Choose option in suffering?

score:-1

Accepted answer

The one and only option which closer to the one and only answer is

4.Accept what it is.

But Accept what? what's the meaning of what it is are the things that we should understand first.

First of all to Accept we need to understand how the world behave. Answer to that is paticcasamuppadaya. This is a very highlevel answer so you need to find out what's the meaning of paticcasamuppadaya. Once you realize that -> you would know that everything in the world behave as a result of a cause. Cause -> Result. So when you understand (realize) this the nature of the world, you have to accept the flows (way of things happening) of the world.

Next let's see why we have to accept it as it is. Why we can't change it. Why we can't apply new causes and change it to the way we want it to be.

As you know

  1. Causes -> Results.

  2. Causes + new Causes -> Some other results ; (We add new results)

If I take an example : breakup suffering -> let's assume

  1. Girl want to stop the affair -> Breakup

  2. Girl want to stop + Boy pleads not to do (or buy some expensive gifts ) -> No Breakup

Now in the second step the new causes (pleading or buying new gifts) are caused by the greed (love) of the boy to that girl. So that greediness will cause the boy another results which is not good. In buddhism Raga, Dvesha, Moha (greed, hate, delusion) are the causes for bad results. So when trying to change the flows of the things happening in the world, always done based on greed, hate or delusion, which will results in a new bad things. Because everything is Causes -> Results. (This is what explains in the paticcasamuppada)

Understanding this nature of the world explains in dhamma yampiccan na labhathi thampi dukkhan -> Not getting what one desires. This is also meant by the Anicca. A very closer word to this meaning in english is insatiable

Note: Most of the people thing Anicca means impermanence which is not true. Actually impermanence is a subset of anicca. I'm not going to change what people think about this, because nothing is icca -> (getting what one desire : opposite of anicca) Everything is anicca in this world. This impermanence misinterpretation is a result of sanskrit translation (which buddha advised not to translate to sanskrit )

Below are the proof for my points from the pali cannon. And also please note there are some conflicts / mistakes in english translations. I've highlighted that in the latter part.

Below is the core of buddhism which extracted from Saccabihanga sutta

What is meant by not getting what one desires, that too is suffering? To beings subject to birth there comes desire: 'O might we not be subject to birth, and birth not come to us.' But this cannot be attained by mere desiring. So not getting what one desires, that too, is suffering. To beings subject to aging there comes the desire: 'O might we not be subject to aging, and aging not come to us...' (as before). To beings subject to disease there comes the desire: 'O might we not be subject to disease and disease not come to us...' To beings subject to death there comes the desire: 'O might we not be subject to death and death not come to us...' To beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, misery, and despair there comes the desire: 'O might we not be subject to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, misery, and despair, and sorrow, lamentation, suffering, misery, and despair not come to us.' But this cannot be attained by merely desiring. So not getting what one desires that too is suffering.

But in above translation it is written with the word too (that too is suffering). But in pali cannon there's nothing like that. It just say, not getting what one desires (yampiccan na labhathi thampi dukkhan).

Therefore accept things as it is, trying to change things won't give you positive results. And also this doesn't mean that when don't save someone when he is about to hit by a bus even though when you have a chance to save him. As I mentioned earlier if the thoughts are based on greed, hate or delusion then there's a problem. If your thoughts are against those then go for it (this will also become useless as it keep you in sansara It's a different topic to talk about). With the understanding of insatiable state of the world, trying to changing things will be decreased.

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According to SN 56.11 e.g. as summarised on page 46 of this analysis:

  1. Suffering should be known
  2. Craving should be abandoned
  3. Nirvana should be realized
  4. The path should be cultivated

I think that means something like,

  1. Experience suffering (or sufferings plural)
  2. Understand that suffering co-arises with (and ceases with) with craving and attachment
  3. Abandon (don't attach to) cravings

Perhaps "accept what is suffering" isn't a good description of what to do. More specifically something like, "accept without craving so that suffering doesn't arise".

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