Buddhist Views about human sufferings and their prevention:
Buddhist 's quotes on pain and suffering
“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
"Wisdom comes only through sufferings."
"The root of suffering is attachment."
"Suffering is inevitable"
“Don't throw away your suffering. Touch your suffering. Face it directly, and your joy will become deeper. You know that suffering and joy are both impermanent."
Buddhists believe that suffering is part of life, to be expected, and that if a person experiences pain calmly, without becoming emotionally distressed, he can attain greater states of being.
Buddha's Four noble truths: (1)Life is suffering.
(2)The cause of suffering is craving.
(3)The end of suffering comes with an end to craving.
(4)There is a path which leads one away from craving and suffering.
Buddha's noble truths say that people are unhappy everywhere and that suffering comes from our craving for more and from our fear of losing what we have. He also said that there is a solution to mass human suffering and that it's rooted in one's internal state of mind. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result,desiring them can only bring suffering.
Examples of physical suffering are pain, illness, disability, hunger, poverty, and death.
Examples of mental suffering are grief, hatred, frustration, heartbreak, guilt, humiliation, anxiety, loneliness, and self-pity.
The three types of suffering
(1)Dukkha –dukkha: the suffering of suffering. This refers to the physical and emotional discomfort and pain all humans experience in their lives.
(2)Viparinama-dukkha : the suffering of change.
(3)Sankhara -dukkha : the suffering of existence.
The causes of human suffering in Buddhism:
In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering.
These are the three ultimate causes of suffering:
(1) Greed and desire,
(2) Ignorance or delusion,
(3) hatred and destructive urges.
The mental suffering of human being:
Physical suffering could be caused in different ways but 90% of human suffering is mental, which is caused within ourselves. People create suffering for themselves everyday suffering like anger, fear, hatred, jealousy, insecurity and so many other things. This is the maximum suffering in the world.
Buddha list following as examples of human suffering. :birth, aging, sickness, death, encountering the unpleasant, separation from the pleasant and not gaining what one desires.
The various states of suffering according to Buddhism :
The seven states of suffering are
(1) old age; (2) separation from someone or something you love; (3) birth(4) death;(5)sickness;(6)not being able to achieve your desires;
(7)contact with someone or something you dislike.
The Buddhist view of suffering:
Buddhists believe in the cycle of samsara , which is the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. This means that people will experience suffering many times over. All of the things a person goes through in life cause suffering and they cannot do anything about it. Instead, they have to accept that it is there.
Strategies to avoid absorbing the World's sufferings that is preventing suffering are as follows:
(1) Practice deep breathing to exhale stress.
(2) Limit exposure to news.
(3) Do not let others feed your panic.
(4) If you notice yourself absorbing the stress or pain of others, take some alone time to regroup and replenish yourself.
(5) Do not get into victim mode.
(6)Stay in the now.
The Third Noble Truth – (nirodha):The Third Noble Truth is knowing that suffering can end. Buddhists must recognise that there is a way to stop suffering and move away from it, because by doing this they can get closer to reaching enlightenment.
The method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are
as follows:
(1) Right Understanding,
(2) Right Thought,
(3) Right Speech,
(4) Right Action,
(5) Right Livelihood,
(6) Right Effort,
(7) Right Mindfulness and
(8) Right Concentration.
Therefore follow this Buddhist's eight fold path for attaining end of suffering.
Through meditation, Buddhists can reach an unselfish, loving, pure state of mind. They believe that the act of being loving helps concentration, happy and healthy relationships, and to overcome anger. Together, this helps to relieve some suffering in life.
Dr Bhairavsinh Raol
