Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

Chinese & Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy Wall Scrolls

We have many options to create custom artwork with Four Noble Truths Buddhism characters on a wall scroll or portrait for you...


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  1. Four Noble Truths

  2. Four Noble Truths: Suffering

  3. Four Noble Truths: Desire and Attachment

  4. Four Noble Truths: Elimination of Desire or Attachment

  5. Four Noble Truths: Path Leading Away From Suffering

  6. Four Noble Truths


Four Noble Truths (Buddhism)

 sì dì
 shitai
Four Noble Truths (Buddhism) Scroll

四諦 is the title of the Four Noble Truths as taught in virtually all sects of Buddhism.

These truths are suffering (dukkha), desire/attachment (samudaya), release from desire/attachment (nirodha), and the path leading away from suffering (magga).

The suggestion behind these truths is that all things in nature suffer. All things in nature have desire and attachment for things in the physical world. The enlightened can release themselves from the bonds of desire and attachment. And finally, once they release all desire and attachment, the enlightened will find a path that leads away from suffering.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese, Chinese, and Korean people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment

Four Noble Truths: Suffering

Dukkha

 kǔ dì
 kutai
Four Noble Truths: Suffering Scroll

苦諦 relays that part of life in this universe is suffering.

All living things experience some form of suffering, according to Buddhist teaching. This title is about accepting and understanding that the world is full of suffering.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Chinese, Japanese and Korean people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment

Four Noble Truths: Desire and Attachment

Samudaya

 jí dì
 jittai
Four Noble Truths: Desire and Attachment Scroll

集諦 represents the idea that the core of suffering is often the concept of desire or attachment.

This can be carnal desire, monetary desire, or the attachment you have to something that you are unwilling to part with (such as a fancy car). 集諦 is a simplification of the second noble truth which is an exploration into the root causes of suffering - it's deeper than I can go in a few sentences.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Chinese, Japanese and Korean people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment

Four Noble Truths: Elimination of Desire or Attachment

Nirodha

 miè dì
 mettai
Four Noble Truths: Elimination of Desire or Attachment Scroll

滅諦 suggests that once you eliminate desire or attachment to worldly things, only then can you achieve enlightenment.

Realize that things are impermanent. That fancy car, beautiful spouse, big house, and impressive career are things you can't take with you. These things are a flash in the pan compared to the infinite span of history, generations to come, time, and space.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese, Korean, and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment

Four Noble Truths: Path Leading Away From Suffering

Magga

 dào dì
 doutai
Four Noble Truths: Path Leading Away From Suffering Scroll

道諦 is the idea that once you have dealt with your desires and left all desire and attachment behind, only then are you on the path away from suffering (and on your way to enlightenment).

道諦 is also called the path to liberation in some English texts on Buddhism.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Chinese, Japanese and Korean people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment

Four Noble Truths (Full List)

 kǔ dì jí dì miè dì dào dì
 kutai jittai mettai doutai
Four Noble Truths (Full List) Scroll

苦諦集諦滅諦道諦 is the list of tenets of the Four Noble Truths as taught in virtually all sects of Buddhism.

They are suffering (dukkha), desire/attachment (samudaya), release from desire/attachment (nirodha), and the path leading away from suffering (magga).


The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Four Noble Truths (Buddhism)四諦
四谛
shitaisì dì / si4 di4 / si di / sidissu ti / ssuti
Four Noble Truths: Suffering苦諦
苦谛
kutaikǔ dì / ku3 di4 / ku di / kudik`u ti / kuti / ku ti
Four Noble Truths: Desire and Attachment集諦
集谛
jittaijí dì / ji2 di4 / ji di / jidichi ti / chiti
Four Noble Truths: Elimination of Desire or Attachment滅諦
灭谛
mettaimiè dì / mie4 di4 / mie di / miedimieh ti / miehti
Four Noble Truths: Path Leading Away From Suffering道諦
道谛
doutai / dotaidào dì / dao4 di4 / dao di / daoditao ti / taoti
Four Noble Truths (Full List)苦諦集諦滅諦道諦
苦谛集谛灭谛道谛
kutai jittai mettai doutai
kutaijittaimettaidoutai
kutai jittai mettai dotai
kǔ dì jí dì miè dì dào dì
ku3 di4 ji2 di4 mie4 di4 dao4 di4
ku di ji di mie di dao di
kudijidimiedidaodi
k`u ti chi ti mieh ti tao ti
kutichitimiehtitaoti
ku ti chi ti mieh ti tao ti
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.
In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.


All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.

When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.

Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.

There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form of art alive.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.