Suffering (buddha style)

[Bishadi]

Like any 'faith' or what have you there are a bunch of variant renditions.

I wish to post a link for any to see what can be considered suffering and what 'this' linked frame suggests, then of course my weeee little opinion.

http://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm

Gautama wandered into the world in search of understanding. After encountering an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic, Gautama was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Following this epiphany, Gautama was known as the Buddha, meaning the "Enlightened One." The Buddha spent the remainder of his life journeying about India, teaching others what he had come to understand

within the link they go over the four noble truths

but what i wish to point out as an 'idea'

Could suffering be of most any concept that conflicts with what is expected; within the mind of anybody?

Basically, could suffering be simply a conception misunderstood causing a conflict to a need?

 

[spidergoat]

If I understand you correctly, yes. Having no expectations means you will never be dissapointed. Expectations are a kind of desire.

 

[Bishadi]

If I understand you correctly, yes. Having no expectations means you will never be dissapointed. Expectations are a kind of desire.

SG, that is huge!

 

[spidergoat]

That's what she said.

 

[PsychoticEpisode]

That's what she said.

Sounds like she didn't expect it and I hope she wasn't disappointed

 

[Bishadi]

Sounds like she didn't expect it and I hope she wasn't disappointed

well, if she didn't expect and he didn't expect the comment; then did you at least experience a moment of 'bliss'?


either way, it don't sound like a suffering scenario

 

[swarm]

I wish to post a link for any to see what can be considered suffering...

The dhamapada goes on about it, but I'll try to boil it down.

Basically suffering is craving what is not or cannot be, or aversion over what is or cannot be changed. Generally this is distinguished from actual events in and of themselves like pain.

The causes of suffering (dukkha) are seen as ignorance, fear/anger, craving/aversion.

It is important to note that there is no distinction between pleasure and pain in terms of suffering, though generally people understand it in terms of pain.

Another way of looking at it is suffering is the anguish at anticipation of the loss of pleasure or the coming or continuing of pain. If you are hurt, and it doesn't bother you, then there is no suffering. You are just hurt, no more, no less. If you fear loosing your lover then there could be intense suffering despite the great pleasure of their company.

One of the common errors associated with Buddhism is that to avoid suffering one should be nihilistic or become dissociated or apathetic. Both of these attempt to deny the reality of being human and become suffering in and of themselves.

Instead the Buddha recommended a path of morality/compassion, understanding and paying attention. (8 fold path)

 

[Bishadi]

another cool post......


With these definitions; notice the difference in the type of 'religion' or beliefs between the western and eastern appeal.

ie....many of the xtian sects (directly; geoff) suggested God is who gives you the 'goods' of peace (by his grace (magically)

in contrast; the buddha suggest personal endeavors by choice; learn ( to remove the ignorance); Seek UNDERSTANDING (in a real sense)

 

[yasmin]

Good question and answers Bishadi!. All of these posts are very good, I am so happy that people can see suffering this way. You 've made my day! Thank you!

 

[EndLightEnd]

The causes of suffering (dukkha) are seen as ignorance, fear/anger, craving/aversion.

And ultimately, attachment. You cannot suffer if you have no attachment to anything.

 

[Bishadi]

Good question and answers Bishadi!. All of these posts are very good, I am so happy that people can see suffering this way. You 've made my day! Thank you!

a team play

'when waves combine, the total potential will be greater than the addition of the 2'


big waves rolling across this taco stand, glad to bump into one actually 'contributing' to the evolution of knowledge!

 

[Bishadi]

And ultimately, attachment. You cannot suffer if you have no attachment to anything.

but that 'attachment' (entanglement) to our environment, friends, family, community...etc.... is practically a requirement of our spieces.

so the EASY way out is to sit in a cave, on the mountain and just think about it, by not imposing a negative to be performed in ignorance (continue the suffering to others)

reality is, in comprehending the good and bad, then perhaps suffering is reduced; think on a global scale, rather than individually (if each understood that, which is equal across the universe (truth) then suffering can eventually be eliminated/ heaven on earth (per se))

 

[swarm]

And ultimately, attachment. You cannot suffer if you have no attachment to anything.

Attachment is a tricky one. People tend to flipflop from one extreme to the other while missing the middle some how.

First there are kinds or maybe "amounts" of attachment which are healthy and expected. They find expression in compassion, caring and normal day to day living. It is when attachments move into clinging that they sour and result in suffering.

Then, once one realizes that clinging is happening there is this tendency to cut it all off, resulting in detachment or unattachment or to invert it from craving to aversion.

The middle ground is non attachment. I like to think of it this way.

Let's say you like chocolate. If you start to obsess about it, this causes trouble. You worry when you don't have any, you over indulge, you hoard and don't share, this is clinging, suffering, and it can ruin your original enjoyment of chocolate.

So you go to CA and say you are an addict and swear off chocolate forever and every weekend talk about how you haven't had any chocolate and how great it is not having chocolate and how you avoid not having chocolate everyday...yet some how all this aversion to chocolate seems to still be the center of your life and you are denying something you actually do like.

Or may be you remove your self from all possibility of chocolate. You go high into the mountains and cut yourself of from any possibility of ever seeing chocolate again! As well as everything else.

All of these make the chocolate into this great big hairy deal.

Non attachment is when you have some chocolate, you enjoy it. When you don't, you enjoy whatever else it is you are doing. You neither seek it out nor avoid it more than is appropriate. Its seeing that it was just you putting all that effort into wanting or denying which caused the problem. The issue was the mind itself being out of out of control in its cravings and aversions, not the particular object it happened to get focused on.