The Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit: catvāri āryasatyāni; Pāli: cattāri ariya–saccāni) are the very foundation and the center of the Buddha’s teaching since the entire teaching revolves around them. They, on the other hand, revolve around suffering, its origin, its cessation and the path to its cessation.

The goal of Buddhism and of Noble Life is one to put an irreversible end to suffering and this ultimately depends on eliminating ignorance and craving, which can only occur through penetrative wisdom that deeply discerns the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths are:

1. The Noble Truth of Suffering
2. The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
3. The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
4. The Noble Truth of the Path leading to Cessation of Suffering.

“The Truth of Suffering has the characteristic of afflicting. Its function is to burn. It is manifested as occurrence (as the course of an existence). The Truth of Origin has the characteristic of producing. Its function is to prevent interruption. It is manifested as impediment. The Truth of Cessation has the characteristic of peace. Its function is not to die. It is manifested as the sign-less (having no graspable entity, aviggaha). The Truth of the Path has the characteristic of an outlet. Its function is to abandon defilements. It is manifested as emergence. They have, moreover, the respective characteristics of occurrence, making occur, non-occurrence, and making not occur, and likewise the characteristics of the formed, craving, the unformed, and seeing” (VM, 507-508).

All this and such is suffering. How is that? That is so because of impermanence, because in the deepest sense this truth encompasses all the elements of existence none of which is permanent, lasting or happiness, and thus – suffering.

“Dukkha, suffering, exists. What, monks, is the Noble Truth of dukkha: Birth is dukkha, aging is dukkha, death is dukkha; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are dukkha; association with the unbeloved is dukkha; separation from the loved is dukkha; not getting what is wanted is dukkha. In brief, the five aggregates (khandhas) subject to clinging are suffering.” (SN II, 1844, translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi).

“… People do not understand aging-and-death by way of the Truth of Suffering; nor theirs origin by way of the Truth of the Origin, i.e., that aging-and-death arise from birth and craving; nor its cessation by way of the Truth of Cessation; nor the way to its cessation by way of the Truth of the Path.” (SN I, 733-734).

“By and large, Kaccayana, this world is in bondage to attachments, clingings, and biases. But one such as this does not get involved with or cling to these attachments, clingings, fixations of awareness, biases, or obsessions; nor is he resolved on ‘my self.’ He has no uncertainty or doubt that just suffering, when arising, is arising; suffering, when passing away, is passing away. In this, his knowledge is independent of others.” (Kaccayanagotta Sutta)

“Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for non-existence” (SN II, 1844).

The cause of suffering is craving. ‘It is this craving, this ‘thirst’, taṇhā, which produces re-existence and re-becoming, which is bound up with passionate greed, and which finds delight in anything attractive, pleasant and appealing. It is the thirst for (1) sense-pleasures (kāma-taṇhā), for (2) existence and becoming (bhava-taṇhā) and for (3) non-existence, for not becoming this or that (vibhava-taṇhā) or in short, it is ‘thirst’ for continuity.

Here ‘craving’, taṇhā, should be understood not only as desire for, and attachment to sense-pleasures, wealth, fame and power, but also as desire for and attachment to ideas, views, opinions, theories, conceptions, strategies, beliefs, noble causes, and exalted ideals (dhamma-taṇhā).

Where does this craving arise?

“When this craving arises, Bhikkhus (Monks), where does it arise? When it establishes itself, where does it establish itself?

“When this craving arises and establishes itself, it does so in the delightful and pleasurable characteristics of the world” (Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta).

This craving, this insatiable desire, greed, and thirst give rise to all forms of suffering and re-existence. But craving should not be taken as a root cause, for there is no initial or primary cause in Buddhism. All existence, said Buddha, depends on causes and conditions, and no phenomenon exists outside of causes and conditions. Even this ‘thirst’, taṇhā, the cause of dukkha, depends for its arising on something else, namely on sensation, and sensation arises depending on contact, and so on and so forth revolves this circle of co-arising, known as Dependent Origination. In fact, we are the ultimate cause for our suffering and we are the solution!

These craving and clinging stop only when one sees that all internal and external pleasant states, objects and experiences are suffering; that all existence is suffering, dukkha! Then and only then one stops wanting them, stops wanting anything, and focuses on something else. That something else is Nibbāna.

“Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering: it is the remainder-less fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, and non-reliance on it” (SN II, 1844).

The Third Noble Truth declares that there is deliverance, liberation, freedom from suffering, from the continuity of dukkha. This is called the Noble Truth of Cessation (nirodha) of dukkha, which is Nibbāna.

In order to put an irreversible end to dukkha, suffering, one has to uproot the main root of dukkha – craving. Therefore Nibbāna is also known as Taṇhākkhaya – Extinction of craving. The End of Suffering is the complete cessation of that very craving, giving it up, renouncing it, detaching from it, letting it go.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Dukkha? It is the complete extinction and cessation of this very craving, its abandoning and discarding, the liberation and detachment from it. Bhikkhus, when this craving is abandoned, where is it abandoned? When it ceases, where does it cease? When this craving is abandoned or ceases it does so in the delightful and pleasurable characteristics of the world” (Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta).

