The First Truth: Life Includes Suffering
The Buddha’s teaching begins not with optimism or despair, but with honesty. The First Noble Truth states that existence as we ordinarily experience it is marked by *dukkha* — often translated as suffering, but more accurately understood as stress, friction, or deep unsatisfactoriness. This insight is not meant to depress us. It is meant to ground us in reality. Only when we stop pretending that life “should” feel stable, fair, or permanently fulfilling can we begin to relate to it with clarity rather than constant disappointment.