Right View and the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism
Right view is the “forerunner” of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is why the Buddha listed it first. Having the right view guides the practice. Right view is like having the right map, while the other seven are like having a good vehicle. The right map guides you toward the right direction. It does not matter how good your vehicle is if you are heading the wrong way. So, in that sense, right view may be the most important of the eight.
Defining Right View
If it is that important, what is it? The Buddha said right view is knowing the nature of suffering, the causes of suffering, the nature of liberation from suffering, and the path to liberation from suffering. In other words, knowing the Four Noble Truths. We can think of the Four Noble Truths as the teaching of the Dharma, and the Noble Eightfold Path as the practice of the Dharma.
By defining right view as the Four Noble Truths, the teaching (Four Noble Truths) ends with the practice, and the practice (Noble Eightfold Path) begins with the teaching, thus we get the additional benefit of fortifying the internal consistency between the teaching and the practice. The following table summarizes these core components:
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| The Nature of Suffering | Understanding that there is great pain in life. |
| The Causes of Suffering | Identifying that our own mind is the source of our pain. |
| Liberation from Suffering | Realizing that because pain is caused, the end of pain has a cause, too. |
| The Path to Liberation | The Noble Eightfold Path that guides us toward freedom. |
The Essence of the Spiritual Path
Understand the essence of the spiritual path, the first teaching given by the Buddha. After his enlightenment, the very first teaching the Buddha gave to his 5 ascetic companions was that of the four noble truths. These four facts introduce us to the truth that yes, there is great pain in life. But because this pain is caused, the end of pain has a cause, too. By training our minds and walking the spiritual path we can free ourselves from suffering. The four noble truths of Buddhism lead to happiness by introducing us to the true cause of our unhappiness.
The Breadth of the Discourse
To be fair, right view is actually a big topic. Sāriputta, the Buddha’s wisest disciple, delivered an important discourse titled the Discourse on Right View and it covers a host of topics:
- Wholesome versus unwholesome
- Nutriment
- The Four Noble Truths
- Aging and death
- Birth, being, grasping, and craving
- Feeling, contact, and the sixfold base
- Mentality-materiality, consciousness, formations, ignorance, and taints
The Buddha was able to reduce right view to a minimum set which everything else can be reduced to, and from which everything else can be derived, which is the Four Noble Truths. It is not that the Buddha never elaborated on the topic, but when he had to, he could reduce the whole topic into three words in English: Four Noble Truths. We realize all that arises in the mind can be utilized on the path to guide us toward freedom. By deeply accepting our suffering, we learn to let it go.