'Right understanding' is in Buddhism the first part of The Noble Eightfold Path that is supposed to lead to the end of suffering. It is somewhat difficult to take seriously when part of right understanding is believing in karma, reincarnation, the infinitude of time and space, the existence of godly beings and supernatural demons, and many other things that have a very low possibility of being true. I'd much rather develop a view of right understanding that did not depend on premises that were, according to all available evidence, very likely to be false.

Luckily, one does not need to believe in the above accoutrements of Buddhism in order to see how the Four Noble Truths align with the everyday experience of life. Not a day in my life has gone by, at least that I can remember, in which I did not suffer in some aspect. When I speak with other people, they often speak of the suffering inherent in their own lives. So surely suffering exists. I can also speak to the truth that much, but not all, of the pain in life comes from wanting things that are either not possible or unhealthy. I am less willing to accept that all suffering comes from desire, as it seems like at least some suffering is due to coincidence. Without the possibility of hoping for the complete end of all suffering, one should at least be able to hope for the minimization of pain. One should at least be able to reduce the conditions under which pain is likely to occur.

In other words, I question the truth of the second noble truth, that attachment or desire is the sole cause of suffering. Sickness, for instance, can cause pain without apparently taking note of the desires of the ill. Even if one could remove the capacity to feel physical pain, one would not want to, for people who cannot feel pain are more likely to damage their bodies without realizing it. Having pain teaches us to avoid dangerous behavior. Such pain is pointless to the traditional believer in an afterlife without pain, but if I cannot find any evidence of such an afterlife, I should not hope for its existence.

The third noble truth argues that the end of desire or grasping brings about the end of suffering, though as I have said it does not seem that all suffering is caused, directly or indirectly, by desire alone. When lightning strikes me in a storm, what desire causes my suffering? Traditionally, the blame is put on either my past desires or the desire of some previous existence through the mechanism of karma. While I do sometimes have the experience of being 'punished by karma' in an unrelated way after committing some wrong and being 'rewarded by karma' in an unrelated way after committing some good, it seems more likely that these are examples of confirmation bias. Further, of course, I have no evidence that I have lived a previous life, nor is there a preponderance of evidence suggesting that people in general have past lives.

That said, with some exceptions, it seems that suffering in general is bad. While I won't take the utilitarian position that one ought to attempt to minimize suffering, as that path is fraught with technical difficulties, I think one should try to reach an equilibrium at which the effort put into reducing the likelihood of one's suffering by some small amount is balanced by the expected reduction in suffering. This is a special case of the economic principle of diminishing returns. For example, it is theoretically possible that I could extend my lifespan by some amount by practising caloric restriction; however, the effort it would take to do so would be much greater than the benefit. So, by the principle set forth here, I ought not practice caloric restriction until the likelihood of life extension increases or the difficulty of practice decreases.

To judge those practices that might lessen my suffering and the suffering of others, it seems absolutely necessary to have an intimate understanding of cause and effect. If I am hallucinating and have beliefs completely at odds with the reality of the situation, I become less likely to choose a course of action that brings about the desired result.

In the way outlined above, I feel one can move from a mystical understanding of the Four Noble Truths to a practical application of their content. To summarize:

1. Suffering is commonplace and everywhere.
2. Some suffering is caused by internal factors, some by external factors.
3. That suffering caused by internal factors can be lessened by changing one's behaviors and beliefs; that suffering caused by external factors can be lessened where doing so would not cause more suffering than would be repaired.
4. In order to accomplish the third point, it is necessary to have an accurate understanding of the world.

Disclaimer: I have never been a practising Buddhist, and while I do not myself follow their practices I do not mind other people practising them and believing in them.