Buddhist Diagnosis of Human Suffering

 

Buddha’s diagnosis of human suffering has two parts in which he explains the nature of suffering and the cause of suffering, contained in the First and Second Noble Truth respectively. The First Noble Truth explains the existence of suffering, referring to it with the word dukha, which encompasses the underlying sense unsatisfactoriness of human experiences and its pervasiveness throughout life. It also points towards the impermanent nature of reality, namely pleasure. Another aspect of duhkha besides the pursuit of pleasure is the aversion of pain and suffering. The second Noble Truth proposes that the cause of suffering is the tendency to crave pleasure and a tendency to cling to it. Often the word attachment is used to describe the tendency to pursue pleasure and to try to sustain it.

In first two noble truths Buddha describes nature and cause of suffering while in third and fourth Buddha gives prescription to this suffering that is how one can remain in blissful state irrespective of experiencing Dukkha (suffering). Nature of Suffering according to Buddha is Pervasive in nature and the origin/cause of this suffering is craving for or clinging on pleasures which are impermanent. Pleasure of any kind evaporates with time and thus one lands in Dukkha (suffering) again. Below figure exhibits nature of Human Suffering.

Cause of Suffering as mentioned above is craving for or clinging on pleasure. Buddha recommends not to cling on or crave for pleasure to end suffering. Below figure explains cause of suffering. 

This diagnosis does ring true to me and is very much applicable with some challenges. I would like add an example of a case study from my practice where I tried exploring it from Buddhist perspective.

A student approached me with presenting problem of Anxiety and ADHD. After two sessions and homework activities given to her, I came to know this child was busy hating and criticizing others. After another discussion she agreed to undergo following experiment and her anxiety and ADHD reduced massively. To reflect on this from Buddhist perspective, Dukkha was ‘Clinging on Hating and criticizing others’. The moment she accepted nature of Dukkha and stopped clinging or craving for ‘hating & criticizing’ her suffering (Dukkha) reduced. This was initial part of her recovery, she was recommended to take up other few experiments and Mindfulness integrated CBT (MICBT). 

Challenges in Buddhist diagnosis of Human suffering surface when we add time framework to it. The concept of deriving pleasure during the time of Buddha was limited however now it has entered into new dimensions nowadays. In nutshell, Human beings have discovered million new ways to find happiness. This paradigm in our expanded dimension of pleasures and how we relate to them (self) makes it difficult for most of us to imbibe Buddhist prescription to human predicament.

Secondly, Human understanding for pleasure or how happy a person is too much relative in nature. This brings the criteria of comparison. This narration of not craving or clinging on pleasures but not to stop seeking pleasures completely is quite challenging considering the comparative framework of human understanding of pleasures. For example: If 9 people around one are buying a product, the 10^th person in their contacts already starts craving for it and if he chooses follows Buddha, finds it very difficult to resist this very craving. Thus I believe Craving and Clinging is innate, built in systems in Human beings, we have to counter program this system to arrive at not self (to end suffering).

Lastly Science, technology, consumerism and capitalism has changed the whole equation of pleasures in human lives during last century. We used camera to capture photographs few years back, photography was once in while kind of pleasure in the list and prior to invention of camera human species was totally unaware of this pleasure at all however now a days we have mobile phones with ever developing technology which make us crave more for that one selfie picture. Thus Science and technology has evolved immensely expanding human horizon of pleasures. This progression is not taken into account when we analyze Buddhist diagnosis in the context of modern world.  

Travelling and world tours for example were not so much prevalent during Buddhist times as modes of transport were not so fast, as time progressed transportation became fast and easy so human species added this pleasure in the list and nowadays world tour is much needed pleasure for many. 

Spectacles of consumerism has changed human understanding of happy life. Every day there are emerging ideas to sell more and more of a product. It is hard to fathom to counteract this profit centric Ideology to pierce human conception of pleasures. Same goes with capitalism, the act of accumulating and further investing has abundance importance nowadays unlike during Buddhist era of kingdoms. Thus we have found more branches to cling on and crave for which challenges the diagnosis. 

P.S. This article was part of my academic research project. It has no connection with any religious or spiritual impetus.