The realization of this Truth, i.e. Seeing things as they really are: conditioned, impermanent and therefore suffering; empty of self, soul, atman or any permanent substance which lives forever – is the Absolute Truth. This is what Nibbāna is characterized with: the extinction of all craving and the cessation of all suffering. Nibbāna is the absolute non-occurrence and we said earlier (in What is Dhamma) that existence is occurrence.

A monk named Rādha once put his third and last question to the Buddha: “For what purposе is Nibbāna?” Nibbānaṃ pana, bhante, kimatthiyaṃ?

This question presupposes that there is something after Nibbāna, so the Buddha answered:

“Rādha, you have gone beyond the scope of your questions, you are unable to grasp the limit of your questions. For, Rādha, the holy life is merged in Nibbāna, its consummation is Nibbāna, its culmination is Nibbāna.” Accasarā, Rādha, pañhaṃ, nāsakkhi pañhassa pariyantaṃ gahetuṃ. Nibbānogadhañhi, Rādha, brahmacariyaṃ vussati, nibbānaparāyanaṃ nibbānapariyosānaṃ.

Source: https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Nibbana-01-1.pdf

When the secret of cessation is discovered, when the Third Noble Truth is seen, all the defilements which feverishly produce the continuity of existence in Saṃsāra subside and become incapable of producing any more karma or mental formations (also called mental fabrications, karmic constructions and karmic field of probability – the field of our intentional actions). And this happens only when there are no more illusions and no more desire or urge to go on.

Truth is never a result. Nibbāna is never a result. If it were otherwise, it would have a cause; Nibbāna would be produced by a cause and would be ‘conditioned’.

“Therefore, O Bhikkhus, a person so endowed is endowed with the absolute wisdom, for the knowledge of the extinction of all dukkha is the absolute noble wisdom. Thus his deliverance, founded on Truth, is unshakable. O Bhikkhus, that which is unreality, is false: that which is reality, Nibbāna, is Truth. Therefore, O Bhikkhus, that person so endowed is endowed with this Absolute Truth. For, the Absolute Noble Truth (paramam aryasaccam) is Nibbāna, which is Reality” (Dhātuvibhaṅga-Sutta (No. 140) of the Majjhima-Nikāya).

The Noble Eightfold Path, Ariya-Atthangika-Magga, is so called because it is composed of eight categories or divisions.

“Now this, Bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the Way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is this Noble Eightfold Path, that is:

1. Right View (samma ditthi),
2. Right Motivation (samma sankappa),
3. Right Speech (samma vaca),
4. Right Action (samma kammanta),
5. Right Livelihood (samma ajiva),
6. Right Effort (samma vayama),
7. Right Awareness (samma sati),
8. Right Concentration (samma samadhi) (SN II, 1844).

For 45 years Buddha explained the Noble Eightfold Path in different ways and in different words, but the essence of his Teaching is found in the Noble Eightfold Path because the Path, if followed, practiced and developed leads to Nibbāna. By observing morality and self-discipline, living ethically, practicing diligently, developing highest knowledge, called penetrating wisdom (pañña), each and every one can take exactly the same journey to Nibbāna the Buddha did and be delivered from all suffering. The method through which one can change his life and attain Nibbāna is the Noble Eightfold Path.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is Right View? Knowledge with regard to suffering, knowledge with regard to the origination of suffering, knowledge with regard to the cessation of suffering, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering: This is called Right View.

“And what is Right Motivation? Motivation aimed at freedom from sensuality, at freedom from ill will, at harmlessness: This is called Right Motivation.

“And what is Right Speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, and from idle chatter: This is called Right Speech.

“And what is Right Action? Abstaining from taking life, from stealing, and from unchastity. This is called Right Action.

“And what is Right Livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with Right Livelihood: This is called Right Livelihood.

“And what is Right Effort? There is the case where a monk generates intention, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds, and exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen… for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen… for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen…(and) for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This is called Right Effort.

“And what is Right Awareness? There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself — ardent, alert, and aware — putting away greed and mental pain with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in and of themselves… the mind in and of itself… mental states (dhammas) in and of themselves — ardent, alert, and aware — putting aside greed and mental pain with reference to the world. This is called Right Awareness.

“And what is Right Concentration (samādhi, absorption)? There is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities — enters and remains in the first jhana (meditative state): rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. With the stilling of directed thoughts and evaluations, he enters and remains in the second jhana: rapture and pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation — internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, aware, and alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters and remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, ‘Equanimous and aware, he has a pleasant abiding.’ With the abandoning of pleasure and pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation and mental pain — he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and awareness, neither pleasure nor pain. This is called right concentration.

“This, Bhikkhus, is called the Noble Truth of the Path leading to Cessation of Dukkha” (SN 45.8).

Not knowing the Four Noble Truths is Ignorance. Therefore “You should do your work for the Tathāgatas (Buddhas) only teach the Way”, the Path to Nibbāna. You should get the job done; Buddha cannot meditate for you or eat for you.