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Suffering

KnightofBuddhaKnightofBuddha
edited June 2005 in Buddhism Basics
When the Buddha talked about suffering, he mentioned that life is suffering or full of suffering and that there are ways to end it. But I don't see how all my life is suffering. When I play golf, or play instruments, or listen to music, or play with my turtles, I don't suffer. Am I just reading it wrong? Thanks for any help! :)

Comments

  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    edited June 2005
    He didn't necessarily mean it always in the sense of "third world starvation" kind of suffering. It also means small sufferings - like the disappointment that you can't golf as good as your friend, you can't hit the pitch you want, or you can't afford the album you want. As you can probably see from my examples, one of the primary sufferings results from want of things you do not or cannot have.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    The Buddha said that "Life is Dukkha". This is the First of the Four Noble Truths.
    Dukkha is the word that has been translated into 'suffering' but it is also translated elsewhere as; 'difficult', 'unsatisfactory' 'displeasing' or even 'unpleasant'. You have to take this in the context of the other three Noble Truths.

    Life is Suffering.
    It is so, because of Clinging.
    There is a way to alleviate the 'suffering of Clinging.'
    That way is the Eightfold Path.

    The reason we 'Suffer' or that we find Life difficut/unsatisfactory/displeasing/unpleasant, is because we cling to the desire to wish all "good" things as permanent and all "bad" things as non-existent. can't be done. But we still wish it was so.... we want the good times to never end, and we want the bad times to disappear....

    In order to fully understand the Buddha's teachings, one has to first accept them as True and unarguable. This is why he always but always encouraged people to test his words for themselves, and to find the Truth in them for themselves. So not only understanding the Four Noble Truths is essential, but an acceptance and belief is just as vital.

    Things happen. Whether they are good or bad is purely a judgement based on our perception. For example, if someone says they've had a rotten day.... Stop. Has it been a rotten day for everyone? No. Has it all been totally rotten for this person? Probably not. There must have been some moments which were ok, really.... so we pinpoint the "rotten day' down to the argument she had with the Taxi Driver, and then later, the fact that she lost the new skirt she'd just bought, by leaving the bag somewhere, carelessly....
    Maybe the Taxi Driver was also having a "rotten day"! And she only has herself to blame for losing the skirt.... not the 'day'....!
    Similarly, if something good happens.... like we win a bet at the horse race, or we win a prize in a competition....Well hooray for us!! But that means someone else has 'Lost'.... And the money won will soon be spent, and the weekend break at a health spa (yes pleeeeease!) will soon mean Monday's back, and it's off to work again....
    Do you see where I'm going with all this blabber?!?

    Nothing Lasts Forever, and it's all how we take it on the chin, anyway..... The Moment is as it is. It's our perception (Clinging) that makes us judge it. How's that? :)
  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    edited June 2005
    It essentially comes from the Four Noble Truths (put simply):

    Life can suck.
    The origin of suffering is the craving for pleasure, existence, and non-existence.
    There is a way to rid yourself of this suffering.
    To rid yourself of suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path.


    //edit: frederica slid in there with a much more full explanation. I'm on my way to bed so I was being more brief than the question deserves.
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I think that sometimes suffering can be something simple like losing your car keys. I like ot use the 4 truths to solve everyday problems as well as work on the whole clinging issue. :)
  • wolfscalissiwolfscalissi
    edited June 2005
    Anything we add to the reality is cause for suffering. We place our agenda and expectations on people and things. small suffering quickly becomes big suffering. Yet if we look closely enough we see there is no differance between the two. We suffer in lesser or greater fashion due to our attachment to the outcome. this is the mindfullness awareness practice in a nutshel.
    If we practice at the smallest most seemingly insignificant things then all things become small and insignificant.wash the dishes without an agenda. not to "make your wife/huband happy" not to have clean dishes. just wash the dishes. Its not as easy as it sounds. watch your mind start to wander around "I've got bills to pay" "I wish I could be watching tv" "why dosen't someone else do the dishes" and on and on. these are the false reality we suffer from. they are "actions" in our mind that do not actualy exsist. but your mind having a thought does not know the difference between an actual event and a thought. remember it all processes the same way neurons firing, chemical reactions etc. shhh just don't tell your mind you are on your way out. it gets jealous really easily. :lol:

    ^gassho^
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I think I will tell my mind to go outside and mow the lawn the next time I wash the dishes.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    Comic... could you do mine while you're at it...? it looks an overgrown mess.....!
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Maybe after my mind grows some wings and can fly on over. LOL
  • indeclineindecline
    edited June 2005
    life is full of suffering or difficulties though, that doesnt mean you will allways have a bad day, its given that you will have your good days and bad
    it means that no matter how hard we try to allways have good days, there will be bad
    look at super rich people, they have everything they need and they constantly strive to suffice wants... however every day they spend is not allways good... youd think it should be, you wouldnt think millionaires suffer... but?
    buddha probably meant that no matter how hard we try we will suffer... it is how we deal with this suffering that changes our lives... that makes us depressed or suicidal or bruises our ego
    this in turn means that how we deal with our lives when we arent suffering affects us too

    for example if you have a good day you shouldnt get all excited and built up and expecting more good days because when your good days end youll be knocked down that much harder, youll be that much more disappointed

    this is like relationships too, if you have a good relationship you shouldnt overdo it and get all excited and build up expectation and a lot of emotion, because the relationship will eventually end and when it does youll be hurt that much more

    this doesnt mean we shouldnt be happy when we are in good relationships, and we shouldnt be happy when we have a good day
    it just means when we do finally break up or have a bad day (suffering) we are armed with the knowledge to deal with it appropriately....


    or somethin...
  • KnightofBuddhaKnightofBuddha
    edited June 2005
    Thanx everyone! I think I got it!
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