Suffering in Buddhism

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines suffering as: 1) the endurance of death, pain, or distress, 2) the sustaining of loss or death, and 3) the subjection to disability or handicap. This Americanized explanation not far from the Buddhist definition of duhkha – or suffering. Suffering itself is not a hard concept to grasp because everybody has experienced it at one point or another, but the real questions are, “What causes all this suffering,” and “How do we eliminate this suffering?” The Buddha explained the origin of suffering through the Noble Fourfold Truths and described how to do away with suffering by following the Noble Eightfold Path.

This research paper will be separated into two parts. The first part will talk about the Noble Fourfold Truths and second part will explain the Noble Eightfold Path. In the section regarding the Four Noble Truths, I will first talk about the First Noble Truth of what suffering is. Then I will describe the Second Noble Truth of the conditioned arising of suffering. Next I will explain the Third Noble Truth of how suffering can be eradicated by getting rid of its conditions. Finally I will clarify the Fourth Noble Truth that the way to get rid of these conditions is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. This will lead into the second part of this research paper that focuses on the Buddhist guide to life – the Noble Eightfold Path. First I will talk about cultivating wisdom by ways of right view and right intention. Then I will describe the cultivation of good conduct by ways of right speech, right action, and right livelihood. Finally I will explain how to cultivate mental discipline by ways of right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

The Noble Fourfold Truths

The Buddha stressed the important of Madhyamaka – the Middle Way philosophy that there is a reality midway between existence and nonexistence. He explains the idea of duhkha through the Four Noble Truths.

The First Noble Truth is the Truth of Suffering:

“Birth is suffering; aging is suffering; sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; association with the unpleasant is suffering; dissociation from the pleasant is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering – in brief. The five aggregates of attachment are suffering.” (Koller 155)

Not only does duhkha mean suffering, but also has a deeper meaning of ignorance, frustration, and emptiness. A person’s mind, body, and soul are all interdependent, but most people ignorantly believe that the self is a separate static being – disconnected from the mind and body, and never changing. The Buddha believes that existence is neither permanent nor separate; interdependent arising is the idea that everything is always changing and entwined. Because of this ever changing world, attachment to belongings, feelings, or people will lead to disappointment, and disappointment will lead to suffering. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are suffering because when people live their lives in ignorance, they continue the harsh cycle of reincarnation.

The Second Noble Truth is the Truth of the Origin of Suffering:

“It is this thirst which produces re-existence and re-becoming, bound up with passionate greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely, thirst for sense-pleasures; thirst for existence and becoming; and thirst for nonexistence.” (Koller 158)

The idea is that suffering arises when we crave things we cannot have. If we desire fame and fortune, we will suffer if we do not attain it; if we desire immortality, we will suffer when death catches us. Of course, there are times when desires are acceptable. If we are hungry it is okay for us to desire food, and if we are in pain it is okay for us to desire relief – as long as the desire stems from needs and not from greed or selfishness.

The Third Noble Truth is the Truth of the Cessation of Suffering:

“It is this complete cessation of that very thirst, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it, detaching oneself from it.” (Koller 159)

The word nirvana means extinguished – as in extinguishing cravings in order to eliminate suffering. If we do not have cravings, then we cannot be let down and lead into suffering. If we do not desire fame and fortune, we will be happily content with a humble lifestyle.

The Forth Noble Truth is the Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering:

“It is simply