<p>officially the noble truths are in <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html</a></p>
<p>The first one in more details in <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.141.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.141.than.html</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Now what, friends, is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful,
aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, &amp; despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is
stressful.[2] In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent,
coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, &amp; acquisition of
[sense] spheres of the various beings in this or that group of beings,
that is called birth.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is aging? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying,
wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the
various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is death? Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up,
disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the
aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty
of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called
death.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is sorrow? Whatever sorrow, sorrowing, sadness, inward
sorrow, inward sadness of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by
a painful thing, that is called sorrow.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is lamentation? Whatever crying, grieving, lamenting,
weeping, wailing, lamentation of anyone suffering from misfortune,
touched by a painful thing, that is called lamentation.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is pain? Whatever is experienced as bodily pain, bodily
discomfort, pain or discomfort born of bodily contact, that is called
pain.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is distress? Whatever is experienced as mental pain, mental
discomfort, pain or discomfort born of mental contact, that is called
distress.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is despair? Whatever despair, despondency, desperation of
anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that is
called despair.</p>
<p>&quot;And what is the stress of not getting what is wanted? In beings
subject to birth, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to birth,
and may birth not come to us.' But this is not to be achieved by
wanting. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted. In beings
subject to aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, &amp; despair, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to
aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &amp;
despair, and may aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, &amp; despair not come to us.' But this is not to be
achieved by wanting. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted.</p>
<p>&quot;And what are the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are
stressful? The clinging-aggregate of form, the clinging-aggregate of
feeling, the clinging-aggregate of perception, the clinging-aggregate
of fabrications, the clinging-aggregate of consciousness: These are
called the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are stressful.</p>
<p>&quot;This, friends, is called the noble truth of stress.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-08T14:13:14.033Z
Thankyou that answers the question.
The White Cloud
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-08T10:39:27.323Z
2020-08-08T10:39:27.323Z
user12901
<p>If I search for the 4 noble truths of Buddha on Google I get the following different translations of the first noble truth:</p>
<ol>
<li>Life is suffering.</li>
<li>There is suffering in life.</li>
<li>Life is unsatisfactory.</li>
</ol>
<p>and from the Wikipedia</p>
<ol start="4">
<li>Dukkha (suffering, incapable of satisfying, painful) is an innate characteristic of existence in the realm of samsara.</li>
</ol>
<p>Which one is the most accurate translation?</p>

<four-noble-truths>
What is the most accurate translation of the First Noble Truth?
# What is the most accurate translation of the First Noble Truth?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-08)

If I search for the 4 noble truths of Buddha on Google I get the following different translations of the first noble truth:

1. Life is suffering.
2. There is suffering in life.
3. Life is unsatisfactory.

and from the Wikipedia

4. Dukkha (suffering, incapable of satisfying, painful) is an innate characteristic of existence in the realm of samsara.

Which one is the most accurate translation?

**Tags:** four-noble-truths


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-08-08. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

officially the noble truths are in <https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html>

The first one in more details in <https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.141.than.html>

> "Now what, friends, is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful,
> aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain,
> distress, & despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is
> stressful.[2] In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful.
>
> "And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent,
> coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, & acquisition of
> [sense] spheres of the various beings in this or that group of beings,
> that is called birth.
>
> "And what is aging? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying,
> wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the
> various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging.
>
> "And what is death? Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up,
> disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the
> aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty
> of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called
> death.
>
> "And what is sorrow? Whatever sorrow, sorrowing, sadness, inward
> sorrow, inward sadness of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by
> a painful thing, that is called sorrow.
>
> "And what is lamentation? Whatever crying, grieving, lamenting,
> weeping, wailing, lamentation of anyone suffering from misfortune,
> touched by a painful thing, that is called lamentation.
>
> "And what is pain? Whatever is experienced as bodily pain, bodily
> discomfort, pain or discomfort born of bodily contact, that is called
> pain.
>
> "And what is distress? Whatever is experienced as mental pain, mental
> discomfort, pain or discomfort born of mental contact, that is called
> distress.
>
> "And what is despair? Whatever despair, despondency, desperation of
> anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that is
> called despair.
>
> "And what is the stress of not getting what is wanted? In beings
> subject to birth, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to birth,
> and may birth not come to us.' But this is not to be achieved by
> wanting. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted. In beings
> subject to aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain,
> distress, & despair, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to
> aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
> despair, and may aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation,
> pain, distress, & despair not come to us.' But this is not to be
> achieved by wanting. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted.
>
> "And what are the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are
> stressful? The clinging-aggregate of form, the clinging-aggregate of
> feeling, the clinging-aggregate of perception, the clinging-aggregate
> of fabrications, the clinging-aggregate of consciousness: These are
> called the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are stressful.
>
> "This, friends, is called the noble truth of stress.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thankyou that answers the question.  

---

