Buddhist Teaching on suffering
The Buddhist teaching regarding suffering is based on the "Four truths":
1. Suffering is an essential part of life. Troubles are basic and inherent to life.
2. The cause of suffering is human desire.
Man suffers because of his desire for personal enjoyment and possessions, but especially because of the desire to continue to exist as an individual, separate and distinct from others.
The highest destiny of man, according to Buddhism, is to cease existence as a separate and distinct individual, and enter the state of Nirvana. The earthly life is an illusion, but due to ignorance man continues to desire to exist. This desire causes rebirth to other lives and since life involves suffering, we continue to suffer.
3. The solution to suffering is to eliminate earthly desires, especially the desire to exist as an individual.
When desires are renounced and destroyed, rebirth will cease.
4. The steps to defeat these desires are the "Eightfold Path" (see point IV below).
B. The Bible Teaching about Suffering
It is true that suffering is a part of life.
Job 14:1 - "Man, that is born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble."
Job 5:7 - "But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward."
This basically agrees with the first "truth" of Buddhism.
Suffering exists as the consequences of man's sin or as a temptation to sin.
Genesis 3:16-19 - Suffering, pain of childbirth, the difficulty of work, and death (which is caused by sickness, accidents, etc.) all came into the world because man sinned. (This happened as a result of uncontrolled desire, so suffering is only indirectly the consequences of man's desires.) [cf. James 1:13-15; 1 John 2:15-17]
1 Peter 4:14-16 - Some suffering is the result of our evil doing, but instead we may suffer because others do some evil to us. So not all suffering is the result of our own sins. Sometimes we suffer because others sin.
Examples:
* 1 Peter 2:19-22 - Jesus suffered, though he was guilty of no sin. We should suffer in the same way.
* God's people often are persecuted by wicked people (Hebrews 11:32-38; 2 Corinthians 11).
Job 1,2 - Some suffering is a temptation from the Devil, who is trying to get righteous people to commit sins.
Hence, suffering may or may not be the result or our own wrong desires.
Physical desires, of themselves, are neither good nor bad. It depends on how we seek to fulfill the desire.
Buddhism teaches us to eliminate all natural desires. The Bible says that every natural desire has a good and proper way to be fulfilled.
Example: Hebrews 13:4 - "Let marriage be held in honor by all." The natural desire for sexual fulfillment may be satisfied by proper means as ordained by God. Buddhism, on the other hand, teaches that to be saved one must overcome this desire and learn to live without marriage (see point IV). [1 Timothy 4:1-4]
The Bible, however, warns that human desires can be perverted and lead to sin:
Hebrews 13:4 - Fornicators and adulterers, God will judge.
Illustration: Lead is an element of nature, and it has good purposes. But if it is put in a gun and shot at someone's head, then we have perverted the purpose and harm results. It is the same with the body's natural desires.
The proper goal of man is, not to eliminate all desires from his life, but to know God's will and control the desires accordingly.
In particular, the desire to exist as an individual is not bad. It is an act of God's creation.
God Himself possesses distinct characteristics of personality - God loves, speaks, knows, wills, etc. [See again the article on Hinduism.]
Furthermore, man is an individual created in God's image.
Genesis 1:26-28 - Humans, male and female, exist as individuals on the earth because God so created them. He told them to multiply, thereby making more individuals.
Genesis 2:7 - God formed man and made him a living soul. Man's existence as a physical individual is not an illusion nor a misconception as a result of ignorance.
In fact, man will always exist in a state of conscious existence as a separate individual. In the resurrection we will have spirit bodies (1 Corinthians 15). In eternity, we will be conscious and distinct individuals (Luke 16:19-31).
The claim that it is bad to desire to be an individual blasphemes the work of God.
The way to overcome suffering is, not to strive to defeat it yourself, but to trust in God and serve Him.
By serving God properly we can endure suffering in this life.
Psalm 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble."
Psalm 34:19 - God delivers the righteous out of troubles. This does not mean He promises to get rid of all our troubles, but He helps us to endure and be faithful to Him in spite of troubles.
Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
="font-family: Times New Roman;">If we remain faithful to God, we will receive an eternal reward in a place where there is no suffering of any kind.
Romans 8:16-18 - If we suffer with Christ we receive a reward far greater than the suffering. [James 1:12; 2 Corinthians 4:16f; Matthew 5:10ff]
Buddhism does not have a solution to suffering. Only the Bible provides a true solution.
