What is the importance of the four noble truths and the eight fold path?

The Four Noble Truths, which include the Eightfold Path, describe the true nature of existence, and the means to live in harmony with that nature.

By tradition, the preaching of the Four Noble Truths was the first sermon given by the Buddha, after he became the Awakened One.

It could be said that The Four Noble Truths, and what they infer, are Buddhism itself. There are many traditions, schools, sects of Buddhism, but the Four Noble Truths are acknowledged in all of them, because they are foundational. They describe why Buddhism is needed, and what constitutes the essence of the practice of Buddhism. There may be various practices and ideas within Buddhism, but they are merely different expressions of the essence as expressed in the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths, which include the Eightfold Path, describe the true nature of existence, and the means to live in harmony with that nature.

By tradition, the preaching of the Four Noble Truths was the first sermon given by the Buddha, after he became the Awakened One.

It could be said that The Four Noble Truths, and what they infer, are Buddhism itself. There are many traditions, schools, sects of Buddhism, but the Four Noble Truths are acknowledged in all of them, because they are foundational. They describe why Buddhism is needed, and what constitutes the essence of the practice of Buddhism. There may be various practices and ideas within Buddhism, but they are merely different expressions of the essence as expressed in the Four Noble Truths.