Buddhist Belief Blog

Among the things anyone who is studying Buddhist Belief will learn, is about the Four Noble Truths. Buddhists take the first of the Noble Truths very seriously — which is that all beings will experience suffering and dissatisfaction in their lives. When one looks at the Sanskrit word for this, dhukka, we see something more complex than it first appears. It doesn’t always simply mean suffering as we normally understand the word. There are many different forms of suffering we will experience as human beings.

Certain types of this dhukka are nothing more than plain and simple suffering. We all know what this is. However, there are other types of dhukka which we would not normally think of as suffering. Sometimes dhukka can be experienced as the pleasures of what seems to be apparent happiness. Perhaps the best way to look at this subject is to understand how some forms of suffering are avoidable and others are unavoidable, and how to know the difference.

If you’ve been reading here for any time, you already have an understanding of the Four Noble Truths — about suffering and the end of suffering. One of the aspects of this which has always bothered me a little is why we call all of the Truths, Noble. I mean, it’s sort of a stretch to call the first two Truths — the truth of suffering — and the cause of suffering — Noble, isn’t it? The last two, sure — the cessation of suffering and the path which leads to the cessation — they do seem more Noble, don’t they?

I’m being a bit facetious here, though. What is truly Noble is to understand the four truths together in their entirety. When you can see how these truths work together — and see how you, as a human being, can work with them — well, now we’re getting into something we can truly call Noble.

Once we learn to accept the reality of suffering — and we can stop denying that it exists — we will gain a better understanding of how we can work to attain our enlightenment because of suffering rather than in spite of it.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the wheel of samsara, also known as the wheel of suffering. In simple terms it refers to the fact that as long as we keep clinging to things and stuff, we’ll keep suffering. It might seem like bad news to hear that life is permeated with suffering, but just because we experience dissatisfaction or pain, or that our pleasures do not last, or that our precious dreams turn into nightmares, does not mean that our life is rendered meaningless.

As long as we insist on our clinging and craving, we will experience dissatisfaction. But, we don’t have to. This kind of suffering or dissatisfaction is avoidable. One of the many things we learn in Buddhism is how we can avoid this type of suffering if we develop the right attitudes and look deeply into ourselves and our habits. The sufferings we inflict on ourselves due to our undisciplined mind are avoidable, but other forms of suffering, such as old age, sickness, and death, are unavoidable.

Buddha taught how the lack of permanence in everything can cause us to be unhappy or experience some dissatisfaction. What needs to be clear is that it isn’t the fact of impermanence itself which makes us suffer. Rather, it is our mind and our way of thinking that is the problem. We have taught ourselves to believe we will be eternally happy with the things we cling to which are impermanent. Through study and meditation it is possible for us to learn to relate to the transient things of our lives with an understanding that permanent joy and happiness won’t be found in these. If we are aware of the truth of the cause of suffering, we will find the happiness we seek. Without the truth of suffering and the truth of the cause of suffering, there would be no truth of cessation, nor would there be the truth of the path.

Buddha taught us how our destiny lies in our own hands. When we learn to see the truth of suffering and the truth of the cause of suffering, we can make choices. We can either continue to cling to and crave those things which are going to eventually make us unhappy, or we can practice our dharma – our Buddhist Belief — our meditation – and make it a part of our everyday life.

The primary lesson we need to learn is to recognize that transient pleasures are simply that and nothing more. So long as we do not recognize this, we do not accept the first noble truth fully, and this non-acceptance of the truth only produces more discontent and frustration.

Most of our suffering is avoidable. If we can only learn to discipline our mind, we can deal with our physical ailments and mental distress with a greater resolve and fortitude. It is possible to not get upset when people speak ill of us. It is possible to be free of paranoia about what others are thinking of us. When we feel loss and we grieve, we can do so without the emotions overwhelming us, opening the door to despair and depression.

We can also learn how not to generate further suffering by accepting the unavoidable suffering of old age, sickness, and death. By trying to look younger, one does not become younger. Pretending one’s illness is not serious does not make the illness go away. Pretending you are not dying, when you are in fact on your way there, will not lead to an endless life. There are also unavoidable forms of suffering in the environment, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. There is also suffering from adverse circumstances, such as a plane crash or an auto accident. There are conditions which are beyond our control. Trying to control them leads to suffering.

Pleasures are also frequent causes of suffering. If we enjoy being in the sun, it becomes unpleasurable after a while. It can lead to a painful bout of sunburn and even to skin cancer. We gain pleasure from culinary delights, but eating the same food again and again may stop being pleasurable. And our eating habits may lead to all sorts of physical ailments. We may think that we are addicted to pleasure because we find the object of our addiction pleasurable. But being addicted to something is not in the least bit pleasurable.

Many of the writings about the teachings of Buddha speak of the dharma as the medicine for our mind. This is true. However, please understand this, the dharma is not a quick fix. The dharma is not the Zoloft or the Prozac cure. Our old habits will resurface from time-to-time. However, if we continue following the path in our life, we will overcome those old habits. The Fourth Noble Truth, the truth of the path, makes this clear.

We need to travel on the path of healing and wholeness. That will take time. We may start out expecting quick relief from our wheel of suffering. When that doesn’t happen, we may become disappointed, resentful, or indignant. We may even say this dharma stuff isn’t working for me. But if we stay with it — keep up with our daily meditations and continue our study of the teachings, we will begin to see the power — the healing power of the teachings of Buddha.

Metta ….May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.

Namaste — Be in Peace.

Ron Rink

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Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.

Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem

No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem

Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook

“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook