"Buddha believed that man must go to work and help others;
find his soul in others;
find his life in others.
He believed that in the conjunction of doing good to others is the only good we do ourselves."
Swami Vivekananda
(The Religion of Buddha, Complete Works, Vol 2, Reports in American Newspapers)

View Quote on Belur Math site

The Four Noble Truths

Truth 1: The Truth of Suffering

All humans experience surprises, frustrations, betrayals, etc., which lead to unhappiness and suffering. Acknowledging or accepting that we will encounter difficulties in daily life as an inevitable and universal part of life as a human being is the first truth. Within this, there are two types of suffering: a) natural suffering – disasters, wars, infections, etc.; b) self-inflicted suffering – habitual reacting and unnecessary anxiety and regret.

Truth 2: The Causes of Suffering 

All suffering lies not in external events or circumstances but in the way we react to and deal with them, our perceptions and interpretations. Suffering emerges from craving for life to be other than it is, which derives from the 3 poisons: Ignorance (Delusion) of the fact that everything, including the self, is impermanent and interdependent; Desire (Greed) of objects and people who will help us to avoid suffering; Aversion (Anger) to the things we do not want, thinking we can avoid suffering. We can learn to look at each experience as it happens and be prepared for the next.

Truth 3: The End of Suffering

We hold limiting ideas about ourselves, others, and the world, which we need to let go of. We can unlearn everything from our social conditioning and so bring down all barriers or separations.

Truth 4: The Path that Frees us from Suffering

The mind leads us to live in a dualistic way, but if we are aware of and embrace our habits and illusions, we can abandon our expectations about the ways things should be and instead accept the way they are. We can use mindfulness and meditation to examine our views and so get an accurate perspective.

This Truth contains the Eightfold Path leading out of samsara to nirvana. It consists of
1 Right View (samyag-drusti) – acceptance of the fundamental Buddhist teachings
2 Right Resolve (samyak-samkalpa) – adopting a positive outlook and a mind free from lust, ill-will, and cruelty
3 Right Speech (samyag-vac) – using positive and productive speech as opposed to lying, frivolous or harsh speech
4 Right Action (samyak-karmanta) – keeping the five precepts (panca-sila) – refraining from killing, stealing, misconduct, false speech, and taking intoxicants
5 Right Livelihood (samyag-ajiva) – avoiding professions which harm others such as slavery of prostitution
6 Right Effort (samyag-vyayama) – directing the mind towards wholesome goals
7 Right Mindfulness (samyak-smrti) – being aware of what one is thinking, doing, and feeling at all times  
8 Right Meditation (samyak-samadhi) – focusing attention in order to enter meditational states (dhyanas).

Thorp, C. L. (2017, April 12). Four Noble Truths. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Four_Noble_Truths/