But when the Realized One arises in the world, a great light, a great radiance appears. Darkness no longer prevails. Then there’s the explanation of the four noble truths, the teaching, advocating, establishing, clarifying, analyzing, and revealing of them. What four? The noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

That’s why you should practice meditation …”

Linked Discourses 56.39 4. In a Rosewood Forest Indra’s pillar

“Mendicants, there are ascetics and brahmins who don’t truly understand about suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. They gaze up at the face of another ascetic or brahmin, thinking: ‘Surely this worthy one knows and sees.’

Suppose there was a light tuft of cotton-wool or kapok which was taken up by the wind and landed on level ground. The east wind wafts it west; the west wind wafts it east; the north wind wafts it south; and the south wind wafts it north. Why is that? It’s because the tuft of cotton-wool is so light. In the same way, there are ascetics and brahmins who don’t truly understand about suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. They gaze up at the face of another ascetic or brahmin, thinking: ‘Surely this worthy one knows and sees.’ Why is that? It’s because they haven’t seen the four noble truths.