Nothing in this World that Is Not Suffering
People also have trouble understanding what is meant by “suffering.” Some even claim that they do not experience suffering as they are not going through any severe pain. However, according to Buddhism, there is nothing in this world that is not suffering. To be sure, suffering is relative. But even if we think we are happy and free from suffering at this very moment, our so-called happiness is intolerable pain in comparison to the higher states of happiness of the Buddha state. From that perspective, our happiness is not true happiness.
There are three kinds of suffering: (1) suffering of suffering (or ordinary suffering), (2) suffering of change (or suffering caused by changes), and (3) all-pervasive suffering.
Suffering of Suffering
The first suffering is what we usually call suffering. It is the experience we feel when we have a specific problem, like being sick, losing money, or feeling the pain of the death of a close person.
Suffering of Change
The second kind of suffering is produced by so-called happy experiences, which then bring about unhappy results due to the impermanence of samsaric phenomena. For example, although we are enjoying eating good food, the enjoyment might change into the pain of digesting it. Similarly, today we are enjoying earning a lot of money, but it might cause us to worry about protecting, preserving, or investing it. Someone could be excited today with his or her lover, but one day might be in pain because of separation.
All-Pervasive Suffering
Third, all compounded things are subject to change and decay, and they are all created by the cause of suffering—dualistic concepts and emotional afflictions. So there is nothing in the world that is not permeated by suffering.
For example, imagine that you have a light body, such as that described in the god realm. You fly through space whenever you move or travel. There is no darkness around you and no need of the light of the sun or moon, as your own body light illuminates the area around you. There is no physical pain and pressure, since your body is immaterial, intangible, indestructible, and untouchable. You enjoy it for years.
Then one day your body suddenly changes into a flesh, bone, and blood body wrapped in a bag of skin and filled with all kinds of filth. You can not move except by measuring the ground with the two bone poles of the legs, step by step. You do not see anything if there is no light from other sources. You will easily be crushed down, smashed flat, pierced through, broken into parts, or cut into pieces—never to heal or walk again—if you are not careful about watching, avoiding, and negotiating with everything all the time. This would be an intolerable suffering.
Although we do not know or feel that we are suffering because we are used to what we have and have no sense of any other spectrum of life, all mundane phenomena are permeated by suffering in comparison to the true joy of Buddhahood.
Compared to the Buddha wisdom of openness, oneness, and omniscience, and the Buddha body of wisdom light itself arisen as the light body—what suffering bodies have we become trapped in, not even knowing or accepting this!
It is essential to understand our own situation when we start to move on the path of the spiritual journey. That is why Buddha taught Buddhism as being based on the four noble truths, starting with the truth of suffering. Some non-Buddhists think that Buddhism is pessimistic.
The notion that there is nothing but suffering in this life does not mean that human beings are inherently full of suffering. In fact, the essence of Buddhism is that human beings are pure, enlightened, and perfect, but because of grasping at self and intellectual and emotional afflictions, their true nature and qualities are obscured, and they fall into the nightmare of illusory, suffering experiences.
In fact, to reach this ultimate state of mind and to dispel the delusions of suffering, the practice is to generate joy, peace, positive view, and equanimity as the path. So Buddhism actually holds a very realistic and positive view.
Source: Based on Tulku Thondup. Edited by Harold Talbott. Enlightened Journey: Buddhist Practice as Daily Life. Boston and London: Shambhala Publications, 1995.
