe made it very clear how "liberation" differs from "enlightenment", and he gave brief introduction about two types of Buddha Body, which I think only exists in Mahayana tradition. In more details, Geshe explained how five ordinary aggregates transform into two types Buddha Body when an individual achieves enlightenment. Another point that make me give 5 stars to this book is that, Geshe showed how the Five Paths are related to the Eight-fold path, and how Three Trainings and Eight-fold path relate to each other.
Finally I think this is a must read book! Those who are relatively new to Buddhism might feel some difficulties when following this book, but I think it is worthy to try hard, because at the end you will get something like a "map" for our spiritual journey.
Starting from the Four Noble Truths Sutra, which is translated from Pali, Geshe showed us, step by step, the meanings of the Buddha's words that are visible in the sutra in words, and then he showed us the underlying teachings that are directly and indirectly related to the Four Noble Truths. The sixteen characteristics of the four noble truths are clearly explained, which provides deeper understanding of each truth.
The beauty of this book is that, I think, Geshe explained each truth according to Theravada and Mahayana traditions, which gives us a extensive understanding of the topic. I love the way how Geshe explained the links between Four Noble Truths and 12 links of Dependent Origination, and also the differences between the concepts of "liberation" in Theravada and Mahayana. Also, Geshe made it very clear how "liberation" differs from "enlightenment", and he gave brief introduction about two types of Buddha Body, which I think only exists in Mahayana tradition. In more details, Geshe explained how five ordinary aggregates transform into two types Buddha Body when an individual achieves enlightenment. Another point that make me give 5 stars to this book is that, Geshe showed how the Five Paths are related to the Eight-fold path, and how Three Trainings and Eight-fold path relate to each other.
Finally I think this is a must read book! Those who are relatively new to Buddhism might feel some difficulties when following this book, but I think it is worthy to try hard, because at the end you will get something like a "map" for our spiritual journey.
November 21, 2017
Gueshe Tashi Tsering es un gran maestro, paciente y con una energía y generosidad que desprenden sus palabras línea a línea.
Sin embargo, este no es un texto sencillo, pero la comprensión de la complejidad de los conceptos no se da a través del intelecto, sino de la intención de que la reflexión y meditación de las palabras nos lleven cada vez más lejos en el sendero.
Algo valioso que encontré también en este primer tomo es la minuciosa comparación de ciertos conceptos clave entre las distintas escuelas del budismo: Theravada y Mahayana.
Un libro y, en general, un curso imprescindible para quienes quieran iniciarse en el estudio y sobre todo, la práctica del budismo.
Sin embargo, este no es un texto sencillo, pero la comprensión de la complejidad de los conceptos no se da a través del intelecto, sino de la intención de que la reflexión y meditación de las palabras nos lleven cada vez más lejos en el sendero.
Algo valioso que encontré también en este primer tomo es la minuciosa comparación de ciertos conceptos clave entre las distintas escuelas del budismo: Theravada y Mahayana.
Un libro y, en general, un curso imprescindible para quienes quieran iniciarse en el estudio y sobre todo, la práctica del budismo.
September 7, 2012
Book in an online class on the fundamentals of Buddhist thought. Enjoyed the course and the book. This was a Tibetan view of the four noble truths. All of the books feel very academic, but learned much from the book and the classes.
January 18, 2017
Great book loved reading this simple explanation of the four Nobel truths
Very thorough and simple to understand explanation of the four Nobel truths. The book is a page Turner. Will read the remaining books in the series it is that good.
Very thorough and simple to understand explanation of the four Nobel truths. The book is a page Turner. Will read the remaining books in the series it is that good.
January 11, 2011
A gem!
March 2, 2015
Very good reading for basics of Buddhism and perfect explanation of aspects of the Four Noble Truth. Highly recommending.
May 26, 2020
The best, clearest, least self-important analysis of the Buddha’s initial insight and teaching. Highly recommended; there’s a whole series of six of these good texts.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews