Suffering and Liberation

The dynamics of suffering are addressed by Thich Nhat Hanh in "The heart of buddha's teaching". The idea of suffering is not foreign to humanity as a whole; the world has seen immense amounts of death, despair, war, and hardship. The Buddha spent his life teaching suffering as a means of liberation, by which we can become free, and he taught that we can recognize our own suffering, and transform it into peace and joy (Hanh, 3). The great teacher emphasized that only after one has suffered can he or she enjoy the elements of paradise (Hanh, 4). Hanh also mentions in the book that "Buddha only wants us to recognize suffering when it is present and to recognize joy when suffering is absent" (21) if one dwells on their suffering, they will surely miss paradise. Buddha's teaching of the four noble truths are something to practice and realize, in order to grow. The first truth is suffering, the second is the origin of suffering, followed by ending the suffering (healing is possible), and finally, the fourth truth is refraining from doing things that cause us from suffering (Hanh, 9-11). 

My Yiayia and Papou at their 50th anniversary party

My life has been free of suffering for the most part, however this summer my grandfather passed away, which was the first time I experienced this sort of pain. His death was sudden, and it was extremely hard for my entire family. I was very upset for a while, and I still am, but in the days immediately following his passing, I could not help but feel joy for the wonderful life my grandfather lived. He was truly a wonderful man, and he touched the lives of so many. He taught me what it meant to be a good person, and how to live a meaningful life. While I mourned his loss, I could not help but celebrate his rich life. It is often said that everyone dies, but it is rare that people truly live. In my grandfathers case, he certainly lived.  I think the lesson to be learned in death is that life is for the living, and that is something I can certinaly appreciate from the loss of my grandfather. 

Another, less drastic example of suffering in my life is caused by disunity on my dads side of the family. My dad and my aunt had a falling out a few years ago and it has caused some problems with both of our families. On one hand I know that there is a good reason why my dad does not want to have a relationship with my aunt anymore, but on the other hand she has never wronged me directly. There are many examples of these falling outs with my aunt and several other members of my family, therefore I should be able to identify a pattern, and try to prevent the inevitable suffering between she and myself. One problem with cutting ties with her is that I would also have to cut ties with my cousins, which is why I continue the relationship with my aunt. According to the fourth noble truth, I should refrain from doing the things that cause me suffering. Which is to say that I should remove the toxic people from my life and surround myself with the other loving members of my family.