Reality
Questions about reality are often raised by thinkers and philosophers. Is there
reality? Is there an absolute reality? Are everything relative? Is the reality
something that cannot be grasped by humans? These are some of myriad of questions
that can be raised in relation to reality.
Conventionally we take certain things as reality. These conventional realities
are true only within the contexts or only when certain conditions exist. For
example, beauty of an artifact could be conventional or conditional since it
depends on the culture in which it is viewed. As another example certain phenomena
may be true only during a certain period of time. For example, certain tribes
or countries may become powerful militarily and it may be only during certain
time periods. If we say Romans are powerful as a general statement it is not
a reality today. As another simple example, stones were the most powerful weapon
in pre-historic times but not any more. In general, these conventional realities
are true only within the space and time contexts in which they are defined.
Then there are realities constructed by the societies due to hearsay, mysteries
or by using logic argumentation within certain belief frameworks. For example,
children believe that a tooth fairy will come when a tooth is fallen. In the
modern world, such creation of reality is taken into such an extent that it
is taught by repeating a lie several times it is possible to make a person believe
the lie as a truth.
The purpose of modern scientific inquiry is to extend our thinking beyond these
conventional realities. The differences among human beings, animals and plants
etc. can be traced to genes now. Diseases are no longer caused by evil spirits
but by bacteria, viruses and other causes which can be studied and understood.
Now in reality physical material are no longer the objects that we see. Scientists
could penetrate the constituents and structures of the objects and understand
and measure the characteristics of minute particles that form them. Even matter
itself is not any longer an absolute reality since it can be transformed into
energy.
The buddha did not discount such scientific inquiry. In fact, such learning
was valued by the Buddha as a blessing .However, the buddha's effort had been
to search beyond these conventions to see the real happiness. Hence dhamma is
taught to show the realities beyond the conventional realities also. The four
noble truths are termed as Noble because they are realities that span spatial
and temporal dimensions and hold as truths. Let us consider the first Noble
truth, the realities of unsatisfactoriness occur to all the human as well as
non-human beings, whether they are rich or poor, powerful or powerless, or big
or small. Humans as well non-humans are inflicted by disease. The effort of
scientists give hope in treating diseases but not curing them completely. Similarly
other types of unsatisfactoriness are realities that occur. The causes of such
unsatisfactoriness are also common to all human and non-human creatures. We
have often seen flies that fall into traps because of their attractions to certain
lights, heat or sounds. More explicitly we could see how the humans undergo
unsatisfactoriness or suffering due to their own greed or cravings.
The other two Noble truths show that there is a solution to this unsatisfactoriness
beyond the conventional solutions (that are dependent upon temporary conditions).
The Buddha termed the solution, Nirvana, he expounded as a Noble Truth because
it is a reality that surpasses the conventional realities. Nirvana is true not
only within certain cultures, races or time periods but also in any time period
and anywhere in the world. Furthermore, it is not something created by the Buddha.
It is realized by the Buddha and he showed the path to realize it opening the
next Noble Truth to the world.
The greatest miracle is this fourth Noble truth since it shows the way to transform
a human being to an extraordinary person. This greatness or nobleness is not
something achieved looking down upon others or ignoring others suffering. It
is achieved through understanding of the suffering undergone by onself and others.
Gradually as the nature of the suffering is understood it becomes easier to
follow the path. Again this is a Noble truth since it surpasses the conventional
truths and shows the way to a Noble happiness that surpasses the conditioned
happinesses and brings relief.