The term ‘suffering’ denotes a much broader meaning encompassing the suffering of birth, decay, sickness and death; of bodily pain and mental pain; of having to associate with what one dislikes, of having to part with what one likes, of not getting what one wants; and in general, the unsatisfactory nature of all conditioned phenomena (including pleasurable experiences) which, due to their impermanence, are all liable to suffering. Hence ‘unsatisfactoriness’ or ‘liability to suffering’ are more adequate renderings. ‘The noble truth of suffering’ does not deny the existence of pleasurable experience, as is sometimes wrongly assumed.

The Dhamma is the ultimate truth of the way things actually are.

When referring to the Buddha’s teaching, the Pāli term “Dhamma” points to the fundamental truth or reality as to how things actually are, which is rediscovered by a Buddha and taught to the world (rather than a mere teaching of a philosophy, a system of thought, as sometimes wrongly understood).

It is incorrect to regard Dhamma as referring to a mere principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief.

Nibbāna literally means ‘extinction’, ‘to cease blowing’, ‘to be extinguished’. Put another way, it means to once and for all put out the fire (of suffering) that eternally burns throughout the round of rebirths. This would mean absolute deliverance from all future rebirth (and thereby, all of its associated suffering and misery) as well as from all mental suffering of the current birth. The means by which one could do this is by enlightenment ―specifically, to become enlightened to the four truths and thereby extirpate ignorance that causes tanhā (craving, greed) that causes rebirth. The only way to do this is by developing the Eightfold Path.