Life is Full of Suffering: Where Does the Suffering Come From?

Xuefeng

June 30, 2007

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people commit suicide. Why? Because life is full of suffering!

When suffering becomes unbearable, people see no other way out, so they resort to suicide to escape the sea of suffering.

This tragedy has been unfolding for thousands of years. Is there truly no better way to escape suffering?

Even wealthy people commit suicide, indicating that suffering is not closely related to money.

Ph.D. holders also commit suicide, suggesting that suffering isn’t tied to the amount of knowledge or academic degrees.

Government officials commit suicide too, showing that suffering is not linked to official positions or social status.

Celebrities also commit suicide, so suffering doesn’t seem to be connected to fame or reputation.

Even the beautiful and handsome commit suicide, indicating that suffering isn’t related to one’s appearance.

People with affluent lifestyles commit suicide, so suffering doesn’t seem to be tied to wealth or poverty.

If suffering is not closely related to money, status, fame, knowledge, appearance, or wealth, then where does it come from?

If a planet in the Milky Way explodes, we don’t feel the suffering.

If hyperinflation abroad causes widespread hardship, we don’t feel the suffering.

Every day, many people die—whether in car accidents, from diseases, or on the battlefield—yet we don’t feel intense suffering, at least not to the point that it would lead to suicide.

Even when we are insulted or humiliated online, we don’t feel overwhelming suffering.

The farther away something is, the less pain we feel. The closer it is, the more pain we feel.

However, when a loved one passes away, though we feel deep sorrow, it typically doesn’t lead to suicide.

If our house leaks, our car gets damaged, our business fails, the government collapses, or there’s a flood or pollution, it can cause us pain, but not to the point of driving us to suicide.

Buddhism teaches that there are eight sufferings in life: the suffering of birth, the suffering of aging, the suffering of illness, the suffering of death, the suffering of separation from loved ones, the suffering of meeting those we hate, the suffering of unfulfilled desires, and the suffering of the five aggregates. Yes, these sufferings exist, but which of them is the primary cause leading people to suicide?

Let me tell you, the greatest suffering in life comes from the mutual mental torture and emotional abuse between family members, with the suffering caused by spouses being the most severe. The pain inflicted by close friends and family members is the most significant.

The root cause of suicide lies within the family, with friends contributing as additional factors.

Jesus Christ said, “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

The Buddha said, “I must leave home and leave my family.”

So, the root of human suffering for thousands of years lies in our inability to break away from the family and our need for familial ties.

If there were no families and no relatives, humanity’s most fundamental suffering would be alleviated.

Christianity cannot solve this problem because it encourages people to have families and maintain familial relationships.

Buddhism, while addressing the issue of family and relatives, fails to resolve human physiological needs and the continuation of humanity, so Buddhism is also unsuccessful.

Other various religions and ideologies only scratch the surface when it comes to alleviating the suffering of life, failing to address the core issue.

The secular worldview and values are themselves the root cause of suffering. Relying on secular views and values will never solve the suffering of individuals or humanity.

So, where is the way to escape suffering?

Answer: The only way to escape suffering lies in the teachings of Lifechanyuan.

Question: When will humanity finally be free from suffering?

Answer: Only when humanity enters the era of Lifechanyuan will it finally be free from suffering.