WOMAN

From a biological point of view, let me make some corrections in the four “truths”:

1.      Life is a highly unstable (physical) state. It always tends to fall apart unless you intervene. This tendency will never end as long as we live. A threat -- and there are many -- is anything that poses a danger to the life of an organism. A threat always produces a corresponding source of stress. Having nothing to eat produces hunger. Hunger is a form of stress. Having a full bladder produces the urge to urinate. The urge is a type of stress. Having your body dehydrated produces thirst. Thirst is a source of stress. So is a bleeding wound. So is not getting laid for a long period, etc. Stress that is not alleviated produces suffering. Stress and suffering go hand in hand. But as soon as an organism removes the stress, the removal instantaneously produces pleasure. When you are hungry, you get something to eat. Eating, especially when you’re hungry, is very pleasurable. So is having something to drink when you’re thirsty. So is having sex after not having any for a while.

This is the way Mother Nature motivates every living creature to cling to life: If a creature does not remove a source of stress, it will be punished by having to suffer. Going hungry for hours is always a huge hardship for me. So is the prolonged absence of sex. So is the inability to use a washroom when you have a strong urge. Remember the last time you were stuck in a long-distance coach that did not have a toilet? It was a nightmare, wasn’t it? And as soon as the stress is removed, the sky opens up and you are rewarded with pleasure. And the amount of pleasure is often directly proportional to the stress/suffering. So, are you going to deal with the stress or be lazy? This is, I think, a much better explanation of the pleasure principle. Though you get pleasure from removing a source of stress, the primary goal is to avoid pain. Had it been called the Pain-Avoidance Principle, we would not need garbage disposal for getting rid of the id, ego, etc., would we?

2.      Judging from the above, suffering, contrary to the Buddha, is not caused by craving or attachments to worldly pleasures of any kind. Suffering is a built-in safety valve or, in other words, a strong warning signal to prevent life from falling apart by first drawing the organism’s attention to it, so as to allow for the chance to alleviate it. Suffering is not from clinging to a certain sense of existence as stated by the Buddha. Rather, suffering allows an organism to cling to life.

3.      Suffering ends when life ends. No life, no suffering. That is the reason many people choose to kill themselves when their suffering becomes unbearable. When you are dead, there is no point in warning you about a danger, is there? What follows after death? Your guess will be as good as the Buddha’s. It is beyond the scope of science.

Now, I hope you understand the real meaning of suffering. Suffering and pain are interchangeable. To say that someone is suffering is the same as saying that he/she is in pain. No one enjoys suffering. But it is a necessary evil. Suffering draws our attention to whatever is causing it and compels us to alleviate it, or death will follow. Though hurtful, it is a must-have. People who are born with congenital analgesia cannot sense pain -- and you don’t have to envy them. Failing to sense pain means having no idea what is hurting you. These individuals are at constant risk. Children with this condition suffer repeated damage to their bodies. They rarely grow up to have children of their own, which may not be a bad thing. Suffering is the price every living creature pays to survive.

Though suffering cannot be totally avoided, it can be minimized. How? By preventing or avoiding putting your body at risk. The easiest way to do this is by staying healthy and doing everything you can to be healthy. We all know what these things are. A healthy body means that every tissue and organ is doing its job well, like a well maintained car purring along; there is therefore no need to send out any stress signal. No stress signal means no pain and no suffering. Suffering does not have to be a big part of life. When you are healthy, you have no suffering.

To ensure that an organism -- such as a bacteria, a fungus, a plant, or an animal -- will do everything in its power to cling to life, Mother Nature offers each of them this deal: When there is a source of stress, either fix it or remove it and you will be rewarded with pleasure; if not, you will be punished. You will have endless pain; you will suffer as long as you live. Because stress that is not removed will eventually end an organism’s life; every creature will at some point die suffering. The suffering may last seconds if you are swallowed by a predator, and many months or years if you contract some disease. Thus, life always ends in suffering. Not a pleasant thought, but true.