To Live is to Suffer

8/10/2019 To Live is to Suffer

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Chris Hart

Richard Trussel

RC220A

15 July 2007

To Live Is To Suffer

The concet that life is sufferin! is ervasive throu!hout "uddhist teachin!s and

is the foundation on #hich $uch of "uddhist %eliefs are %ased& 'hile Hinduis$ does not

address the su%(ect as directly) the concet can %e found in a $ore a%stract sense in Hindu

#ritin!s& In this aer I #ill address these connections as #ell as discuss the concet of

sufferin! in a ersonal conte*t&

A funda$ental teachin! of "uddhist %elief co$es fro$ the

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) #hich enu$erates the +our ,o%le Truths& The first of

the +our ,o%le Truths deals directly #ith the toic of sufferin!) sayin! -.T/his is the

no%le truth concernin! sufferin!& "irth %rin!s ain) decay is ainful) disease is ainful)

and death is ainful& nion #ith so$ethin! unleasant is ainful) and searation fro$

so$ethin! is ainful& Any cravin! that is unsatisfied is ainful& In other #ords)

everythin! that lives $ust die& "efore death) one3s e*istence is sure to involve sufferin!)

throu!h the desirin! thin!s one cannot have and needin! to deal #ith unleasant events&

'hen #e eventually face death) it too is ainful& Sufferin!) therefore) is inherent in the

hu$an condition&

Havin! esta%lished that sufferin! is universal) the second no%le truth e*lains the

source of sufferin!) sayin! - it is a thirst or cravin! It is the cravin! for the

!ratification of the assions) or the cravin! for a future life) or the cravin! for success in


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this resent life& 4ur sufferin! ori!inates fro$ #ithin each of us #hen #e desire

so$ethin! that #e do not or cannot have) #e suffer&

The lo!ical conclusion to these first t#o truths is laid out in the third no%le truth6

it is the -destruction of sufferin! of this very thirst& "y eli$inatin! our desire) #e

eli$inate the source of our sufferin!& This no#led!e alone is e$o#erin!& 'hile #e

no# that sufferin! is art of the hu$an condition) #e also learn that %ecause the cause

of our sufferin! is internal to us) #e have so$e a%ility to control it&

The no#led!e that #e have so$e a%ility to control our desires and our sufferin!

is not enou!h #e $ust also no# how to control desire& The fourth no%le truth !uides us

in this re!ard6 - the no%le truth #hich leads to the destruction of sorro# is this

,o%le 8i!htfold 9ath& The ,o%le 8i!htfold 9ath rovides !uidance on -ri!ht livin!)

the ractice of #hich allo#s freedo$ fro$ sufferin!& "uddhis$ not only rovides an

e*lanation for #hy #e suffer) %ut rovides a $echanis$ to hel us reduce or eli$inate

our o#n sufferin!&

4ne of the difficulties #e face #hen atte$tin! to control our sufferin! is

no#in! ho# to identify desire& So$e desires are o%vious) lie #antin! a ne#er car) a

%i!!er house) $ore $oney) or lon! lastin! health& 4ther desires are $ore su%li$inal& 'e

e*ect to have a certain de!ree of control over our lives %y seein! ourselves as

indeendent& 'hen #e atte$t to searate ourselves fro$ the reality -out there) #e

assu$e that #e can affect the ath #e tae& 'hile #e can $ae choices) "uddhis$

teaches that there is no searation : everythin! that e*ists is art of a shared reality&

8vents in this co$$on reality #ill affect us and #e have little or no control over the$&

4ur loved ones #ill !et sic) our (o% or ossessions $ay %e lost) eole #e care a%out


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#ill leave us& 4ur choices $ay affect these $atters) %ut ulti$ately #e are art of

so$ethin! lar!er that #e cannot control&

The lac of control #e have over our e*eriences is an illustration of the

i$er$anence inherent in the #orld& 8ven thin!s that aear constant are chan!in!&

'hile I thin of $yself as the sa$e erson I #as ten years a!o) I a$ also very different&

I have ne# $e$ories) the cells of $y %ody have chan!ed $any ti$es over) $y

aearance has chan!ed& Lie#ise) even inani$ate o%(ects are constantly chan!in!6 the

#ater runnin! in a river is $ade u of different $olecules fro$ one $o$ent to the ne*t&

Throu!h our fla#ed hu$an ercetion #e try to $ae the #orld $uch $ore static than it

really is&


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reality) the deeest sense of At$an is virtually the sa$e as "rah$an& 8ach of us is >od

in this vie#) as each of us is art of a lar!er sirituality that is indivisi%le&

'hile "rah$an deals #ith the unity of our #orld) the concet of $aya addresses

our ercetion of the #orld&


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reconcila%le #ith $any other %elief syste$s) are co$letely functional even in the

a%sence any other %elief syste$ or do!$a) and %ecause they e$o#er the individual&

This e$o#er$ent ena%les us not (ust throu!h no#led!e) %ut rovides a course of

action to address sufferin!&

esite its aarent si$licity) -to live is to suffer is a rofound and deely

$eanin!ful o%servation of the hu$an condition& 'hile the concet is foundational to the

%eliefs of "uddhis$) it also can %e related to concets resent in Hinduis$& 9erhas it is

%ecause of this si$licity and %road alica%ility that %oth reli!ions have $aintained

their influence throu!h centuries of study&

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To Live is to Suffer