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)
Sorrow and lamentation are suffering: the sorrow, sorrowing,
sorrowfulness, inner sorrow, inner sorriness of one who has encountered
some misfortune or is affected by some painful state. (MN 9)
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The first noble
truth, the truth of suffering, is described in some detail in these
texts. Here the experience of loss and sorrow is highlighted. Elsewhere
we might be able to make a distinction between sorrow as a form of
mental pain and suffering as a state of emotional affliction, but here
we are simply directed to the universal human experience of the pain of
loss or misfortune. It hurts a lot to lose someone you love.
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The truth of
suffering is not meant to encourage us to wallow in our afflictions, but
it does not let us try to escape them through some kind of denial. The
first noble truth is a starting point. Only when the suffering is
acknowledged can the healing begin. Look at some aspect of your own
suffering with courage and without fear and decide that you can and will
undertake a path to heal the pain by understanding it and letting it
go.
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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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