Tag: first noble truth

Part One: Do you suffer?

Hello Dear Readers,

In order to follow up on the discussion from the last post on truth, I will be posting a three-part series over the next week or so.   Thank you for being here.  Your comments are very welcome!

Suffering, truth and Truth:  Three Part Series

Part one:  Do you suffer?

One of the purposes of this blog is to connect with others who are interested in freedom from suffering and so it’s important to get clear about what we mean by suffering.

If you are thinking, ‘What is she going on about suffering for?  I’m not suffering.  Life is good,’  I’m not going to attempt to convince you that you are suffering.  Although I do see great value in paying attention to whether or not you are.

Buddhism is based on Gautama’s enlightenment, his awakening to freedom from suffering.  From the Buddha, we have the Four Noble Truths:

  • Life is suffering
  • The origin of suffering is attachment
  • The cessation of suffering is attainable
  • The path to the cessation of suffering

When I first heard the Four Noble Truths, I felt very strongly that I had found a spiritual home.  At the same time, I also thought – I cannot be suffering when there are people in the world being tortured, starving, homeless,  sick, etc.  I wouldn’t dare say I was suffering when I contemplated the suffering of those less fortunate than myself.

But I wanted to check out the First Noble Truth.  I asked myself, is it true, life is suffering?  For me?  What does it mean to suffer?  The Buddha pointed out sickness, death, loss and poverty as kinds of suffering that we humans will typically face in a lifetime.  I located suffering in myself in the form of stress, anxiety, fear, dissatisfaction and just plain old excruciating existential pain.

Perhaps it sounds gutsy or self-centered to claim suffering, given that I live in one of the most affluent countries in the world, given that I enjoy good health, access to education and good relationships.  The view that life is suffering does not mean that I don’t feel extremely grateful my situation.  I do notice the sunset is beautiful.  And I don’t go around gloomy and brooding and upset all the time.

So why would focusing on suffering be useful?  Why not just be happy and focus on the good stuff?

In order to do something about suffering in the world at large, I have to start with how I am participating in it.  It’s really important to note that the cause of suffering that I experience has the same cause as the extreme suffering experienced by others.  The cause is (Second Noble Truth) attachment to ‘I, me and mine’, a pervading sense of ‘I don’t like this’.  (I wrote about this in a prior post, and will probably write more about it in future)

Accepting the First Noble Truth reminds me of the idea that you don’t have to hit bottom before you can start to do something about your situation.  You can see the long term trajectory of your particular brand of suffering, and raise the bottom to meet you by cultivating a heightened awareness of it, even if you don’t experience hunger, violence or physical limitations.

Please stay tuned for the next post on why we do not stop at ‘life is suffering’, and the importance of recognizing the difference between relative and absolute truth.