Cessation in the Four Noble Truths

What are the Four Noble Truths? They are suffering, the cause of suffering, cessation, and the path. If one practices according to the Four Noble Truths, one will attain realization and enter the stream of the Noble Ones. Truth means investigating reality. After Shakyamuni Buddha sat upon the vajra throne beneath the bodhi tree and became a Buddha, He responded to the request of the Great Bodhisattvas of the Dharma Body and expounded the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Great Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra. The Buddha spent twenty-one days expounding this sutra, and then went to the Deer Park, where, for the sake of the five brothers of Kaundinya, He turned the Dharma wheel three times (the turning of demonstration, the turning of exhortation, and the turning of realization). Those of superior faculties immediately awakened upon hearing the demonstration. Those of middling faculties awakened to the Way upon receiving the exhortation. Those of inferior faculties only awakened upon hearing the turning of realization. Venerable Kaundinya awakened first, and afterward the other four also awakened.

The Buddha said to the five Bhikshus:

“This is suffering, its nature is oppression.
This is the cause of suffering, its nature is attraction.
This is cessation, its nature is realizable.’’
This is the path, its nature is cultivable.

This is the turning of the Dharma wheel by demonstration.

He further said:
“This is suffering, you should know it.
This is the cause of suffering, you should sever it.
This is cessation, you should realize it.’’
This is the path, you should cultivate it.

This is the turning of the Dharma wheel by exhortation.

He further said:
“This is suffering, I have known it.
This is the cause of suffering, I have severed it.
This is cessation, I have realized it.’’
This is the path, I have cultivated it.

This is the turning of the Dharma wheel by realization”.

Therefore: “Know suffering, end the cause, long for cessation, cultivate the path.” This means: One must know suffering, must eliminate its causes, must aspire to the tranquil and still realm, and must cultivate the path of the Noble Ones. This is the general meaning of the Four Noble Truths. In today’s article, we will discuss the Noble Truth of Cessation.

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The Noble Truth of Cessation

The Noble Truth of Cessation: Cessation means quiescence, and upon reaching this realm:
“The path of speech is cut off,
The place of mental activity is extinguished’’.

Therefore:
The mouth wishes to speak, but words no longer remain,
The mind wishes to engage with objects, but thoughts have already ceased.’’

When the Buddha realized the Truth of Cessation, what did the Buddha realize? You should know that the Noble Truth of Cessation, in this Saha World, has various different names, roughly one hundred names can be listed:

