Suffering in Buddhism
According to Buddhism, suffering is bad despite the fact that life is full of it. Suffering also referred to as dukka is a painful experience that includes both physical and mental suffering during birth, illness, aging and dying 1 . Suffering is a distress that is not desirable but can be separated from oneself through illumination. By having the wisdom to understand the cause of one’s suffering and applying the right steps to alleviate the suffering, a person can attain a suffering free life. However, despite the sufferings in life death should happen when one is enlightened and in a virtuous state of mind a state referred to as Nirvana.
Compare How West and East View Death
There is a commonality between the east and the west view on death. Both the west and the east believe that after a person dies the spirit continue with life in another realm - the afterlife. Life after death is determined by an individual’s former life on earth – karma 2 . Those who die holy or attain the nirvana virtuous life experience the end of suffering while those who died in sin continue with suffering after death. According to the West, one has to follow the bible and Christ to enter heaven. While in the East, one has to follow a specific path to reach nirvana. Both the East and West perspective explains the same concept but using different sentiments.
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Wisdom in Buddhism
Wisdom according to Buddhism is the only way to ending suffering. It is attained by undertaking the eightfold path to understand and establish the right View, attitude, concentration, mindfulness, livelihood, action, and speech 3 . Once one completes the eightfold path and attains nirvana, the person becomes vitreous and lives a life of acting without desire. At this point of time, one relinquishes all the worldly attachments and lives in a state of wisdom in happiness and without suffering on earth, at death and afterlife.
Bibliography
Bapat, Purushottam Vishvanath. 2500 years of Buddhism . Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, 2016, p. 22-26.
Cooper, David E., and Simon P. James. Buddhism, virtue and environment . London: Routledge, 2017, p 11-14.
Siderits, Mark. Buddhism as philosophy: an introduction . London: Routledge press, 2017, p. 4-8.
