To watch the sun rise in the east, cross the southern sky and set in the west, one could be forgiven for assuming that the star orbits our planet. However, curious and courageous inquiry by Copernicus and Galileo 500 years ago proved that reality can differ greatly from what merely appears to be.

Similarly, one might rashly assume the that daily parade of joys and sorrows we feel throughout life are somehow caused by events occurring outside of ourselves in the world that either please or upset us. However, looking beyond our superficial experience of these feelings can reveal something unexpected.

Among the innumerable beautiful insights that the Buddha shared with the world during his lifetime, one of the most challenging for many to grasp is the concept of fundamental dissatisfaction. The Buddha taught that the irreducible core of human nature is suffering. In our ignorance, we mistakenly attribute this sense to being “about” things that take place during our lives, yet never recognize how this feeling persists even after the specific events have passed.

The Buddha left the world with an “Eight-Fold Path” toward overcoming this suffering nature within this lifetime. Today, those interested in learning more have access to tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of resources building on these simple insights.

To everyone else I ask, who among us could not benefit from practicing a little more humility, a little more patience, a little more generosity, a little more tolerance, and a little more kindness with ourselves and with each other?

If we could be so wrong for so long about the Earth orbiting the Sun, what else might we be mistaken about? We won’t find out until we ask.

Jonathan Strieff

South China

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