The four sufferings are the four great sufferings: Birth, Old Age, Sickness, and Death. It is a law: Wherever there is birth, there will inevitably be old age, sickness, and death; no living being can escape them. In the past, the Buddha often taught: “O monks! Do not question whether this world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited. Whether this world is finite, limited, or unlimited, what we should observe is the reality of life: suffering because of ‘birth, old age, sickness, and death’.”
Today, the Buddha advises: “Find the root cause of the four sufferings.” Upon examination, the physical body is the root of suffering (the source of suffering), and its seed (the source) is the deluded mind and afflictions (the origin of suffering).
During the time of the Buddha, there were four monks who were studying together. One day they sat down to discuss suffering:
The first monk said:
– I think that in life, fear is the greatest suffering, because when that mind arises, one cannot find peace.
The second monk’s opinion:
– I think that in life, hunger and thirst are the greatest suffering, because when hungry, one must worry about creating food and clothing, and cannot find peace in practicing the Dharma.
The third monk presented:
– In my opinion, anger is the greatest suffering, because when that mind arises, one loses all wisdom, harming both friends and strangers, causing considerable suffering.
The third monk stated:
– In my opinion, anger is the greatest suffering, because when that mind arises, it destroys all wisdom, harming everyone, whether close or distant, causing considerable suffering and sin.
The fourth monk said:
– Personally, nothing is more painful than lust; it is the seed of birth and death, enslaving people throughout their lives, leading to moral decay and the obscuring of wisdom. While the four monks were debating, each believing their own opinion was correct, the Buddha arrived. The four bowed to the Buddha and asked for his explanation.
The Buddha calmly said:
– Your arguments are all correct, but you only understand the superficial aspects of suffering, not its root. The root of suffering is the physical body; it is because of this body that there is greed, anger, hunger, thirst, and fear… If this body did not exist, where would the four sufferings come from? Therefore, all troubles and sufferings are concentrated in the physical body. However, the main cause is the deluded mind; it is because of the deluded mind and afflictions that the physical body is born and then suffers. So, if you want to end suffering, you must immediately eliminate the deluded mind and afflictions.
Having heard the Buddha’s teaching, the four monks were very happy and bowed to the Buddha.
