The Four Noble Truths (and the Eightfold Path)

The Four Noble Truths are the essental core of the Buddha's teaching. They are concerned with the concept of "duhka" (often inadequately translated as "suffering", or less inadequately as "unsatisfactoriness".) The Buddha's quest of understanding why human lives are such a struggle, and happiness so fleeting, lead to the four teachings:
1) The Truth that duhka arises.
2) The Truth that duhka has an origination. 
3) The Truth that duhka can be extinguished.
4) The Truth that practicing the Eightfold Path leads one away from duhka and toward wellness.

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The above chart is a modernized  illustration of how one can engage with the Four Noble Truths as taught by the Buddha in one of his first sermons, "The Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma". 

After understanding the Task of each of the Noble Truths, the three turnings ask the practitioner to 1) Recognize the content of the Noble Truth 2) Encourage a philosophical understanding the Noble Truth, and 3) Realize the practice and application of the Noble Truth. 

The Noble Eightfold Path

The Fourth Noble Truth is comprised of eight practices: Skillful View, Skillful Thought, Skillful Speech, Skillful Action, Skillful Livelihood, Skillful Effort, Skillful Attention, and Skillful Concentration. These eight practices form the path of practice for Buddhism.
These eight practices are grouped into three trainings:

• The Higher Wisdom Trainings comprised of Skillful View and Skillful Thought
• The Higher Moral Trainings comprised of Skillful Speech, Skillful Action, and Skillful Livelihood 
• The Higher Concentration Trainings comprised of Skillful Effort, Skillful Attention, and Skillful Concentration