A clear and straightforward introduction to the Four Noble Truths, one of the core teachings of Buddhism. The tone of the book is gentle and good-natured so that readers are sure to feel as though they are reading a personal letter from a friend. Drawing upon material from a good many canonical Buddhist texts, Nagapriya illuminates it by drawing on quotations from modern poets, philosophers and psychologists whose insights were similar to the Buddha's but whose idiom is more familiar to a contemporary audience than the often stilted language of translations of texts written millennia ago.