What is suffering and can we stop it? (South Austin)
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The Buddha teaches that desire is a root of suffering, yet many other religions and philosophies also wrestle with the problem of pain. Is life, at its core, a matter of learning how to endure and respond to suffering? By suffering, I mean prolonged periods of physical and emotional pain. Do other religions offer compelling answers? What role do meditation practices, in general, play in easing suffering? Can the suffering of others truly be relieved, and if so, how? Does therapy meaningfully help people bear or overcome suffering?
Is suffering inseparable from consciousness itself? Is it fair to say that everyone suffers? Why or why not?
And if suffering is universal, is it worth it? What has suffering taken from us, and what, if anything, has it given in return?
Are there any real benefits to suffering, or is that simply a way of making pain more bearable?
Does suffering prove the absence of a deity? If not, why would a deity permit suffering to exist at all? And if you had the power to eliminate all suffering, would you do so?
Why or why not? What would be gained, and what might be lost? Come and let us examine this question that reaches into every life and troubles people from every walk of life.