DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - How do we deal with physical suffering (self and others)

**melissa** · 07-08-2011, 10:22 PM

Hi BBRN, and welcome to BWB :-)

There is a story of a monk who was dying of cancer, that illustrates rather well what the Buddhadhamma is designed to address. When asked by another monk if he was suffering, he replied, "There is pain."

The word "suffering" is a bit broad, and it is more exact to delineate that there is painful and pleasurable and neutral experience. We tend to react to each in certain ways, and when we do in unskillful ways, we tend to cause misery and suffering for ourselves and others.
agonizing over the injury, "shoots himself with a second arrow". It is that "second arrow" and the tendency to "shoot ourselves" with it that the Buddha's teachings are designed to avoid.

Painful things happen, and will continue to happen, for everyone. The Buddha simply came up with and offered for our consideration a set of tools to deal with what comes in better ways, in ways that help us to not be affected as badly as we would be.

Edit: Oh, and it is simply through mental discipline (through understanding, ethical action, and certain kinds of meditation and contemplation) that one learns to avoid that "second arrow" more and more.

07-08-2011, 10:22 PM	#2
melissa Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 324 Senior Member	Hi BBRN, and welcome to BWB :-) There is a story of a monk who was dying of cancer, that illustrates rather well what the Buddhadhamma is designed to address. When asked by another monk if he was suffering, he replied, "There is pain." The word "suffering" is a bit broad, and it is more exact to delineate that there is painful and pleasurable and neutral experience. We tend to react to each in certain ways, and when we do in unskillful ways, we tend to cause misery and suffering for ourselves and others. agonizing over the injury, "shoots himself with a second arrow". It is that "second arrow" and the tendency to "shoot ourselves" with it that the Buddha's teachings are designed to avoid. Painful things happen, and will continue to happen, for everyone. The Buddha simply came up with and offered for our consideration a set of tools to deal with what comes in better ways, in ways that help us to not be affected as badly as we would be. Edit: Oh, and it is simply through mental discipline (through understanding, ethical action, and certain kinds of meditation and contemplation) that one learns to avoid that "second arrow" more and more.
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