Breaking Myths 4: Life is NOT

ALL Suffering!
The conspiracy of Language

When i was in Primary school, a religious class
introduced the Buddha’s Teaching as “Life is
Suffering”.

Even as a child, i found this unsatisfactory as it
was obvious to me that there is a Lot of
Happiness too.

No matter how brief or transient, i was Not
“suffering” during those moments of Happiness.

I was confused and put off by that statement in my

schoolbook.
 Please Answer True or False
In the First Noble Truth, the Buddha taught that
“Life IS Suffering”

.
Myth: Life is suffering

The Buddha DID NOT SAY that "Life is

Suffering".
The First Noble Truth is commonly
misunderstood.
Even some Buddhists are trapped in this wrong
and gloomy view.

Buddhists claim that they know the Way to

Happiness, they should be the HAPPIEST
People on Earth!
What did the Buddha say in the First Noble
Truth?
The Buddha did Not say that

Birth,
aging,
sickness,
Death,
dissociation from the loved,
not to get what one wants,
are broad categories of situations whereby
suffering either Physically or Psychologically is
Obvious.

But this should not be generalised to "life is
suffering", because there is obviously also a lot of
mundane happiness in life even though it may
NOT be a permanent state of Happiness!
That such states are Impermanent and hence
short lived and unreliable does not negate that
much Mundane Happiness is present.

We do not want to frighten away people new to the

Buddha Dhamma!

“Life is suffering” will be “jivitam dukkham”
in Pali, a statement that is NOT found in the
Canon.


The Buddha instead states clearly that
“in summary: panca-upadana khanda dukkha,
which is “clinging to form, feelings, perception,
volition and consciousness is Dukkha”.

To leave out “clinging” is to miss the

IMPORTANT Teaching.
 The Buddha repeatedly cautioned his students
about the dangers of addiction to "Sensual
Gratification" which is the sensual
happiness or pleasure as a result of the
stimulation of our 6 senses,

this was plentiful 2600 years ago and many fold

more now in this era of instant communication
and IT.

The Buddha's Awakening led to the end of
Dukkha of Mental Stress, but his body continued
to have the pain that everyone has associated
with aging and decay until his PariNibbana.

But his mind was always at Peace, Happy and

Calm, freed from the Stresses of daily Life,
Emotional Cravings, Wants and Dislikes.

The Pali word “Dukkha” implies an unreliable
state which is "incapable of satisfying": always
changing, incapable of truly fulfilling us or making
us happy permanently.

In that specific sense one may say that

Life has Dukkha as its common denominator,
but the English text “Life IS Suffering” in this
context would be misleading.

But where there is happiness, there will
also be Dukkha.

This is because Everything is

impermanent, changeable and Unstable

Instability leads to the Unreliability and

Dukkha of life!
“There is Suffering in Life” is an accurate
description, while “Life IS Suffering”
distorts the profound Teaching.
A healthy body cannot last forever. It will gradually
become weak, old, sick and die.

When changes come, Dukkha arises because
we mentally Resist Change and Attach to what
we want it to be, instead of what it has become.
Had it changed to what we Like, we would have
welcomed it. No Dukkha then!

The 4 Noble Truths explains the Cause of the

Arising of Dukkha very elegantly, our Emotions of
Craving/Tanha and
Clinging/Attachment/Upadana.
 With Insight and Wisdom


So what if we deal with all that happens to
us WITHOUT our Emotions of Craving and
Clinging/Attachment?

Will we Not be Very Happy Buddhists?

The ULTIMATE SECRET TO HAPPINESS!

We cannot change the external or even our bodies,

but we can change our Attitude.
With a Change in Attitude,
We can be Very Happy
Keeping Precepts Leads to Happiness
Life can be Happy, it need Not be life is suffering,
we can be Positive and optimistic.

With the Insight into the Realities of Life, when
we do Not Cling to the Impossible, we can
Live every moment Happily and Well
Physical Suffering is Inevitable while we walk this
Path But Mental Suffering is Optional.
Conditions for Laypeople
When one is healthy, Morally Upright, Generous,
financially secure, together with one’s family, & has
Good Spiritual friends, one is very happy indeed.
A Chan master was given a hand-fan made from
rhinoceros horn by the governor of the district. It is
surely very precious and delicate but he did not
make much of it and put it casually in his room.

On a particularly hot day he asked his attendant to

bring the fan.

The young man went to the room and came back
reporting that the fan is broken! Smashed by the
weight of books placed on it!
"Well" the master said, "in that case bring me the
Rhinoceros!"

Another student observing this conversation had an

Awakening!
What does this conversation which seemingly
sound nonsensical teach us?

That fan was valuable and precious, and in the
hot weather indispensable.
To most people happiness depends on that fan
relieving the heat.

We are all like that.

Our happiness depends on a lot of things
without which we are despondent.

But the precious valued fan is broken!
To most of us, it's Unhappiness.
But the Master said "Bring me the Rhinoceros!"
That is not only illogical but impossible too, and
dangerous if ever done!


And frankly the conversation is moronic.

What does it mean?
The Master asked for the impossible,
compassionately teaching us that our
Happiness need not depend on the
conditions that we had set.

Many a times that is impossible as in the broken

fan, it is irretrievably smashed.
Asking for the Rhinoceros represents
accepting the impossible,

living with the worst case scenario,

the Rhinoceros in the room,

a situation whereby most will take as

supremely unacceptable and unhappy, and
yet living well, contented and happy within that
context.
It requires a paradigm shift in attitude and thinking,
for to most if not all of us, our happiness is
typically dependent on 'what we have',

now to be happy “even when we do Not have”
and in even difficult situations, simply with a
change in our outlook.

We may understand now why to many people,

the historical Chan Masters appear a bit “Odd”
and possibly even “mad” as their approach to life
radically differs from the general populace.

Our Emotions, both Happy and Angry ones, all
arise Within ourselves.

It is simply an Emotion which arose because
of Cause, Condition and Effect;
it need NOT be “me’ or “my emotion” unless i
allow it to be.
Thank You