The whole of Buddhism can be summarized in the Four Noble Truths. The first noble truth is the unsatisfactoriness of existence. Rebirth, old age, sickness, and death are unsatisfactory. We are not happy about being associated with the things and people we do not like, or being separated from those we do like. And we do not like failing to get what we want. Suffering is bound up with the attachments of the mind-body process.
The second noble truth is that there is an origin of this unsatisfactoriness: it is attachment that leads to future rebirth, entangled with delight and desire, taking pleasure in this thing and then that. That is, attachment to sensual pleasures, attachment to continued life, and attachment to wealth.
The third noble truth is that there is an ending of this unsatisfactoriness: it is the fading away and cessation of that very same attachment, with nothing left over; giving it up, letting it go, becoming free from it, and doing away with it.
The fourth noble truth is that there is a way that leads to the ending of this unsatisfactoriness: it is the Buddhist Eightfold Path. That path consists of eight aspects: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right employment, right mental discipline, right mindfulness, and right meditation.
