The Causes of Suffering

To hear Father Peter reading this blog:

https://fatherpeterbowes.substack.com/p/the-causes-of-suffering

All the great teachers of Ancient Wisdom have taught the reason for suffering. Jesus taught that suffering was caused by separating from the love of God, disconnecting through negative thoughts, actions and emotions that take us away from God. Essentially, Jesus taught that falling away from our real nature, our true being, causes us to suffer. In order to connect again with our real nature, we have to love God first and love all of our brothers and sisters without exception. Jesus further elaborated the way to get back into oneness with God through the simple teachings of the Beatitudes. For example, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

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Buddha taught that desire or attachment causes suffering. When we do not have what we want, we long for it and this causes a burning in our being until it is satisfied. If we withdraw our attention from the object of our desire or craving, then we cease to suffer. Buddha taught this to his disciples 500 years before Jesus came.

An ancient Vedanta teaching describes five causes of suffering. The first is not knowing the true nature of reality. The second cause of suffering is grasping or holding onto what is illusory or insubstantial. The third is from an aversion to something, a fear of something, a revulsion to something that is insubstantial. The fourth is identification with the false self or ego and thus we are constricted and limited in our consciousness. The fifth cause of suffering is the fear of death. As you can see, all these causes of suffering are contained in the first one - not knowing the true nature of reality. This means thinking and seeing things in ways that distort reality. Life on earth is very temporary and is not our real home.

The teaching boils down to this: if you look outside yourself for what will fulfill you or make you happy, you are going to be disappointed. If you desire something outside yourself, you are suffering from a misconception about reality. All goodness and love is inside you at the core of your being where God resides. If you move within and focus completely inside in the center of your being, you will find the love, peace and fulfillment you have been looking for. Anything outside is transitory and shallow compared with what is within. It takes courage to make the journey to the center of your being as you have to let go of the illusion of separateness, aloneness or emptiness. You will stop suffering as you enter into that relationship with God and let go of the idea that you are vacuously empty. When you discover God within, all craving eventually ceases along with any fear, revulsion, prejudice or anger. You are in peace because you lack nothing as you openly enter into the embrace of oneness with God within.

Thanks for reading Father Peter's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

All the great teachers of Ancient Wisdom have taught the reason for suffering. Jesus taught that suffering was caused by separating from the love of God, disconnecting through negative thoughts, actions and emotions that take us away from God. Essentially, Jesus taught that falling away from our real nature, our true being, causes us to suffer. In order to connect again with our real nature, we have to love God first and love all of our brothers and sisters without exception. Jesus further elaborated the way to get back into oneness with God through the simple teachings of the Beatitudes. For example, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

Thanks for reading Father Peter's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Buddha taught that desire or attachment causes suffering. When we do not have what we want, we long for it and this causes a burning in our being until it is satisfied. If we withdraw our attention from the object of our desire or craving, then we cease to suffer. Buddha taught this to his disciples 500 years before Jesus came.

An ancient Vedanta teaching describes five causes of suffering. The first is not knowing the true nature of reality. The second cause of suffering is grasping or holding onto what is illusory or insubstantial. The third is from an aversion to something, a fear of something, a revulsion to something that is insubstantial. The fourth is identification with the false self or ego and thus we are constricted and limited in our consciousness. The fifth cause of suffering is the fear of death. As you can see, all these causes of suffering are contained in the first one - not knowing the true nature of reality. This means thinking and seeing things in ways that distort reality. Life on earth is very temporary and is not our real home.

The teaching boils down to this: if you look outside yourself for what will fulfill you or make you happy, you are going to be disappointed. If you desire something outside yourself, you are suffering from a misconception about reality. All goodness and love is inside you at the core of your being where God resides. If you move within and focus completely inside in the center of your being, you will find the love, peace and fulfillment you have been looking for. Anything outside is transitory and shallow compared with what is within. It takes courage to make the journey to the center of your being as you have to let go of the illusion of separateness, aloneness or emptiness. You will stop suffering as you enter into that relationship with God and let go of the idea that you are vacuously empty. When you discover God within, all craving eventually ceases along with any fear, revulsion, prejudice or anger. You are in peace because you lack nothing as you openly enter into the embrace of oneness with God within.

Thanks for reading Father Peter's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.