|
1. Life means suffering.
To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither
is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure
physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and
eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness,
fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different
degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we
perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life
in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to
impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive
for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will
pass away one day, too.
The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance
thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround
us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception.
Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to
impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour,
pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short:
craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment
are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow.
Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion,
because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined
entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.
The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha
means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble
truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion.
Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that
suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause
of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels
that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom
from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not
comprehensible for those who have not attained it.
There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement,
which is described more detailed in the
Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive
self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it
leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from
other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these
do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over
many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic
conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear
gradually, as progress is made on the path.
Part of the information of this page is
extracted from : www.thebigview.com
Powered by WebRing®.
Back to Top
|
Ads By CbproAds
Ads By CbproAds
Ads By CbproAds
|