> life is suffering
That's horrible. Life is not suffering, life is joy and happiness. Does Buddhism really believe such a terrible thing?
That's horrible. Life is not suffering, life is joy and happiness. Does Buddhism really believe such a terrible thing?
Or something like that.
virtualwhys: If this really is what you meant, then please, start using a different word.
He indeed meant that life is suffering. English speakers today translate the word as "suffering", "pain", "disappointment", or perhaps "striving" (a sentiment you will find echoed in Ecclesiastes).
Buddha also spoke about the cause of suffering, and suggested that if you can escape from the cause, you can escape from the suffering.
I personally disagree with this advice: Why would I want to escape from love, hate, pain, joy, and everything else? But I don't disagree with the basic teaching. Everyone has a cross to bear.
I think of it like this: when the untrained mind is enjoying something, there are two aspects to that experience: the appreciation of the beauty or pleasure you derive from it, but also the attachment, the clutching or grasping and anxiety which would follow that thing being taken away.
I think "no attachment" is advocating that you get yourself in a mental state where you can have one without the other: to appreciate something while it lasts but not clutch to it or get hung up on it when it passes.
Let's say you don't own a car, and take the bus to work. Then someone gives you a car, you are happy! A week later someone steals your car. You are back to riding the bus. Your first day back on the public transport is probably filled with quite a bit of suffering even though it is no different that the bus ride you took a week ago.
It's also possible to be too attached to joy for fear that if it ceases it will cause you pain. To goal is to be happy despite external events.
I'm not a Buddhist or an expert in Buddhism by any mean. But being born and raised in an South East Asian that is strongly culturally tied with Buddhism, I believe the phrase "life is suffering" isn't too far away from what I normally heard and read. Of course, different Buddhism sect will have different idea on the whole "what life is", but interestingly, I recalled reincarnation being considered not as a gift, but actually a curse. You should strive to live your life free of all the meaningless greeds, emotions and bad deeds so that you won't be reborn, and hence relieve from life's suffering.
Of course, I realize the whole thing might sounds bizarre with a lot of Westerners, as so does many of Buddhism's teaching (emotions is bad etc). But keeps in mind, personal happiness is specifically a Western ideal, one that has been spreading more and more to the East, but still incompatible with many of the old traditional ideals here (Note: I'm not saying either way is better or worse, I'm still trying to figure that out).