Expert: Justin Choo - 11/15/2007

Question
I'm doing a school paper on Buddhism and i was just wondering about these questions from a Buddhists point of view. What do Buddhists believe causes suffering? What do they believe about who suffers

Answer
Hi Dylan,

Thank you for asking me.

Two perspectives on "suffering".  One is "personal suffering".  The other is the whole global scenario of "suffering".
One suffers not only physically, but also mentally.  The underlying cause is our unquenchable desire for sense gratifications.  We crave for things that we like.  We crave to avoid that which we abhor.  The more we crave, the more we want.  If unchecked, we become crazy!
Mental suffering comes from greed and hatred.  They are mental poisons slowly killing their victims.  One who does not know how to be contented and how to forgive and let go, suffers this excrutiating mental poisoning.

Everyone of us experiences suffering during our life-time.  The only difference is in its intensity.  Buddhists subscribe to the workings of the Law of Kamma (Law of cause and effect, or Law of retribution).  This universal law is amoral.  Simply put, good actions bring good results; evil actions create suffering, here and now, or in future lives.  

This world is like a global jail.  It is more graphic when we look from outer space at this world.  The amount of sufferings (both humans and other living beings) is so pervasive and widespread.  Unfortunate most are blind not to SEE this true nature of existence.

Smile from justinchoo :-)