The Three Basic Facts of Existence II: Suffering (Dukkha) - Buddhist ...

dogmas continues and is reflected in the spiritual wasteland that many people are living in,particularly the youth of today.The Buddha undoubtedly went through a period of wondering, as we all do. That he waswell acquainted with every shade of religious and philosophical thought we know from theBrahmajāla Sutta which outlines them all—some sixty-two theories. The dominant religion ofBrahmanism he discarded outright for the reason that it too perishes on the rock of dukkha.The Bhūridatta Jātaka No. 543, attributes these words to the Buddha on the subject ofBrahma:He who has eyes can see the sickening sight;why does not Brahma set his creatures right?If his wide power no limit can restrain,why is his hand so rarely spread to bless?Why are his creatures all condemned to pain?Why does he not give happiness to all?Why do fraud, lies, and ignorance prevail?I count your Brahma one-among the unjust,Who made the world in which to shelter wrong.The Buddha was adamant in his opposition to all kinds of metaphysical speculation, regardingit futile, calling such questions “the jungle, the desert, the puppet show, the writhing, theentanglement of speculation” (Dialogues II). He cared nothing about ritual or worship ormetaphysics. He was not only non-theological but antitheological. Sir Edwin Arnoldsummarises this attitude when he makes the Buddha say:Measure not with wordthe immeasurable;Nor sink the string of thoughtinto the Fathomless.” 46How wise the Buddha was we are better able to appreciate now, some 2511 years later, and canonly mourn for the many men who wasted so much time and energy, even to the extent oflaying down their lives in defence of absurdities. Mankind is very slow in learning and realisingthat a negative is also an affirmative. The Buddha negated that saintliness and contentment layin knowledge of God and the origin of the universe, and affirmed that these desirable states ofmind were simply the result of selfless and beneficent living. The Buddha was a naturallylogical thinker, and although it has been greatly soft-pedalled by many of the commentators, agreat intellectual. In his reflections he came to realise that the inbuilt desire to know was not themajor urge within the human being. The greatest inbuilt urge in man is the drive for the pursuitof happiness. His desire to know is only a part of this greatest urge. Therefore he concentratedon the greatest, thereby putting first things first. As he himself has said time and time again,“One thing and only one thing do I teach, dukkha and the end of dukkha.” He had realised thatall the metaphysical speculations were of no help whatsoever in the search for happiness andthe avoidance of pain. In many of the articles written by Buddhist writers we are warned aboutthinking in concepts. However, they never come quite clean, they do not give any practicalexamples of what these concepts to be avoided are. In actual fact, these concepts are thateverything must have a beginning. The concept in this case is the concept of First Cause or Godthe Creator, and the concepts that arise in dependence on this one.The Buddha was nonetheless a realist. He accepted the fact that every human being isprimarily concerned with what he considers to be conducive to his own interest and well-being.46Sir Edwin Arnold Light of Asia.27