The suffering of the Japanese people during the Earthquake, Tsunami and following disasters have got me thinking about the two types of suffering we encounter in life; those that occur naturally, or without intervention, and those that we create ourselves.
The Buddha spoke at length about suffering. It is the most central tenet to the practice.
Most people don't really understand what he meant by suffering. In fact the word is a bad translation. It might be better translated as dissatisfaction, unpleasantness, or even imperfection, it depends on circumstance.
The Buddhas most famous description of suffering is the parable of the two arrows.
In brief, he uses the idea of physical pain to convey suffering. If we are shot with a single arrow we feel pain, but beyond the physical, we add mental/emotional pain to it: It's as if we shoot ourselves with a second arrow.
The most important point is that we cannot always prevent the first arrow from being shot. But we are in control of the second arrow. We can learn not to shoot it.
I have observed that most times what works at the level of the individual also works at the level of the collective.
Take the events in Japan at the moment. With the thousands dead and many more who have lost all their material possessions, their suffering is great.
We try to prevent disaster happening. We try to control the dangerous elements of our life. Unfortunately, this was an uncontrollable one. The first arrow has been shot. The best we can do is to bring comfort to those who are suffering, emotionally and materially. Then it is their job to heal. They have to learn to stop shooting themselves with the second arrow. Nobody can do that for them.
In moments like these, we have the opportunity to realize that horrible things sometimes do happen in this world. There is enough suffering that occurs naturally. There are enough first arrows being shot. We don't need to add to it.
But how are we shooting second arrows? Is it the person we shouted at because we were in a bad mood with something else? Or the "white lie" we told in order to get something we want? Or maybe our indifference to the suffering of others?
How are we shooting second arrows? That is the question we should humbly and honestly ask ourselves. None of us are perfect. But by understanding how we create suffering for others, we can learn how to reduce it. Human beings have a remarkable ability to repair and recover, but we don't need to make it harder for them to do their job.
