Poll Results: Did the Buddha “suffer”?

The long awaited POLL results:

Yes 29%

No 41%

Yes and No 29%

We are all “right”, that is, depending on what one’s definition of “suffering” is! Frankly, I was a little hesitant to use this word, as its meaning in English is a relatively limited one of pain and anguish. Try telling someone in great physical health, in a loving, caring relationship, having a close circle of friends, with a fantastic career/salary, that they are suffering, and they would probably laugh you off the planet. “Unsatisfactoriness”, the chic mot du jour, while coming closer to the true meaning, is a little too cumbersome, and not everyone might have cottoned to it. I also assumed that most of the folks who visit this blog have a background in Buddhism, so would understand the broader meaning of the word.

But let’s take a look at what the Buddha said about suffering, or rather dukkha. In the first discourse, the Dhammacakkapavatthana Sutta, the Buddha says that:

…birth is dukkha, aging …, illness …, death …, association with the unloved …, separation from the loved …, not getting what one wants …; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are dukkha.”

One can easily discern that the first four are physical in nature, and the last four are mental. In other parts of the Tipiíaka, such as in the Mahâsatipaííâna Sutta or as the last step of Dependent Arising (paíiccasamuppâda), the term dukkhadomanassa, often translated as “pain and grief”, is used to specify both the physical and mental aspects of “suffering/unsatisfactoriness”, respectively.

But really, the best teaching on these two aspects of dukkha can be found in the Sallatha Sutta (SN 36.6). Here, the Buddha teaches that for an ordinary person, physical pain is akin to being struck by one arrow and the subsequent mental suffering – “oh, woe is me!” – is like being hit by a second arrow. However:

…when touched with a feeling of pain, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. He feels one pain: physical, but not mental.”

The point is clearly understood, but the wording is kinda funny. This sounds like anyone with a Buddhist education can realise escape from mental suffering, which we all know is not the case. With all due respect to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, rereading the original in the Pâéi, I come up with a slightly different interpretation, that of “well-instructed Noble One noble disciple…”, meaning at least a Stream Enterer, not just the student of an awakened one. To my mind, this makes more sense.

[For those interested in the Pâéi, the verse reads “Sutavâ ca kho, bhikkhave, ariyasâvako dukkhâya vedanâya phuíího samâno...”, where “sutavâ” is the modifier of “ariyasâvako”. I consulted with others more knowledgeable in Pâéi grammar and they separately and individually gave the same translation. Update: Nyanaponika Thera's alternative translation can be found here. ]

Back to the point: given the above explanation (and I completely welcome other interpretations!), the most precise answer for the poll would be “Yes and No”. There are plenty of places in the Suttas to show the Buddha aged – He was awakened at 35 years old, traveled and taught Dhamma for 45 years, and died at 80 years old; suffered from back pain, an injured foot (from Devadatta), and sickness – the latter most notably in the aforementioned Mahâparinibbâna Sutta, He fell ill with food poisoning twice, and the second time, is purported to have died from it. But through all this physical suffering, He managed it with complete and utter mental equanimity and detachment.

This discussion probably belongs to the Simsapa Leaves of the forest, but I would like to thank you for taking the time to take part in the poll, and especially to the few who commented!

Did the Buddha “suffer”?

Thought I would give this poll thing a shot:

Haven’t decided on a closing date for this, so will leave it open – with the results hidden! - until sometime after the New Year. Please don’t be shy to add comments to explain your answers! Would be interesting to see how people understand this!

Thanks for participating!