When the earth just shakes a little, thousands suffer and die. The first sound is a cry. The last breath makes many cry. Along the way, many tears and fears. Human life in this world is like suddenly waking up, all life is born; suddenly slipping off, all silent creep in. With: one change, one is born; with another change, one dies. Living creatures moan, and mankind weeps. The sufferings of mankind are so innumerable as to be unimaginable, changing from place to place and from time to time. They cannot be all listed, but let us just roughly mention the major ones that are readily apparent:

a]Seven sufferings from living: 1]rebirth 2]premature death 3]physical debilities 4]being a barbarian 5]living in frontier areas (on the fringe of civilization) 6]being a slave and 7]being a woman (woman has more sufferings than man and lesser in spiritual cultivation than man by 500 years according to Heaven).

b]Eight sufferings from natural calamities: 1]famines resulting from floods or droughts 2]plagues of locusts 3]fire 4]flood 5]volcanic eruptions (including earthquakes and landslides) 6]collapse of buildings 7]shipwrecks (including collisions of cars) and 8]epidermics.

c]Five sufferings from conditions of life: 1]being a widow or widower 2]being an orphan or childless 3]being ill without medical care 4]being poor and 5]being humble in social station.

d]Eight sufferings from human feelings: 1]stupidity 2]hatred 3]sexual love 4]burden imposed by others 5]toil 6]desires 7]oppression and 8]distinction.

e]Four sufferings from being objects of honor and esteem: 1]a rich man 2]a man of high station 3]a man of longevity and 4]a king or emperor.

In the unseen plane, the degree and form of punishment one receives in Hell and the subsequent channelling into one of the six forms of reincarnation is determined by one's own deeds in the last life. These sufferings are not visible to the eyes. The average age of human life no matter rich or poor is only about eighty years. The miserable lives of the other four forms are also short, with butterfly at the bottom of the list whose age is about a day or two. The cycle of change in the wheel of six paths of reincarnation shall go on indefinitely, with the spirits being transfer from one realm to another depending on the order of merits done, unless the cycle is ceased or one knows how to transcend this cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Therefore, life and death is not a pleasant thing and the world is not a good place to live in. King Xuan said, "I do not wish to be born but suddenly I was born; I do not wish to die but suddenly I was died." The world is like a "live hades" and in the "real hades," it is a "dead world." So, life is like a "come again" to live in a world of suffering.

All living beings in the world only aim at seeking happiness and avoiding suffering. They follow no other course if they are not spiritual. Some take a roundabout, some zig-zag, some expedient way and some going through painful experiences without getting tired. Although men differ in their nature, we can safely say that the way of mankind is never to seek sufferings and avoid happiness. Gautama Buddha (Prince Siddharta) was deeply disturbed and filled with compassion when he saw the first four suffering sights outside the palace; birth, old age, sickness and death. He decided then to go out into the world to look for the Truth to end the suffering and this is what he said;

"Having been born in an age of disorder, and seeing with my own eyes the path of suffering in the world, I wish to find a way to save it. I have thought deeply and believe the only way is to practise the way of Great Unity and Great Peace. Looking over all means in the world, I believe that aside from the Way of Great Unity there is no other method to save living men from their sufferings or to seek their great happiness. The way of Great Unity is perfect equality, perfect impartiality and perfect humanity."

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew while practising Buddhism in 1993, had read more than 50 Buddhist books written by many wise monks and renouncers. The very basic is life is suffering and the first precept of the teachings of Buddhism. With this understanding and able to accept and live with it, itself makes life better. Website: http://www.white-sun.com