Recently, someone asked me if there was a contradiction between the Buddha’s statement that “life is suffering” and the view that human life is precious. This question brought up an interesting conversation.
Firstly, it’s important to note that the Buddha never actually said “life is suffering.” What he did teach was that there are various kinds of suffering in life. Here’s the first noble truth — the truth of suffering — as recorded in early scriptures, supposedly in the Buddha’s own words:
Birth is suffering; old age is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering; association with the disliked is suffering; separation from the liked is suffering; not getting what you wish for is suffering. In brief, the five grasping aggregates are suffering.
This doesn’t mean that life itself is suffering. Instead, it points out that suffering exists in many aspects of our lives. Life contains suffering, but it isn’t only about suffering. The Buddha also spoke about instances of peace, joy, and happiness in life. He indicated that we can reduce the amount of suffering we deal with and even potentially get rid of it altogether. This idea is covered by the third noble truth:
Now, this is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering. It’s the fading away and cessation of that very same craving, with nothing left over; giving it away, letting it go, releasing it, and not adhering to it.
Human life is precious because we have the choice to remain unaware and continue to suffer or cultivate awareness and free ourselves from suffering. This choice isn’t available to all living things.
The questioner also asked if human life is “precious” because existing is better than the alternative (never being born or no longer existing). This made me think of the more cosmological side of Buddhism, which I usually don’t focus on. It doesn’t lend itself well to scientific verification and isn’t directly related to ending suffering, but it’s worth mentioning.
In traditional Buddhist teachings, the alternative to human existence isn’t non-existence but existence in other less favorable forms. Being reborn as a human is said to be as rare as a one-eyed turtle surfacing in the ocean once every hundred years and putting its head through a yoke floating on the water. Human existence offers the best opportunity for achieving freedom from suffering through spiritual awakening, or “bodhi.”
The early scriptures mention five realms where we can be reborn: animals, hell, ghostly forms (collectively the three lower realms), the human realm, and the realm of the gods. The realm of the gods was sometimes divided further into peaceful gods and competitive, war-like asuras. Human life is seen as the most advantageous for spiritual growth, balancing enough suffering to motivate improvement with enough pleasure to avoid complacency. It’s rare and thus considered a precious opportunity.
Many contemporary practitioners view these “realms” as symbolic of psychological states. For instance, an animal-like existence is one focused on gratifying basic needs without much reflection. Hell represents mental states like depression and anxiety. Ghosts are people trapped in addiction or unfulfillable desires. Gods are hedonists, and asuras are those obsessed with power. We are in a human state when we are self-aware, ethical, emotionally healthy, and open to learning. Throughout our lives, we might cycle through these realms, sometimes even within a single day.
The Buddha’s teachings encourage us to practice mindfulness and self-awareness. By recognizing the scarcity of human life, we value it more. Reflecting on the inevitability of death and the shortness of life can help us appreciate and utilize the precious time we have.
We can sometimes fall into different psychological realms. For example, a numb and unthinking state might be comfortable but ultimately unsatisfying. Depression and longing can be debilitating, but practice helps us find balance. Competition and status can be distracting because they seem fulfilling, but they come with fear of loss and lack of real meaning. Complacency, especially during happy times, can make us forget the importance of self-awareness and preparation for inevitable challenges.
Thus, we have two key tasks: recognize our capacity for mindfulness and use it to find meaning in life. Making these habits strong ensures that even in challenging times, we stay mindful, kind to ourselves and others, and aware of the transient nature of life. This life offers us a precious opportunity, and we should make the most of it.
Life is short. Let’s make the most of this opportunity we’ve been given.