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November 16, 2008 01:41:49
Posted By Richard Cloer
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I’m not an expert in religious studies, but I believe Buddhism is one of the few “religious” faiths that recognizes suffering, specifically. From a Buddhist perspective there are several different kinds of manifest suffering. There is the type of suffering that is associated with pain. For example, the product of our skin being cut by a sharp knife is physical pain. The blade slices our flesh; the nerve endings are damaged in the process; and this prompts a chemical reaction to travel to our brains thereby causing other parts of our body to respond. As a result, we do everything in our power to heal the wound in order to stop the unpleasant sensation.
Another form of manifest suffering comes with growing old. As we age, our bodies deteriorate. It’s something every human who lives long enough must experience, and the longer we live, the more our bodies change until ultimately we die. It’s an unfortunate condition of human existence. I once heard one of my older college professors, who was in his 80s at the time, liken aging to a sinking ship. It’s only a matter of time before a ship that has a damaged hull in the middle of the ocean sinks. Not only must the elderly deal with the all the other ailments associated with advanced age such as muscle degeneration, memory loss, and loneliness, but he or she must also cope with the prospects of what happens in the hereafter.
But, in my opinion, the greatest form of manifest suffering—from a Buddhist perspective—comes from attachment such as longing. For example, recently, I overheard a child lament that his father was not going to buy him something called a Playstation Portable (PSP). Initially, I felt pity for the young man because he seemed generally distraught, but as I rationalized what he was going through, it became clear to me that electronic games are fads, nothing more. Given enough time, the child’s delusionary attachment for the object will dissipate. But, unlike physical suffering, which affects parts of the body, longing is a purely mental activity and, in certain situations, is not easy to dismiss.
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Categories:
General Interest,
Religion
