The Lord Buddha taught five dhammas as being essential, or of intrinsic value. They are called the saradhamma:
1. morality
2. concentration
3. wisdom
4. freedom
5. knowledge of freedom
Here’s an explanation in mp3 audio:
[audio:http://sanku.sirimangalo.org/files/diraudio/Yuttadhammo/Misc/2550_09_23_Saradhamma.mp3]
Yuttadhammo