RIGHT VIEW
Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering
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When people have met with
suffering and become victims of suffering, they come to me and ask me
about the noble truth of suffering. Being asked, I explain to them the
noble truth of suffering. (MN 77) What is suffering? (MN 9)
Aging is suffering: "old age, brokenness of teeth, greyness of hair,
wrinkling of skin, decline of life, weakness of faculties." (MN 9)
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The wheel has
turned one full revolution now, as we looked at each of the path factors
four times over the course of a month. We now return to the beginning
and go through another cycle over the course of the next 28 days. The
noble truth of suffering is not something we "get" once and for all and
then move on. It is something to investigate again and again from
multiple different angles as our perspective on it changes.
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We hardly need
help understanding the truth of aging, since it is everywhere so
apparent. As our experience with the practice progresses, we learn to
observe the signs of aging with greater objectivity and less
self-reference. This is just what happens to a body when it ages. It is
not that we are being personally persecuted by time. Work on developing
the perspective that aging is something to observe rather than to fear.
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Tomorrow: Cultivating Lovingkindness
One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
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Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.
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