It is sometimes called non-contention: That is, there is no dispute.
It is sometimes called separation from defilement: Far removed from all worldly defilements.
It is sometimes called quiescence: Being apart from afflictions is quiescence, and being free from suffering and distress is stillness.
It is sometimes called signlessness: There are no signs whatsoever, hence: “Sweep away all dharmas and be apart from all signs’’.
It is sometimes called non-falling: There is no falling into lower realms.
It is sometimes called without self-nature, that is, there is no inherent self-nature.
It is sometimes called unobstructed: There are no obstacles whatsoever, no affliction-obstacle, and no obstacle of what is known.
It is sometimes called cessation: All afflictions are completely extinguished.
It is sometimes called true substance: That is, the true original substance.
It is sometimes called abiding in self-nature: Abiding in self-nature, because it is originally extinguished.
It is sometimes called the ultimate meaning: That is, the dharma of quiescent cessation, hence the saying: “All dharmas from the very beginning, are constantly of the nature of quiescent cessation.’’
It is sometimes called going beyond: Going beyond the three realms and reaching the realm of Eternal Stillness and Light.
It is sometimes called worthy of praise: That Dharma of cessation can be praised.
It is sometimes called peace and security: Peaceful and stable, with no conflict.
It is sometimes called skillfully entering: Turning inward toward the inner mind.
It is sometimes called taming: Able to tame stubborn beings, transforming them into gentle beings, turning from evil toward goodness, repenting of the evil karma they have created, and becoming wholesome beings.
It is sometimes called one portion: Each person has a portion of this cessation.
It is sometimes called without offense: When all evil offenses are completely extinguished, there are no more afflictions.
It is sometimes called freedom from greed: Being free from all greed.
It is sometimes called decisiveness: Decisively leaving suffering and attaining joy, leaving the suffering of the three realms and attaining the bliss of Nirvana.
It is called great meaning: The meaning and principle are very great.
It is called benefiting greatly: It greatly benefits sentient beings and does not harm sentient beings.
It is called the meaning within meaning: Within the meaning and principle there is meaning and principle, which is a very supreme, very wondrous Dharma.
It is called immeasurable: It fully contains immeasurable meanings and principles.
It is called the place that should be seen: The place where the truth of cessation can be seen.
It is called freedom from discrimination: By being free from discrimination, one can attain the Buddha-nature of all Buddhas.
It is called supreme subduing: There is a supreme method of subduing sentient beings, incomparable to anything else.
It is called always equal: Always equal, all sentient beings are equal, without discrimination.
It is called able to dwell together: They can dwell together, without obstruction.
It is called unconditioned: That is, without any conditioned activity, it cuts off all evil and gives rise to all wholesome Dharmas.
It is called incomparable: There is nothing comparable to it.
It is called completely purifying: It completely purifies all afflictions.
It is called free from defilements: Free from all dust and defilements.
It is called supreme root: The most supreme root of wholesome roots.
It is called praising and assembling: Praising and extolling all Buddhas, in order to participate in all Dharma assemblies.
It is called without waiting for assistance: No assistance is needed, no waiting is needed.
It is called cessation of delusion: It can destroy all delusions.
It is called supreme: The highest and most exalted, incomparable to anything.
It is called all reverence: With utmost reverence, one attains liberation and is no longer subject to birth and death.
It is called breaking the egg: The preceding five aggregates have been extinguished, and the subsequent five aggregates do not arise.
It is called cutting off continuity. What is cut off ? The flow of birth and death.
It is called opening and revealing: Opening and revealing the true principle.
It is called without written words: The Dharma-door of true reality (without characteristics), with no written words whatsoever to represent it.
It is called nothing to cultivate: Cultivation has reached its utmost point, reaching the realm where there is nothing further to cultivate.
It is called nothing to see: Because it has been extinguished, all afflictions do not arise, and what does not arise is nothing to see.
It is called nothing to do: What should be done has been completed, and there is nothing more to do.
It is called quiescent cessation: Having left afflictions, there is no suffering or trouble, and one reaches the realm of quiescent cessation.
It is called already burned clean: All afflictions have already been burned away.
It is called laying down the burden: The burdens of affliction-obstacles, karmic obstacles, and retribution-obstacles have already been laid down.
It is called already eliminating and destroying: The bad has been removed, leaving the good.
It is called non-retrogression: Having realized quiescent cessation, one therefore does not regress.
It is called freedom from speech: Having left the characteristics of speech, there are therefore no words or written language whatsoever.
It is called without characteristics or appearance: Because it has been extinguished, there are no forms or appearances.
It is called worthy of rejoicing: Because one attains the bliss of quiescent cessation, it is worthy of rejoicing.
It is called firm: The truth of cessation is firm like a vajra, and nothing can destroy it.
It is called supreme and wondrous: The truth of cessation is the most wondrous, the supreme, incomparable to anything.
It is called freedom from ignorance: Having left all ignorance, wisdom manifests before one.
It is called complete cessation: All afflictions are completely extinguished.
It is called far removed from evil: Far removed from all evil.
It is called going out: It can leave the burning house of the afflictions of the three realms.
It is called leaving the prison: Leaving the prison of the three realms.
It is called true: Attaining the true and wondrous Dharma that is not false.
It is called freedom from calamity: Far removed from all suffering and calamity.
It is called protection: Protecting the body and mind so that they are pure and free from defilement.
It is called freedom from evil: Far removed from all evil and giving rise to all goodness.
It is called accordance: Following all skillful means.
It is called fundamental: This is the most fundamental Dharma-door.
It is called abandoning the cause: Abandoning the cause of suffering, one attains the fruit of bliss.
It is called unconditioned: Without conditioned activity, which is also the Dharma of the transcendent world.
It is called without continuity: Without continuity, one leaves the cycle of rebirth.
It is called fullness: It fills everywhere, throughout empty space and the entire Dharma realm.
It is called deathless: The realm of neither arising nor ceasing is deathless.
It is called no-self: Because it has been extinguished, no self remains in existence.
It is called without inherent nature: With cessation, there is no inherent nature.
It is called the end of discrimination: The discriminating mind has ended.
It is called abiding in bliss: Abiding in the truth of cessation is the greatest bliss.
It is called without limit: There is no quantity, no boundary.
It is called cutting off the flow: The flow within the cycle of rebirth has already been cut off.
It is called the place where activity is ended: Reaching the realm: « The path of speech is cut off, the place of mental activity is extinguished».
It is called non-dual: There is no duality, and that is cessation.
It is called breaking the support: The place upon which afflictions depend has been broken, so there are no more afflictions, no more ignorance.
It is called without heedlessness: That is, maintaining the rules, with no more desires, no more afflictions.
It is called true: The true principle that is not false.
It is called equality: That is, neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing.
It is called wholesome purity: This is the most wholesome pure Dharma.
It is called without illness: There are no afflictive illnesses whatsoever.
It is called without crookedness: There is no crooked and deceitful mind that deceives others, hence: ‘’A straight mind is the place of enlightenment.’’
It is called without characteristics: Because it has been extinguished, there are no characteristics remaining.
It is called freedom: Freedom is liberation, and liberation is freedom.
It is called non-arising: Upon reaching the place of quiescent cessation, there is neither arising nor ceasing.
It is called without accumulation: There is no accumulation of afflictions.
It is called unattainable: Because it has been extinguished, there is nothing to attain, hence, ‘’no wisdom and also no attainment .’’
It is called wondrous medicine: The truth of cessation is truly a good medicine, able to cure all afflictive illnesses.
It is called indestructible: The truth of cessation cannot be destroyed.
It is called without attachment: There is no attachment, everything is let go.
It is called immeasurable: There is no quantity, no end.
It is called vast and great: Vast and great without boundaries.
It is called the enlightenment factor: The enlightenment factor among the seven enlightenment factors.
It is called freedom from defilement: Free from defiled Dharmas.
It is called unobstructed: There are no obstructions whatsoever.

Everyone! When listening to sutras and hearing the Dharma, you must practice according to the Dharma, delve deeply into the sutra treasury, give rise to a great mind, and only when these three conditions are fulfilled can you achieve great function. Ordinary people use force to subdue others, which is domination, and is also the way of the tyrant. Using virtue to win others over is yielding, which is also the way of the king. Therefore:

“Yielding means not contending,
Contending means not yielding.’’

Using force to contend makes people submit with their mouths but not with their hearts. Using virtue to win people over makes them submit both in heart and in speech. Why is the world currently deteriorating ? Because everyone contends instead of yielding, everyone has the mindset that you contend, I compete, and no one gives way. We who cultivate the Way must have the mindset of yielding and not contending.

Don’t worry, Be Happy