The Buddha explains the importance of understanding the Four Noble Truths to end suffering with a simile of constructing a mansion.
“Yo hi, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
“Bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘Without |fully understanding::understanding the four noble truths in principle, then discerning them in each moment and then experientially penetrating them| the noble truth of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the noble truth of the arising of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the noble truth of the end of suffering as it truly is, and without fully understanding the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the end of suffering as it truly is, I will completely end suffering’ — such a thing is not possible.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ kūṭāgārassa heṭṭhimaṁ gharaṁ akaritvā uparimaṁ gharaṁ āropessāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
Bhikkhus, suppose someone were to say: ‘I will construct the upper story of a |mansion::building with the peaked roof [kūṭāgāra]| without first laying the foundation of the lower story.’ Such a thing is not possible. In the same way, bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘Without fully understanding the Noble Truth of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the Noble Truth of the arising of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering as it truly is, and without fully understanding the Noble Truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering as it truly is, I will completely end suffering’ — such a thing is not possible.
Yo ca kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya: ‘dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.
However, bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘By fully understanding the noble truth of |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]| as it truly is, by fully understanding the noble truth of the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]| as it truly is, by fully understanding the noble truth of the |end of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]| as it truly is, and by fully understanding the noble truth of the |way of practice leading to the end of suffering::i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness [dukkhanirodhagāmī]| as it truly is, I will completely end suffering’ — such a thing is indeed possible.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ kūṭāgārassa heṭṭhimaṁ gharaṁ karitvā uparimaṁ gharaṁ āropessāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.
Bhikkhus, suppose someone were to say: ‘I will first construct the lower story of a mansion and then build the upper story upon it’ — such a thing is possible. In the same way, bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘Having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of suffering, having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of the arising of suffering, having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering, and having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering, I will completely end suffering’—such a thing is possible.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.
Therefore, bhikkhus, effort should be made to |fully understand::understand in principle, then discern in each moment and then experientially penetrate|: ‘This is suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the arising of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the end of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the way of practice leading to the end of suffering.’”
“Bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘Without |fully understanding::understanding the four noble truths in principle, then discerning them in each moment and then experientially penetrating them| the noble truth of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the noble truth of the arising of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the noble truth of the end of suffering as it truly is, and without fully understanding the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the end of suffering as it truly is, I will completely end suffering’ — such a thing is not possible.
Bhikkhus, suppose someone were to say: ‘I will construct the upper story of a |mansion::building with the peaked roof [kūṭāgāra]| without first laying the foundation of the lower story.’ Such a thing is not possible. In the same way, bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘Without fully understanding the Noble Truth of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the Noble Truth of the arising of suffering as it truly is, without fully understanding the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering as it truly is, and without fully understanding the Noble Truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering as it truly is, I will completely end suffering’ — such a thing is not possible.
However, bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘By fully understanding the noble truth of |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]| as it truly is, by fully understanding the noble truth of the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]| as it truly is, by fully understanding the noble truth of the |end of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]| as it truly is, and by fully understanding the noble truth of the |way of practice leading to the end of suffering::i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness [dukkhanirodhagāmī]| as it truly is, I will completely end suffering’ — such a thing is indeed possible.
Bhikkhus, suppose someone were to say: ‘I will first construct the lower story of a mansion and then build the upper story upon it’ — such a thing is possible. In the same way, bhikkhus, if someone were to say: ‘Having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of suffering, having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of the arising of suffering, having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering, and having fully realized, as it truly is, the Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering, I will completely end suffering’—such a thing is possible.
Therefore, bhikkhus, effort should be made to |fully understand::understand in principle, then discern in each moment and then experientially penetrate|: ‘This is suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the arising of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the end of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully understand: ‘This is the way of practice leading to the end of suffering.’”
“Yo hi, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ kūṭāgārassa heṭṭhimaṁ gharaṁ akaritvā uparimaṁ gharaṁ āropessāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
Yo ca kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya: ‘dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ kūṭāgārassa heṭṭhimaṁ gharaṁ karitvā uparimaṁ gharaṁ āropessāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.