Pariyatti/Study, Paṭipatti/Practice, Paṭivedha/Realization

The essential teaching of the Lord Buddha is the Four Noble Truths.

There are four truths and three aspects of each truth, which make twelve insights. Three times four is twelve. And if you have all twelve insights, you are an arahant (a fully enlightened person).

So the three aspects of each Noble Truth: dukkha is the first aspect, and this is the first Noble Truth – there is dukkha. It’s a statement. And then the second aspect is, this dukkha should be understood. The third aspect is, this dukkha, this suffering, has been understood.

Notice this is the pattern of reflection: the statement, the practice–what you do about suffering–and the result of having done that. So you have the pariyatti (study), paṭipatti (practice), and paṭivedha (realization).

Pariyatti is the statement. Each Noble Truth is a statement – there is dukkha; there are the causes, the origin of dukkha; there is cessation of dukkha; and there is the Eightfold Path, or the way of no suffering. We learn this from the pariyatti level; we read it in a book; we memorize it: dukkha, samudaya (origin), nirodha (cessation), and magga (path) in Pali.

Then the second aspect of each Noble Truth is paṭipatti, or the practice: what to do about it or how to realize this. The first Noble Truth says you should understand dukkha, so this means not just thinking you understand what suffering is, but it’s more like to stand under, to really notice, to feel the suffering, to develop this awareness where you are embracing the suffering.

It’s not just something you understand with your brain. It’s not just ‘Oh, I know what suffering is’ and then get on with it. It’s really admitting it, that suffering is like this, this sense of anxiety or restlessness or anger or jealousy. You are looking at the reality of it, not just thinking about it but practising, understanding. To understand something you have to really accept it.

Through this understanding, the third aspect–the paṭivedha, the result of the practice–is suffering has been understood. Notice there is the statement, the remedy, and the result. So the third aspect of each Noble Truth is the result of the practice.

I call this the reflective style of the Lord Buddha. It’s not grasping ideas, doctrines, dogmas, positions, or anything. It’s pointing to dukkha, which is an ordinary, banal experience. Everybody experiences it.

In modern life what we usually do with suffering is try to get rid of it. In the modern Western life here in Britain we want to seek happiness; we don’t want to suffer–‘Let’s live it up; let’s take drugs; let’s go to good restaurants and enjoy life, have a lot of fun and security’–because suffering isn’t something we want and seek.

But it is part of this realm; it’s the common bond of all humanity.

This reflection by Luang Por Sumedho is from the book, Ajahn Sumedho Anthology, Volume 4, The Sound of Silence, pp. 89-90.