Suffering

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Applications

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Knowing "Life is Suffering" is a Relief

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the Buddhists say life is suffering – that’s the first fundamental Buddhist dictum. And I suppose a modern person would tend to think of that as a very pessimistic claim. But I found when I shared that information with my students, once they understand what it means, it’s actually a relief because people run around madly, suffering away, and all of them inside their little shell think ‘Well, there must be something wrong with me because here I am suffering and that isn’t how things are supposed to be.’ Well then, you might say ‘Who says that’s not the way things are supposed to be?’ The Buddhists say life is suffering. So what that means is, if you’re not suffering, that’s a good thing, that’s lucky, that’s fortunate, that’s not the way of the world. That may be something to be grateful for, ecstatic about even.

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“If your philosophy throws you in the direction of overwhelming negative emotion, anxiety, and pain, you might note you’re not going to argue yourself out of that - the meaning of your pain is completely impenetrable to your rational mind.”^{[Citation Needed]}  

Interpretations

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How to overcome suffering: "Become a better person."

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You can't reduce your suffering by fixing the world. It's not true. Fix yourself first. (Fixing the world). The Bible talked about fixing the beam in your own eye before the mote in someone else's.

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Why should you even try to improve yourself? So you don't have to suffer any more stupidly than you do now.

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People who have the greatest authority are those who have accepted suffering. Everyone wants to come to terms with it (in particular, mortality)

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Life suffering can make people resentful, murderous, genocidal

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We're adapted to seek things that last forever (things, stuff, last for a speck of time) - because that makes the suffering worthwhile.

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Choose your sacrifice, because sacrifice there must be. At least you get to choose something

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You will never grow up until you accept tragedy and suffering. Now you can be an idiot until you’re 25 or 30, but this doesn’ t look so good when you are 40. You’re like Peter Pan, an old infant.

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Part of evolution, our human reward systems are about overcoming struggle. Carry your cross.

• That leads us to exploration?
• Into chaos…

See Also

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• Malevolence
• Suffering

 

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