Most people have the mistaken idea that Buddhism is all about suffering. In actual fact, he once taught, “I teach only suffering and the end of suffering.” In reality, life consists of suffering, disappointment, unsatisfactoriness and unease. Some “suffering” is unavoidable such as old age, sickness and death. However, we are accustomed to adding a […]
Search Results for: suffering
Desire Creates Suffering
Desire Creates Suffering It is important to distinguish between sense-pleasure and sense-desire. There is nothing wrong with sense-pleasure. Pleasure and pain are part of our human experience. Sense-desire, on the other hand, is the grasping at pleasure or the avoidance of pain. This is what creates suffering—grasping and avoidance. – Dipa Ma, “Enlightenment in This […]
The Truth About Suffering
The Acknowledgment of Suffering Is a Gift As the early Buddhist teachings freely admit, the predicament is that the cycle of birth, aging, and death is meaningless. They don’t try to deny this fact and so don’t ask us to be dishonest with ourselves or to close our eyes to reality. As one teacher has […]
How to Transform Suffering into an Opportunity for Growth
Here we have more words of wisdom from Robert Emmons. This lesson is on how to transform suffering into an opportunity for growth. He quotes Abraham Maslow, who we heard from recently in The Creative Spirit Of The Self-Actualizer last month. It continues on the gratitude theme from A Gratitude Practice to Increase Happiness from […]
Ben Knew About Suffering
These words of wisdom come from Ben Franklin. They show that Ben knew about suffering when he wrote about inconveniences. I think that he also understood that life is available only in the present moment when he said that we “neither see nor feel those of the future.” Life’s inconveniences can be troublesome when we […]
Aware of Suffering
Gil Fronsdal wrote the wonderful words of wisdom for us to be aware of suffering in Tricycle Magazine recently. He has been practicing in the Soto Zen and Vipassana traditions since 1985 and guides the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. I have read many of his articles and met him one day several […]
The End Of Suffering
As we move towards Easter Sunday, we witness the blossoming of spring and the warmer days of summer approaching. We prepare to celebrate Earth Day on April 22. We bring our love and compassion to Mother Earth and pray for the end of suffering. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh puts is so beautifully in this […]
Going To The Shore Of Non-suffering
Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh on August 13, 1997 in Plum Village, France. © Thich Nhat Hanh Good morning, my dear friends. Today is the thirteenth of August, 1997, and we are in the Upper Hamlet. We still have one paramita to learn. Paramita means perfection, the perfection of the crossing over to […]
Thich Nhat Hanh on Mindfulness, Suffering, and Engaged Buddhism | On Being
Thich Nhat Hanh on Mindfulness, Suffering, and Engaged Buddhism | On Being.
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