Human Suffering

The reality is that very few people cause great suffering for the whole. In many instances, the army that follow the few do so unintentionally. A politician may be the perfect example. Many individuals run for office with good intentions, and others because it provides them status, salary and a pension. Many politicians follow their party leader regardless of the consequences. While some decisions may cause great suffering for the whole, and more-so for the follower, obedience is paramount. The fear of stepping out of place, or not following orders, would have severe consequences. The "Oath" carries with it great guilt and suffering - the agenda is far greater than the consequences that may befall the whole. Ultimately, human suffering would be diminished by ridding ourselves of the maniacal few.

Regardless of our spiritual path, human suffering is very real. Suffering comes in many forms and we all likely experience some degree of suffering in our daily lives. Why do humans suffer?

Why does evil cause suffering? Tough questions.

When Nothingness exited itself, it allowed the newly formed existence to manifest calm and chaos, good and evil, ecstasy and suffering. When a soul experiences suffering, or anything else, Nothingness does as well. Existence manifests suffering for Nothingness to experience creation, for suffering resides within Nothingness. So too does suffering allow existence to seek Nothingness within. The dynamism of free will allows Nothingness to experience existence, not conceptualize it.

Creation continues to ask, how did Nothingness come to be. Nothing never was, it has always been. Nothingness is easy to conceptualize in the absence of everything, especially when you consider that Nothingness created everything. Nothingness is the Instantiation of thought thinking of itself. Suffering is the instantiation and consequence of evil.

Many may not realize the importance of Saints and Angels. While Angels are divine spiritual messengers who may intervene when called upon, Saints are quite different. In many instances saints had forsaken their own safety, health and prosperity when incarnate. Saints did their "all" to calm human suffering, and some continue to do so in the ethereal realms. Death allows a soul to pass into an alternate reality. Some who have died, do not know they have died. These lost souls linger in their former reality as ghosts, but Saints are unique. They carry on their Earthly mission even after they have knowingly passed on, but not as ghosts. They enter a stationary stasis and continue to ease human suffering when called upon. When you pray to a Saint you are praying to a warrior who will help ease your suffering. Saints are the next best thing to Jesus and Mother Mary - they are pure love. The best of Nothingness. There are many great saints - Pio, Francis, Charbel are just a few. Prayer to win a lottery is greed, prayer to end war and hunger solicits the attention of a saint. Prayer to assist oneself in life, to overcome evil's persistence, works just as well.

Human suffering can be eased simply by prayer and good intentions. Give it a whirl. The enlightened Canadians are asking, how did Mark Carney become one of the few.

Thank you,

Joseph Pede

Human Suffering - Buddhism and Jesus 

The Parallel Ethics - Chatgpt

Both traditions emphasize remarkably similar moral paths:

• The Golden Rule: Jesus taught, "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31). Centuries earlier, the Buddha stated, "Consider others as yourself" (Dhammapada 10.1).
• Radical Non-Violence: Jesus famously preached to "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39). The Buddha instructed that even if someone strikes you with a stick or knife, you must "abandon desires to hurt him and utter no evil words" (Majjhima Nikaya 21.6).
• Material Non-Attachment: Jesus warned against storing up treasures on earth. Similarly, the Buddha taught that clinging to worldly wealth and personal possessions interferes with a righteous life and causes human suffering.
• Compassion for the Vulnerable: Jesus equated serving the marginalized with serving him ("as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me"). The Buddha held a parallel view on community care, stating, "Whoever would tend me, he should tend the sick".

Fundamental Divergences

While their ethical fruits look alike, the core roots of their respective worldviews are profoundly different:

• The Core Problem: Buddhism identifies the fundamental human dilemma as ignorance and suffering (dukkha) caused by attachment. Christianity views the primary dilemma as sin, which causes a spiritual separation between humanity and a Creator God.
• The Concept of God: Buddhism is non-theistic, focusing on self-awakening rather than a supreme creator deity. Jesus’s entire ministry was built on a personal, loving relationship with God, whom he called his Father.
• The Path to Salvation: The Buddha taught that liberation (Nirvana) is achieved solely through personal effort, wisdom, and the Eightfold Path. Jesus taught that salvation is a gift received through faith and divine grace. 

The crucifixion is the central event of Christianity, and Jesus suffered immensely on the cross.

While both Jesus and the Buddha focused heavily on the concept of suffering, how they approached, utilized, and overcame that suffering reveals the deepest division between the two faiths.

The Purpose of Suffering

For Jesus, suffering had a active, redemptive purpose. For the Buddha, suffering was a state to be understood, ceased, and transcended.

• Jesus Used Suffering to Save: Jesus did not view his physical and emotional agony as a trap to escape. Instead, Christians believe his suffering on the cross was a deliberate, sacrificial act. By enduring the cross, he took on the sins of humanity to bridge the gap between humans and God.
• The Buddha Analyzed Suffering to Escape: The Buddha’s teachings (The Four Noble Truths) start with the premise that life involves suffering (dukkha). However, the Buddha taught that suffering is caused by craving and attachment. The goal of Buddhism is to extinguish these cravings to completely escape the cycle of suffering.

The Ultimate Goal

The final destination for a follower of Jesus and a follower of the Buddha looks very different because of how they view the end of suffering:

• Christianity (Resurrection): Jesus conquered suffering not by erasing it, but by passing through death into a physical resurrection. The ultimate Christian hope is eternal, conscious fellowship with God in a renewed creation, where "He will wipe away every tear" (Revelation 21:4).
• Buddhism (Nirvana): The Buddha achieved enlightenment and entered Nirvana, which literally means "blowing out" or "extinguishing" the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion. It is a state of perfect peace and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, rather than an eternity spent with a personal Creator.

God's Relationship to Pain

The cross also highlights a completely different view of the divine:

• The Christian God Suffers: Through Jesus, the Christian God chooses to enter human history and experience physical torture, betrayal, and heartbreak firsthand. It shows a God who intimately understands human pain.
• The Buddhist Universe is Lawful: In Buddhism, there is no creator God choosing to suffer for humanity. Instead, the universe operates on Karma—the natural law of cause and effect. Suffering is a natural consequence of ignorance, and only the individual can free themselves from it.