Created: October 06, 2021
Modified: October 06, 2021
Modified: October 06, 2021
origin of suffering
This page is from my personal notes, and has not been specifically reviewed for public consumption. It might be incomplete, wrong, outdated, or stupid. Caveat lector.Ken McLeod claims that 'emotional reactivity' is the origin of suffering. Pain consists both in what happens and in our reaction to it. But if we do not react negatively to an experience, it can't cause suffering.
Reactions to an experience can include craving more of it (which causes suffering by distracting from the ability to enjoy the experience in the moment), aversion (which amplifies negative experiences), or indifference (which causes suffering by preventing you from taking pleasure in simple things).
All of these reactions fall under taṇhā - craving or grasping. By training to avoid taṇhā we can achieve the cessation of suffering.