Dukkha In the Twenty-First Century

     Suffering is evident in life and has been the main root of contemplation in humanity for as long as history has been recorded or has been found evident. The first noble truth (dukkha) in Buddhism declared that life is suffering. To suffer is the result from craving, desiring, and/or an attempt to gain something. The Four Noble truths that were proposed by Siddhartha Gautama aimed at trying to prevent suffering by realizing the source of suffering (samudaya) and following the doctrine of the Eight-Fold Path in order to achieve control of the mind so that one can rid the life of suffering. As stated many times by Ethan Mills, ‘The Buddhists tend to take the middle path’. So this does not necessarily mean that in order to end suffering a strict aesthetic practice is required, unless one views Buddhism more as a religion and is intent on ending samsara by achieving nirvana. However, if an individual chooses to use Buddhism as philosophy, especially in the 21st century, it can be very useful by taking the ‘middle path’.

     Suffering is in one way relatable in the 21st century to the accumulation of material objects and the desires that capitalism has placed in our culture towards the endless accumulation of these ’things’. In Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, he described (in a rather indirect way) of how capitalism did not promote any kind of moral system, and if at all it promoted bad ethics. In a post-industrial society, ethics (or the lack there of) plays a large role in the problem of suffering. Capitalism teaches that profit is the end all and be all. This engrains the mind with the need to continue to make money, even if one is already the richest person in the world. The consumerist culture problem is also a result of this system, which vastly contributes to the problem of suffering.

     As Siderits explained, the concept of suffering is similar to existential suffering in that it can be broken down into three categories of “suffering due to pain, suffering due to impermanence, and suffering due to conditions”. To tackle the first category of suffering, a more meditative approach would necessarily be required. If one was to be cut, injured, or even have some sort of emotional injury, meditating on the problem of the pain itself can help alleviate the pain consciously. Obviously meditation and mental exercises do not stop cancer from spreading throughout the body or make a previously amputated limb magically appear. However, it does enable one to deal with the problem and realize that acceptance of the situation is the only solace that will result. Of course this requires practice of the Eight-Fold Path in order to achieve nirodha.

     The second category of suffering due to impermanence is more relatable to the system of capitalism as previously described. If one wants to go out to a restaurant and eat, that food will naturally bring joy. However, once that food has been eaten, the desire to continue that same feeling of joy is wanted and so typically that individual will continue eating to try to keep that same feeling of satisfaction. Drugs also do a great deal of contributing to this problem. The problem of death is also arguably the heaviest factor in regards to the impermanence problem. Contemplation of death is hard for just about everyone. The realization that everything comes to an end and that the best way to enjoy something is not to wish for it to last forever. It is to accept what will or has happened and, in some ways, take an epicurean approach and enjoy the simple pleasure of whatever it is that is ending or has ended. This is also a good example of taking the ‘middle path’.
    
     The final category of suffering is condition. This can also be traced to problems in a capitalist society in regards to the problem of not being able to achieve the same things other people who are born in more favorable areas of the world or into richer families can achieve. Following the Eight-Fold Path in this situation can also help alleviate the suffering caused by the desire to gain. That is not to say that no one should have any type of desires, especially in the case of wanting to move somewhere else or have a better life. It is about the way that one deals with the desire. Acceptance and understanding through meditation of the problems help to resolve this. The saying that ‘the world is what you make of it’ is arguably true in the sense that a right mindset can make all the difference.

    In any situation joy can be found. Ridding suffering by relinquishing desires and following the Eight-Fold Path encourages good ethical standards in society and promotes the general good. The problems of industrialization in regards to suffering were a big influence on the Transcendental movement in the middle to late nineteenth century, the hippy movement in the sixties, and the contemporary hippy revival draw inspiration from Buddhist ethical teachings. They are bold practices that contradict most of what modern society teaches. Capitalism and industrialization crowd out all notions of minimalism but even in the 21st century the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths combats these problems.