Identifying the causes of suffering

Hey!

Good Morning, How are you doing? Hope you have a great day ahead.

Continuing with the last post. We were logically looking at the process of achieving happiness.

The steps were
1. Identify the reasons for our distress/misery.
2. Eradicate them fully.
3. Identify the things which make us happy.
4. Achieve them.
5. Experience ever lasting, never ending bliss.


Elaborating step 1.

Identify the reasons for our distress/misery.

In our fast lifes, distress / suffering has become a part and parcel of our daily experience. in some form or other we are hurt. Do we agree?

I do. One day I wont get a bus to office on time, the other day if i get I wont get a seat. The next day even though both situations are favourable, my boss would still arrive earlier than me. All the reasons give stress, and if the intensity is raised it gets converted to distress.

Rightly so. Such is the nature of this world.

Now if Edison the inventor of a light bulb tells of an inherent defect in his creation. We will all agree to it very easily.
If Ford announces that life of its engine is only 10 years we won't question it and assume that it would be more. In essence, the creator or the designer knows about his creation and when he says so, we all accept it faithfully.

Our supreme benefactor, Krishna - the master, the creator of this universe has declared in his address to Arjuna:

That this world is dukhalayam ashashvatam. That means its an abode of misery and temporary.

So in this abode of misery (which the creator himself is saying) can we expect to achieve happiness. now dont confuse this realistic view with that of a pessimistic one. Today we have grown very much cynical and render every realistic bad news as pessimism.
Identifying a problem as a problem is not pessimism, but the first step to solving that problem.

Let us understand what these problems are ? They are also described by him, yes the creator.
The main problems of the life are forur in number. No matter what every living being, how ever may rich/healthy/beautiful that person be. The person is bound to be afflicted by these miseries.

1. Birth
2. Death
3. Old Age
4. Disease

krishna says " janma mrityu jara vyadhi, dukh doshanu darshanam": means an intelligent person is one who sees these four viz: janma (birth), mrityu (death), jara (old age) and vyadhi (disease) as the main problems of life.

Yes I agree, not everyone is fortunate enough to experience an old age. Many people leave their mortal lives much before that.

To be contd........


regards,
Your friend Shalav.