A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTH AND THE DEPENDENT ORIGINATION

Abstract

This study aimed to: 1) study the Four Noble Truths in Theravāda Buddhist scriptures; 2) study dependent origination in Theravāda Buddhist scriptures; and 3) present the relationship between the Four Noble Truths and dependent origination. This documentary research used primary data from the Tipiṭaka, commentaries, and related texts, together with secondary data from books, textbooks, research studies, theses, and academic articles. The research instrument was a documentary recording and analysis form. Data were analyzed using content analysis, textual interpretation, comparative analysis, and descriptive synthesis.

The research findings revealed that:

1) the Four Noble Truths are important teachings related to enlightenment and liberation from suffering. They consist of suffering (dukkha), the origin of suffering (samudaya), the cessation of suffering (nirodha), and the path (magga). These are interrelated as a process in which suffering is to be understood, its origin abandoned, cessation realized, and the path developed; 2) dependent origination is a principle of conditional causality consisting of twelve factors, from ignorance (avijjā) to aging-and-death (jarāmaraṇa). It has two main processes: samudayavāra, which explains the arising of suffering, and nirodhavāra, which explains the cessation of suffering when its conditions cease; and 3) the Four Noble Truths and dependent origination are systematically related. The Four Noble Truths provide a framework for explaining suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation, while dependent origination explains the causal mechanism and sequence of the arising and cessation of suffering.

The knowledge gained from this study can be synthesized into an integrated Four Noble Truths–Dependent Origination framework. The Four Noble Truths form the structure for understanding and overcoming suffering, while dependent origination explains the mechanism of its arising and cessation. The two teachings therefore complement and explain each other, from understanding suffering and recognizing its conditions to abandoning its causes and progressing toward the cessation of suffering.