Pain

When you read a textbook definition of Buddhism, usually it will state the First Noble Truth as something like “existence is suffering”, “existence is dukkha”, or “there is suffering”, etc, etc.

Recently, after stubbing my toe (again), I realized that these explanations don’t do it justice.

When the Buddha taught that life is (in the old Pāli language) dukkha, what he was saying was that Life entails pain. “Suffering” is vague and abstract, but pain is something we live with on a daily basis.

There is the obvious pain: pain from injury, pain from a stomachache, pain from medical issues, pain from heat, cold, homelessness, etc.

There’s also emotional pain: a break-up, loss of a loved one, the pain of romantic rejection, pain from being humiliated or abused, etc.

Then there are subtle pains: having to tear yourself from your favorite video game to go to work, the pain of eating the last French fry (and no more left), the pain of getting something and being disappointed, the pain from boredom, the pain from responsibility, the pain knowing someday you and your significant other will be parted for good, etc.

In short, pain is unavoidable. Sometimes it’s very raw and horrific, and at other times it’s subtle and bittersweet.

The Buddha did not teach that life is always suffering, or that life is not worth living. It’s just that pain is unavoidable. If you dream of a future of luxury or joy, you will still encounter pain. If you hope to live a long, happy life, pain still crops up sooner or later.

Even if you live as long as someone like Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings, with all her beauty, longevity and power, you still cannot avoid pain, regret, etc. If anything, it only piles up over time.

Most people who come to this realization decide to grin and bear it since life is still worth living. This is understandable. This is how many of us choose to live. The little joys in life, good friends, nature, etc, make life sweeter. The support we get from others keeps us going.

But there also comes a time in one’s life when we feel weary. A deep weariness.

At such times, the Third Noble Truth, that there is a way out of this, becomes important. Like Galadriel who eventually sailed to the West at the end of Lord of the Rings, there is an alternative for us too. Whether we choose to take that path is entirely our choice, but it is there when we wish to take it up.

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha