"All existance is suffering!" is the main doctrine of Buddhism. Mahayana too regards existance as sorrowful. In all forms of being there are grief and pain, longing and dissappointment. Life for a time may appear to be happy, and things one has grown fond of seem lasting, but what is loved has to perish as well as the person loving it. Parting and suffering are the inevitable course anyone must take.

There are 8 different types of suffering that Buddhism defined:

• Suffering of birth - No one comes into life smiling, we call come with tears. Through growing up, we experience the pain of growing new teeth, puberty, and the pain of finding our own identiy in life. Life is full of sorrows and happiness seemed not to last a long time.
• Suffering of old age - We all grow old, it is the inevitable course of life. With old age, we grow frail and weak. Unable to help ourselves and bear the pain of growing old.
• Suffering of illness - Even the strongest man becomes ill. With illness we experience pain, whether psychological or physical. No one can claim that they have never been sick. The suffering of illness is a part of life.
• Suffering of death - Everyone must die. With death, we experience the pain of the body. We twitch and turn, as our last breath are released. Even the most powerful, successful, or riches person must die leaving their love ones behind to feel the pain of their departure. Death is the unavoidable consequence of life.
• Suffering of unfullfilled desires - We all want something in life, whether for ourselves or others. When our desires are unfullfilled, we suffer pain. The pain of not having what we want is great. To a child, the pain of not being able to have a toy is just as great as an adult not being able to have wealth, or a successful career, or love.
• Suffering of being in the company of dislikes ones - We all like to spend time with the ones we love. But that is not true many times. When we are in the company of those we fear, those we hate, it is like having a needle to our eyes. This is another part of living.
• Suffering of separation from those we love - We all like to be with those we love. But separation is a part of life. When we lose those we love to death, to war, to life's circumstances, we all suffer pains. It is an unavoidable part of life.
• Suffering of health - Many would ask: "Why would being healthy is also suffering?". It is that when we are healthy, we dwell in running our lives with envy, lust, greed, passion and waste our time not knowing that death is just a breath away. We are like those who play in a house of fire not knowing that it is burning around us. Many healthy people cause their own suffering with drugs, alcohol, and other addictions when they regard themselves as immortal, not knowing that death is near.

We all see and hear suffering around us, even to ourselves. But does not understand the reality of it. Ignorance in our views cause us to look for illusory happiness that does not last forever. Even the happinest person would suffer death. The healthiest person will also suffer illness, and the least wanting person the suffering of loss. The Buddha's teachings of suffering is to lead all to see that life is but a illusory existence. We should not drown in depressing conceit in light of life's suffering, but take bold actions to end it and find the enternal happiness in our existence. We must seek the absolute truth to find our eternal self again. For our existence are that of illusions which is not as immutable as we think, but very mutable. Everything changes as the world turns. No matter how we try, no one can hinder death, or life. As the words of a famous Romantic poets "Pershy Bysshe Shelley" puts it:

Next Page

Foundation of Mahayana Buddhism

Back to Main Page