DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - We must taste the bitter before we can appreciate the sweet

**ranndomderr** · 04-02-2012, 07:11 AM

Hello,

"We must taste the bitter before we can appreciate the sweet" -unknown (bible?)

This is an interesting notion that makes me question what I thought about the cessation of suffering. If one were to no longer taste the bitter, surely their appreciation of the sweet would decline. If this happened, one would surely find less enjoyment in life.

So what did the Buddha mean by the cessation of suffering, if not an ultimate end to suffering? Would such a state of mind even be worth it? Suffering seems human to me, and to not ever suffer seems unnatural. To attempt to achieve non-suffering seems to me like trying to swim against the current. Why not just float downstream?

What do you think? I'm kind of in limbo right now because this is a pretty drastic change in thinking for me. Where does the Buddha's path really lead? Suffering is impermanent, and accepting suffering as a part of life makes more sense to me than trying to achieve a state in which suffering is no more.

Looking forward to your input/advice. Thanks!

04-02-2012, 07:11 AM	#1
ranndomderr Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 460 Senior Member	We must taste the bitter before we can appreciate the sweet Hello, "We must taste the bitter before we can appreciate the sweet" -unknown (bible?) This is an interesting notion that makes me question what I thought about the cessation of suffering. If one were to no longer taste the bitter, surely their appreciation of the sweet would decline. If this happened, one would surely find less enjoyment in life. So what did the Buddha mean by the cessation of suffering, if not an ultimate end to suffering? Would such a state of mind even be worth it? Suffering seems human to me, and to not ever suffer seems unnatural. To attempt to achieve non-suffering seems to me like trying to swim against the current. Why not just float downstream? What do you think? I'm kind of in limbo right now because this is a pretty drastic change in thinking for me. Where does the Buddha's path really lead? Suffering is impermanent, and accepting suffering as a part of life makes more sense to me than trying to achieve a state in which suffering is no more. Looking forward to your input/advice. Thanks!
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