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)
Death is suffering. The passing away of beings, their dissolution,
disappearance, dying, completion of time, dissolution of aggregates,
laying down of the body. (MN 9)
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It is natural
that we experience a great deal of mental pain when someone we love
dies. Such pain is an inevitable part of life. The Buddha never said
there is a way to make pain go away. How much suffering it causes,
however, is another matter. Pain is amplified by our resentment of it
and our resistance to it, and by our wishing it would go away. Pain is
diminished by our turning toward it, accepting it, and attempting to
learn from it.
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Reflect on the
poignancy of death, either the death of someone dear to you or your own
inevitable death. Allow yourself to feel the sorrow, which is an
expression of mental pain. This is natural. Also allow yourself to feel
strong, whole, and balanced in the midst of the sorrow. Mental pain,
like physical pain, is something to be examined carefully and with
equanimity. We need not feel overwhelmed by it.
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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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