Suffering Leads to Happiness
God is the only being that existed, exist and will exist. Creation is a continuous process and everything in the world is in the process of becoming. Life is a mystery. What we are is God's gift to us and what we become is our gift to God. Every living being unveils something new till their death. Human beings are co- creators and co- explorers of the world. Every living being have their beginning and their end. Human beings have a beginning through birth and end through death. As long as human beings are caught in the cycle of birth and death, they have no escape from suffering. Suffering is part and parcel of life so no one can escape from suffering in the journey here on earth. But what is suffering? The word Suffering is derived from a Greek word ‘pathos’, which means to suffer, disease, feeling, or passion. There are mainly two types of suffering that is physical and mental suffering. Suffering is caused by Natural forces like floods, epidemics, droughts, and earthquakes; Physical or Mental forces like pain, disease, separation, anxiety; Social forces like institutionalized injustice, inequality, misunderstanding; and Metaphysical forces like unbridled desires and alienation from God. The causes of Sufferings are transmitted through personal contact, air, water, or food. Religion, Education, Yoga, Exercise, Medical check-up and other are some of the means which help people to reduce their suffering.
Why is there so much suffering in this world? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do innocent people suffer? How to escape suffering? The question 'Why' of Suffering is very wide. People considered suffering as a cursed from God or people or an evil thing. They feel that suffering is like a ghost that keeps haunting them. Fear has made people to sacrifice anything in order to minimise their suffering. Karl Marx would say that religion helps the suffering people to forget their suffering for a while and be at peace with oneself. Allan Young said, “Suffering is associated with somatic pain and the moments of consciousness that accompany or anticipate this pain”.1 Different religions give different answer to this 'Why' of suffering that is asked by thousands of people every day.
In Christianity suffering is originate due to disobedience of Adam and Eve. The disobedience is Sin and so Sin causes suffering. “Cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life”.2 Dr. Jacob Mathew said, “Jesus disagreed with the notion of the relationship of sin and suffering”.3 We suffer because of our own foolishness. We suffer because God wants to discipline us, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives”.4 Suffering is not without meaning it has as its chief purpose the formation of Christ like character. In Christianity birth, suffering and death leads us to the glory of resurrection.
In Hinduism “suffering is real but not permanent and it is caused by Karma”.5 It is caused by faulty thinking, perspectives, beliefs and attitude. Karma has both bad and good effects. Good Karma has good effects and bad Karma have bad effects. Bad Karma leads to suffering and people will continue to suffer until they attain liberation.
Suffering in Islam is based on the fundamental notion of the imperfection of human life. “Verily, we have created man into a life of pain, toil and trial, Verily unto God we belong and verily unto him we shall return”.(Quran 90:4). Suffering has a purpose in Islam; it tests our faith and corrects our unbelief.
Buddhism diagnosis that human condition begins with the observation that life is suffering (Dukkha); and existence is pain. Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, diseases is suffering, death is suffering, union with the unpleasant is suffering, the separation from the pleasant is suffering and any craving that is unsatisfied is suffering. “The sacred truth of the origin of suffering is the craving which brings about fresh rebirth, is involved pleasurable and lust and which finds delight, ever afresh, now here and now there; namely the craving for continued existence and craving for non existence”.6 The ultimate end of suffering is when we reach nirvana.
In Jainism Suffering is result of past life greed, hatred and ignorance which returns as Karma. Suffering is also seen as illusory. The evil and violence inherent to this existence prove to Jains the absence of a creator God.
Sikkism pointed out five roots tat are the causes of suffering, they are kam (lust), Krodh (anger), lobh (greed), moh (attachments) and ahankar (pride, ego). When a person is able to eliminate the above causes their experience of suffering is eliminated. The Adi Granth writes “Remain in God’s Sanctuary forever and no suffering shall affect you”.
Why are people scared of suffering? Most people grumble of suffering because they took suffering in a negative way and have not realised its importance. Reactions to suffering can be positive and negative. Negative reactions to suffering will haunt a person with fear, loneliness, stress, anger, dissatisfaction, and their suffering will increase. Negative reaction will further lead a person to psychological, physical, moral, and social suffering. The psalmist said, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning".7 Positive reaction to suffering gives meaning to suffering. People will not feel their pain much and they will get well faster if they take suffering in a positive way. Suffering is a way to happiness in life. Suffering will reduce its sting once people realize the purpose of suffering. Some of the sufferings that can lead to happiness are:
Well being in family life:
Husband and wife have to sacrifices their ego, they have to work hard, bear the heat and cold and go through a lot of pain and struggles to keep the family united and there is safety and security.
To achieve goal in life:
A student has to put forth hard work, difficulties, struggles, pains and has to sacrifice something and endure suffering in order to focus on his goal and achieve their goal in live.
Suffering as a testimony, as a witness:
Suffering could be for testimony or witness of faith. People of Kandhamal though they suffer, yet they were full of joy because they feel that God is with them and they suffer for their faith. “As we stayed in the hill top, we could see our houses being looted and torched. We knew we could not return to the village. All this suffering is for our faith”, recounted Sanjuna a Kandhamal widow.
Betterment of the Society
Religious leaders, Social activist, NGOs, and many other people suffer persecution and ill treatment because they strife for the betterment of the society.
Closeness with God:
People fast, do penance, go to worship and pray so that they come closer of God. Suffering helps to keep down pride and to trust and depend on God. Suffering is a training tool to discipline us. “As discipline for sin to bring us back to fellowship through genuine confession (Ps. 32:3-5; 119:67)”. We suffer to manifest the life and character of Christ.
Billy Graham said, "Suffering is often the crucible in which our faith is tested. Those who successfully come through the "furnace of affliction" are the ones who emerge "like gold tried in the fire". Suffering is an instrument for better life. Suffering and death leads to the glory of resurrection, to inner peace, to union with God, dependency on God, lead to the process of fullness when we rebirth and leads to success in life. Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purpose in our lives. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Suffering is an eye opener for a person to be God-cantered, other-cantered rather than being self-cantered. Suffering is done in order that we might develop our capacity and sympathy in comforting others. Suffering is therefore not to be feared or avoid but it should be accepted gracefully with perseverance. Dr. Edward Judson once said, "Suffering and success go together. If you are succeeding without suffering, it is because others before you have suffered; if you are suffering without succeeding, it is that others after you may succeed."
Footnotes
1 Allan Young; “Suffering and the origins of traumatic memory”.
2 Genesis 3:17.
3 Jacob Mathew; “Suffering - A Christian Perspective”.
4 Hebrew 12:6.
5 Swami Swarupananda; Srimad Bhagavad Gita.
6 Acharya, Buddharakkhita; Satipatthana System of Meditation.
7 Psalm 30:5.
Bibliography
Buddharakkhita, Acharya: Satipatthana System of Meditation, Approaches to developing Mindfulness, Bangalore Vipassana Centre, Bangalore, 1980.
Mathew Jacob: “Suffering - A Christian Perspective,” n.d.,
Swarupananda Swami: Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Ashram, Kolkata,2007.
Young, Allan: “Suffering and the origins of traumatic memory”, Daedalus, January 1, 1996.
The Holy Bible, The New Revised Version Catholic Edition, Nelson Thomas for Theological Publication in India, Bangalore.
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