Vol. 5  & 6   12 / 2001

 

Do hoang Nghia   phutavanthu@yahoo.com  or nthihoang@aol.com

 

Life is not free from suffering

by Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda

 

If we contemplate deeply, we have to agree that life is indeed one of eternal suffering.  Every moment we are suffering, either physically, emotionally or mentally.  Can we ever find a single person in this world who is free from physical, emotional or mentally pain? Even those who have attained sainthood are not free from physical pain so long as their physical bodies exist.  Life and suffering are inseparable.

 

If anybody should ask: “What is the most uncertain thing in this world? “ – the correct answer would be “ Life is the most uncertain thing”.  Everything that we do in this world is to escape or evade ourselves from suffering and death.  If we neglect this life for even one second, that is more than enough for us to lose our life.  Most of our daily routine, such as working, eating, drinking, sleeping and walking are ways and means adopted by us to avoid suffering and death.  Although we occasionally experience some sort of momentary worldly, pleasures by satisfying our desires, the very next moment these same things that gave us pleasure might turn into suffering.  Therefore, the noble treasure of peace and happiness need not be in the rich man’s hand but in the man who has renounced worldly pleasure.

 

Everything pertaining to our life is subject to change and unsatisfactoriness.  That is why the Buddha has explained that as long as there is craving for worldly pleasures or desires for existence, there is no way one could escape from suffering.  Desire is important for existence.  When existence takes place suffering is unavoidable.

 

Many contemplate seeking eternal life, and yet, ironically, many seekers of longevity find life is so boring that they do not even know how to pass the day!  There is a Chinese proverb on man’s insatiable desire for longevity.  “Man fools himself.  He prays for a long life, and yet he fears an old age”.  Apparently his intention is to remain young in order to enjoy the pleasures of life perpetually.  According to the Buddha, this craving for immortality is one of the causes for selfish ideas and sufferings.

 

                   “It is easy enough to be pleasant

                    When life flows along like a song

                    But the man worthwhile

                    Is the man who can smile

                    When life goes dead wrong.”

 

Whatever little happiness we get is secured amidst many disappointments, failures and defeats.  Man cannot find a life where there are no difficulties, problems, conflicts, disappointments, and so on among thousands of other uncongenial situations.  Day and night man is struggling to get rid of these unpleasant situations.  The more he struggles to escape from this unhappy state of affairs in a worldly way, the more he entangles himself with some other problems.  When he manages to get rid of one problem, intentionally or unintentionally he would have created himself some other problems.  Where then is the end of these problems? For our own survival, we have to accept such difficulties and sufferings without complaining.  There is no other alternative.  Suffering will always be there!  Yet suffering and unhappiness are by no means inevitable.  Suffering, say the Buddha, is a disease and can therefore be cured completely when purity or perfection is attained.

 

Lao Tze, the well-known Chinese teacher, said: “I have suffered because I have a body.  If I had no physical body how can I suffer?”

 

“If all the mountains were books and if all the lakes were ink and if all the trees were pens, still they would not suffice to depict all the misery in this world.” (Jacob Boehme)

 

When you look at the way people suffering in this world, you can see the real situation of worldly life.  Why should they suffer in this way? And who is responsible for their sufferings?  According to the Buddha each and every person is responsible for his own suffering.  They are suffering here today because of their strong craving for existence, as craving for existence influences them to commit evil deeds.  This is the main cause of suffering.  It has taken more than 2500 years for many philosophers and psychologists to understand that what the Buddha said was indeed true.  A poet analyzed our life in the following way:

 

                             “ To the fire flies the moth

                             Knows not it will die.

                             Little fish bites the hook

                             Knows not of the danger

                             But thought knowing well the danger

                             Of these evil worldly pleasures,

                             We still cling to them so firmly.

                             Oh how great is our folly!”

 

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