Suffering and 'The Middle Path'

End of suffering is different from living a life of absolute self-discipline. When Gautam Buddha described suffering he said it always exists as you will, throught your life, feel pain, sickness, old age, and eventually death. The other kind of suffering occurs from material attachments because all material desires are temporary and a loss of them will lead to suffering.

The goal of the middle path is to avoid over indulgence and asceticism because neither helped Buddha in his enlightenment. By allowing yourself not be materialistic you will avoid excessive sufferinf, and by not ignoring all desires, you will have happiness. The middle path is accepting that happiness comes and it goes, just as you eventually will.

/r/philosophy Thread