The First Noble Truth and the Wisdom of No Escape

While the Four Noble Truths are considered a fundamental teaching of Buddhism, they must be better understood even among Buddhists. Yesterday, I posted a statement in a Buddhist group. I said, “The First Noble Truth has been grossly misunderstood. It may help to present it as The Wisdom of No Escape.”

It was not long before I received some angry reactions. One group member asked, “Who are you to alter the fundamentals of Buddhism?” I can understand why my statement caused some shock and confusion in the Buddhist community. Many Buddhists believe Buddhism can teach them how to escape life’s suffering.

My use of the phrase “The Wisdom of No Escape” was inspired by Alan Watts. Watts wrote a book titled “The Wisdom of Insecurity.” In this book, he drew on the “backward law,” sometimes referred to as the Law of Reversed Effort. For many things in life, the more you pursue them, the more they will run away. For example, the more you pursue happiness, the more it evades you.

In my book, The Zen Teachings of Jesus, I noted that Jesus referred to the backward law a few times. For example, Jesus said, “So, the last shall be first, and the first last.” However, the best illustration of the backward law can be found in the Gospel of John. There, Jesus said:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a…