mddrill wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2017 3:36 am
Wouldn't that be bringing a child into an existence which is suffering?
In case it's not been pointed out already, the Buddha didn't phrase it like that. He didn't say
'life is suffering', he said,
'there is (this noble truth of) suffering'. He then lists all the stressful things beings can experience. Do we want these things? No. What can we do about it? Develop the Noble Eight-fold Path to completion. Then, no more suffering.
It can take a while to grasp the subtlety, but there is a difference between these two statements,
'life is suffering', and
'there is (this noble truth of) suffering'. They are
not the same.
In goodwill
NB: 'suffering' as a term, does not fully express what is meant by the Pali term, 'dukkha', which (as I understand it) encapsulates not just obvious, gut-wrenching instances of pain or distress, but also milder experiences such as irritation, dissatisfaction, or even just disturbance (lack of peace).