"SOLACE TO SUFFERING - HOW TO ALLEVIATE SUFFERING   -   A BUDDHISTIC APPROACH"
 
 
As a member of the Elijah Interfaith Organisation, and as a Buddhist Nun and a caring human being, I cannot but be deeply moved by the great tragedy faced by the people of Japan and my thoughts of Loving Kindness and Compassion are directed towards them and I pray that they will gain rapid relief through the blessings of the Noble Triple Gem.
When thinking of this terrible natural disaster and how human beings are affected by it, my thoughts turn to the Buddha Dhamma. The greatest revelation that the Buddha made to the suffering mankind is the concept of non-self, which is the very nature of life. "Self" is actually a combination of Body and Mind.
The body can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched and in fact can be recognised through our sensory organs. On the other hand "Mind" cannot be recognised through the five sense doors and it can be only recognised and seen only by the Mind itself. We know that we do have a mind, and our minds are only known by us. We cannot know the other's minds, unless we are blessed with supra normal powers.
In most other religions there is another phenomenon called the "Soul" or "Atma" or "Self" which talks of the existence of a permanent and unchanging entity which is particular to each individual, in addition to the Body and Mind. But Buddha's doctrine of Anatta, or non-self denies the existence of such an entity. The simple reason for this is that it is not possible for a non-changing entity to be dependent totally on two ever changing entities that are our Bodies and Minds which are subject to change moment to moment.
So according to the Buddha Dhamma, in the absence of a permanent "Soul", we are left with a constantly changing Body and Mind that masquerades as a "Self". We can see that our minds change from moment to moment and the bodies too undergo changes form birth to death. So we have to ask the questions, "Which Mind is me?" "Which Body is me?" Hence the non-self nature that is expounded by Buddha Dhamma.
It is the body that is giving us pain and suffering. It is the mind that is giving us pain and suffering. If we equate the "Soul" to "Me", how can we reconcile to the fact that the "Soul" is giving "Me" endless pain and suffering? On the other hand it is also true that our body and mind will give us pleasure and happiness too. This is the universal truth told by the Buddha.
When we talk of human beings we have to know that this is a mere convention. In language conventions we use "Me", "I" and "Mine", etc to distinguish one from another. However according to Buddha Dhamma, this is not a universal truth but a conventional truth since there is no ownership of any description.
When human beings become selfish and mean, they create trouble, anguish and hardship to others. People undergo endless trauma due to mental and physical pain and suffering. This is partly due to their own selfish ways and partly due to natural disasters like what happened in Japan.
So this is why Buddha Dhamma is so relevant today because it teaches us that things change from moment to moment, there is nothing permanent to cling to and hold forever, not letting go even if it hurts and humiliates others. The only way to get out of this suffering is to be generous, kind and compassionate towards others and realise that they too like your own self are changing, non permanent entities, who deserve your help and kindness to overcome their suffering.
 
 
Ven. Dr. Bhikkhuni Kusuma
Sri Lanka