The Four Noble Truths

 

The first international Noble Truths event will be held for five days from March 10-14th, 2014 in Sarnath, India. Sarnath is considered one of the most important places of pilgrimage because more than 2500 years ago the Buddha delivered his first teaching, the Four Noble Truths. In this revolutionary and inspiring teaching, the Buddha presented the Truth, Cause, End, and Path leading all beings out of suffering. These Four Noble Truths went beyond religion and culture to reclaim the possibility of complete awakening and freedom.

 

Today, we are looking for ways to appreciate and connect these insights to our own personal and professional lives. We propose to carry out this inquiry over a five-day period where we have carefully invited a small group of participants from a wide-range of fields and traditions from around the world, to share how they have tapped into their inner journey, exploring their own suffering, and transforming it into ways of joy, generosity, and beauty of being for themselves and others.

 

Do we have a choice?

 

Many people nowadays have the sense of no options, no solutions, no certainty, no control, no choice, at all social and economic levels. It is very well possible that the human race is reaching the limit of its current course. Profound change is needed, but where is the knowledge and commitment to make meaningful changes?

 

Small groups of people who are committed to undertakings beyond their own needs present an opportunity to break through some fixed patterns. We hope that this event will be one step along the path to alleviating the suffering of others. We want to connect people who have both seen the shadows and light of the inner world and are interested in making the world a better place.

 

Sharing

 

For this inaugural event we have purposefully selected a small of around twenty people. One of the participants, George Schouten, an experienced Buddhist film-maker, will be directing a documentary to share our experiences with a wider audience. The five-day program has been kept largely open, to allow for an organic unfolding of the group’s expression of interest and experience. Our hope is that this event will enrich our own precious journey along the path of discovery.