True Cessations: The Transformative Journey of the Third Noble Truth
A practical guide to cessation practices that make the mind more peaceful and life more joyful.
The young prince, Siddhārtha Gautama, grew up in opulence, but he found that he was not happy. His pleasures were fleeting, and he came to believe he would never be truly happy, enjoying a life free from the many forms of human suffering.
He saw that pursuing pleasure and engaging in worldly matters was pointless, and his real desire to be happy was a futile endeavor. He came to see suffering was endemic to human existence, yet he believed there must be a solution to the problem.
The First Noble Truth
Siddhārtha was so distraught over the meaninglessness of his own life that he abandoned his family and his palace life, and spent six years living as an ascetic in the tradition of Jainist princes who renounced their worldly lives in pursuit of the elusive goal of ending human suffering—starting with their own.
He had gone from one extreme to the other and found no happiness at either end.
He was left with the startling conclusion that the origin of suffering was in the mind itself, and pursuing happiness required navigating the middle road between extremes.
The Second Noble Truth
The most famous and influential prince to become a Jainist was Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर), also known as Vardhamana, who was the 24th Tirthankara (supreme preacher) of Jainism.
Most people never heard of him. Despite his reverence among Jainists, he didn’t have any particular unique insight that inspired his followers to create a worldwide religion practiced by over a billion people worldwide.
The Buddha’s Great Insight
The traditional story of the Buddha placed Siddhārtha Gautama in meditation under the bodhi tree. He realized there was a path to cessation of suffering. In that moment, he became enlightened; he became the Buddha, the awakened one.
Nirvana is a profound state of inner peace, contentment, and liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth (samsara).
Nirvana is often described in negative terms, such as the absence of suffering, rather than in positive terms because it transcends ordinary language and conceptualization.
Nirvana represents a shift from a self-centered, ego-driven perspective to a state of egolessness and interconnectedness with all beings and phenomena.
Nirvana is closely associated with the ability to be fully present in the moment, free from the burdens of past regrets and future anxieties. It involves experiencing reality as it is, without distortion by the ego.
To achieve the cessation of suffering, individuals must address the root cause of suffering, which is craving, attachment, and desire (as explained in the Second Noble Truth). By eliminating these mental habits, suffering can be brought to an end.
The Third Noble Truth offers hope and motivation to Buddhist practitioners, as it underscores that suffering is not an inherent, unalterable part of existence. It invites individuals to embark on a path of inner transformation and liberation.
True Cessations
The suffering of anger ceases with the practice of patient acceptance.
The suffering of attachment ceases by meditating on impermanence.
The suffering of negative Karma ceases by practicing purification and moral discipline.
And the suffering of jealousy ceases with the practice of rejoicing.
The Middle Path
The Buddha's Middle Path or Eightfold Path, outlined in the Fourth Noble Truth, provides the practical framework for achieving Enlightenment. It includes ethical principles (such as right speech and right livelihood) and mental practices (such as right mindfulness and right concentration) that lead to the cessation of suffering.
Meditation plays a significant role in the journey toward Enlightenment. It is through meditation that practitioners can cultivate mindfulness, insight, and concentration, ultimately leading to the direct experience of cessation.
While the ultimate goal is the same, different Buddhist traditions may have various approaches and interpretations of how to attain Enlightenment. These paths may include insight meditation (Vipassana), Zen practice, Pure Land devotional practices, and more.
In summary, Enlightenment represents the pinnacle of Buddhist practice, signifying the complete cessation of suffering and the attainment of Nirvana or Nibbana. It involves the eradication of craving and attachment, a profound transformation of consciousness, and liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Meditation on the Third Noble Truth
The Third Noble Truth is one of the most practical because it provides specific practices to make your mind much more peaceful and restore balance when difficult circumstances arise.
I have practiced these cessations for years, and I can attest to the fact that they work. When those practices become habitual and instinctive, your mind will be at peace most of the time.
Even after you obtain a firm grasp of emptiness and learn to recognize all mistaken appearances, the momentum of years of reacting to false appearances still requires maintaining the disciplines of cessation practice to sustain inner peace.
Contemplation
Consider what you read in this post and review the linked postings on the practices of cessation. Then focus on the following first-person narrative:
I will master the practices of cessation.
I will practice patient acceptance to overcome anger.
I will meditate on impermanence to overcome attachment.
I will practice rejoicing to overcome jealousy.
And I will maintain strict moral discipline to accumulate merit and ensure a human rebirth.
Object of Meditation
You meditate on this determination continually until you feel a strong commitment to master the practices of cessation.
You should hold this determination in your mind for as long as possible.
When you are not in meditation, you should work to make practicing cessation habitual whenever a disturbing emotion arises.
