Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering

 

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RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering What is the origin of suffering? It is craving, which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that: that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for being, and craving for non-being. (MN 9) When one does not know and see visual forms as they actually are, then one is attached to visual forms. When one is attached, one becomes infatuated, and one’s craving increases. One’s bodily and mental troubles increase, and one experiences bodily and mental suffering. (MN 149)

Reflection Once you have recognized an aspect of suffering in your own lived experience, the next step is to come to understand that it has a specific origin. All suffering is rooted in some form of craving or attachment, some wanting for things to be different than they are. The senses are not entirely passive, but "reach out" in some way to pursue the objects (in this case sights) that it favors and avoid those with which it is not comfortable. Daily Practice The Buddhist approach to suffering is not theoretical or conceptual but profoundly experiential. We will explore the origin of suffering by reviewing each of the senses in turn, looking for a particular cause of a particular instance of suffering. We easily become attached to and infatuated with visual forms and yearn to see some things and not others. Look in your own experience for the tendency to favor some sights over others.  Tomorrow: Cultivating Compassion One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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