Thay's wording of the 4 Truths

[Tim]

I appreciate Thay's wording of the 4 Truths early in Ch. 1:

"These are ill-being, the path leading to ill-being, well-being, and the path leading to well-being."

For me, this wording ties the Truths more closely together than I have thought about them before, which reflects his later statement that all 4 Truths can be found in any 1 of them.

There is stress and its cause and their opposites. The existence of stress implies the existence of its absence. And the paths to each are the same road, just different directions. So simple.

Thay really has a gift with translating the dharma for contemporary Western thinking.

With metta

-Tim

[Jason]

Great observation Tim! Thay uses "Ill-being" rather than the more common word "suffering" which I also think captures and explains the 4 Noble Truths better.

[Pippin]

I agree because I felt that the word suffering had a ominous quality to it, a greater sense of our being unable to conquer it than ill being has.

[James]

Ill being I believe is denoting a state, ala the 4 foundations of mindfulness. Good mind states can ripen into positive reamnifestation, ill-being negative remanifestation.

[Stephanie]

I too like the term "ill-being" versus "suffering". This also was the first time I read of stress specifically addressed. How eye-opening! I agree that this revisions of the five precepts allow them to fit more closely within our changing world -- certainly MY world!

Stephanie