Origin of Suffering

The origin of suffering is a concept that varies across religions and philosophies. Some believe it has always been present, while others believe it is part of God's creation. 

Buddhism

• The Buddha taught that desire is the primary cause of suffering. 

• Buddhists believe that craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality are desires that can never be satisfied. 

• The three root causes of suffering are greed, ignorance, and hatred. 

• Buddhist sutras identify three root sufferings: birth, old age, sickness, and death.

Yoga 

• Yoga attributes the root cause of suffering to ignorance, which leads to human distress.

Original sin 

• The original sin theory states that all humankind inherited original sin because Adam and Eve went against God's will.

Other beliefs 

• Some believe that suffering is the result of evil forces.
• Some believe that suffering is part of God's creation, and that humans cannot understand the purpose of it.
• Some believe that suffering is the outcome of ignorance and has no beginning.

  

Q.6. Describe the Three Types of suffering as mentioned in Sutta Pātheyya.

           A: In sutta Pāttheyya the Buddha described three types of suffering.

                I. Dukkha dukkha the obvious type of suffering compressing bodily pain and mental pain;

                II. Saṅkhaāra dukkha the type of suffering associated with constant effort to relieve discomefort, pain, sickness, thirst, hanger, and to gratify sense desire, etc….;

                III. Viparināma dukkha the type of suffering associated with changes in conditions due to unforeseen circumstances or due to the intrinsic nature of material entities and mental entities (nāma rūpa).

           Thus sensual pleasures, Family happiness, sacral enjoyment, etc…, are not real happiness for they belong to saṅkhāra dukkha and Viparināma dukkha. This is also the reason why the Buddha said: “In short, the Five Groups of Existence are suffering”.

 

Q. 7. State the Noble Truth of the Origin of suffering.

           A- It is craving (tanhā) which gives rise to fresh rebirth, and bound up with pleasure and lust, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight.

           This craving of three kinds:

-        Craving for sense pleasure (kāma-tanhā)

-        Craving for existence or becoming (bhava-tanhā)

-        Craving for non-existence or self-annihilation (vibhava-tanhā)

 

Q-8 How does craving (tanhā) cause suffering to arise?

A: 1- Craving (tanhā) cause fresh rebirth or new existence to arise.

The new existence is made up of 5 groups of clinging, which is suffering. So craving gives rise to suffering.

2- Craving stands for lobha or tanhā, which has the characteristic of craving and detachment, tanhā will keep on craving for sensual pleasure, wealth, power, and as it can never be gratified, it causes suffering. Ungratified derives mean suffering.

3- Tanhā also gets attached to pleasant things and beloved one, separation from cherishing and beloved one mean suffering, so tanhā gives rise to suffering.

4- Tanhā works in unison with other defilements. Since all the defilements cause suffering to arise, tanhā also causes suffering to arise.

5- Tanhā and ignorance (moha) are the root causes of Dependent arising and the Round of Rebirths, so tanhā is the causes of suffering.

 

Q. 9. What is Meditation?

           An: Meditation is a simple, practical way of Training and purifying the mind to calm down, culture and develop the mind. It is, therefore, mental culture and mental culture and mental development that produce so much good effect that it should be practiced repeatedly.

           Meditation initially involves focusing the mind on a suitable object of Meditation, and applying mindfulness to be aware of the object constantly. By being mindful of the meditation object, one controls the mind from wandering from one sense object to another, thus preventing desires, craving, aversion, worry, remorse, distraction, and vein thoughts from arising.

           Thus meditation helps wholesome consciousness to arise continuously, develop wholesome positive qualities, and strengthens mental power and mind control. Since wholesome consciousness gives rise to wholesome Kāmma, which bear good results in due course, meditation is the most beneficial way of living.

           Besides meditation relaxes and rehabilitates the mind, building up joy, tranquility, peace and happiness immediately. It reduces tension, stress and strain, high blood pressure, and the tendency to smoke, drink or use drugs. It relieves fatigue and cures may physical ailments. It remarkably brings about physical and mental well-being. Thus mediation is also an art of living happily and healthily.

 

Q.10. What is Samatha Bhāvanā?

Samatha means tranquility, calm or quietude which is the concentrated, unshaken, undefiled and peaceful state of mind. It is called Calms down the five hindrances (nīvaraḷas) including passions.

           Thus samatha bhāvanā is the mental training which calms down the five hindrances and develops tranquility and mental concentration. In order to do so, the mind is focused on a meditation-object, and strenuous effort is exerted to be aware of the object constantly. By trying to be mindful of the meditation object continuously, one strengthens the jhāna factors which associate with wholesome consciousness (kusala citta)

           When the 3 jhāna factors become strong, they can suppress and temporarily eliminate the hindrances which agitate and inflect the mind. When the hindrances are totally suppressed from arising for one hour, two hours or more, the neighborhood concentration or access concentration (upacara bhāvanā), by meditating further one can arise the concentration to meditative absorption (jhāna). There are four stages of meditative absorption in the fine material sphere (four rūpāvacara jhānas) and four stage of meditative absorption in the immaterial sphere (four arūpāvacara jhānas).

           Samatha or tranquility or concentration (samādhi) stands for ‘ekaggatā cetasika’, a mental factor which associates with every consciousness. Ekaggatā literally means ‘one-pointed-ness’; it focuses the mind on an object; it binds the mental concomitants with consciousness together to be at a state of one-pointed ness on the object of meditation.