The Buddhist teaching regarding suffering is based on the "Four truths":
1. Suffering is an essential part of life. Troubles are basic and inherent to life.
2. The cause of suffering is human desire.
Man suffers because of his desire for personal enjoyment and possessions, but especially because of the desire to continue to exist as an individual, separate and distinct from others.
The highest destiny of man, according to Buddhism, is to cease existence as a separate and distinct individual, and enter the state of Nirvana. The earthly life is an illusion, but due to ignorance man continues to desire to exist. This desire causes rebirth to other lives and since life involves suffering, we continue to suffer.
3. The solution to suffering is to eliminate earthly desires, especially the desire to exist as an individual.
When desires are renounced and destroyed, rebirth will cease.
4. The steps to defeat these desires are the "Eightfold Path" (see point IV below).
B. The Bible Teaching about Suffering
It is true that suffering is a part of life.
Job 14:1 - "Man, that is born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble."
Job 5:7 - "But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward."
This basically agrees with the first "truth" of Buddhism.
Suffering exists as the consequences of man's sin or as a temptation to sin.
Genesis 3:16-19 - Suffering, pain of childbirth, the difficulty of work, and death (which is caused by sickness, accidents, etc.) all came into the world because man sinned. (This happened as a result of uncontrolled desire, so suffering is only indirectly the consequences of man's desires.) [cf. James 1:13-15; 1 John 2:15-17]
1 Peter 4:14-16 - Some suffering is the result of our evil doing, but instead we may suffer because others do some evil to us. So not all suffering is the result of our own sins. Sometimes we suffer because others sin.
Examples:
* 1 Peter 2:19-22 - Jesus suffered, though he was guilty of no sin. We should suffer in the same way.
* God's people often are persecuted by wicked people (Hebrews 11:32-38; 2 Corinthians 11).
Job 1,2 - Some suffering is a temptation from the Devil, who is trying to get righteous people to commit sins.
Hence, suffering may or may not be the result or our own wrong desires.
Physical desires, of themselves, are neither good nor bad. It depends on how we seek to fulfill the desire.
Buddhism teaches us to eliminate all natural desires. The Bible says that every natural desire has a good and proper way to be fulfilled.
Example: Hebrews 13:4 - "Let marriage be held in honor by all." The natural desire for sexual fulfillment may be satisfied by proper means as ordained by God. Buddhism, on the other hand, teaches that to be saved one must overcome this desire and learn to live without marriage (see point IV). [1 Timothy 4:1-4]
The Bible, however, warns that human desires can be perverted and lead to sin:
Hebrews 13:4 - Fornicators and adulterers, God will judge.
Illustration: Lead is an element of nature, and it has good purposes. But if it is put in a gun and shot at someone's head, then we have perverted the purpose and harm results. It is the same with the body's natural desires.
The proper goal of man is, not to eliminate all desires from his life, but to know God's will and control the desires accordingly.
In particular, the desire to exist as an individual is not bad. It is an act of God's creation.
God Himself possesses distinct characteristics of personality - God loves, speaks, knows, wills, etc. [See again the article on Hinduism.]
Furthermore, man is an individual created in God's image.
Genesis 1:26-28 - Humans, male and female, exist as individuals on the earth because God so created them. He told them to multiply, thereby making more individuals.
Genesis 2:7 - God formed man and made him a living soul. Man's existence as a physical individual is not an illusion nor a misconception as a result of ignorance.
In fact, man will always exist in a state of conscious existence as a separate individual. In the resurrection we will have spirit bodies (1 Corinthians 15). In eternity, we will be conscious and distinct individuals (Luke 16:19-31).
The claim that it is bad to desire to be an individual blasphemes the work of God.
The way to overcome suffering is, not to strive to defeat it yourself, but to trust in God and serve Him.
By serving God properly we can endure suffering in this life.
Psalm 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble."
Psalm 34:19 - God delivers the righteous out of troubles. This does not mean He promises to get rid of all our troubles, but He helps us to endure and be faithful to Him in spite of troubles.
Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
="font-family: Times New Roman;">If we remain faithful to God, we will receive an eternal reward in a place where there is no suffering of any kind.
Romans 8:16-18 - If we suffer with Christ we receive a reward far greater than the suffering. [James 1:12; 2 Corinthians 4:16f; Matthew 5:10ff]
Buddhism does not have a solution to suffering. Only the Bible provides a true solution.
Control the Mind