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The Cross and the Lotus: A Dialogue on Sufferings
1. Introduction
We live in an age fertile for the growth of Buddhism, a religion once upon a time seen as
a highly metaphysical and mythical belief which did not appeal to the rational mind. Yet
as we begin to see the relaxation of the grip of modernity in our lives, when truth is not so
much perceived as controlled and static, but chaotic and dynamic, when materialism
failed to address the deepest desire of mankind, when the supernatural is once again
explored and extolled, when spirituality is pursued minus the autocracy and authority of
organized religion, Buddhism flourished.
As the religion began to gain popularity, and in this age where interfacing with different
ideologies is inevitable, to dialogue with Buddhism is certainly a good initiative if not a
necessary one. As we approach them in dialogue whether in words or in actions, whether
for evangelism or not, let us be a fairer critique to their position. And to be able to do so,
we need to equip ourselves with a fairly reasonable understanding of this complex and
complicated religion. And of course, understanding their position, we not only strive to
be fairer critique but also better neighbours to our Buddhist friends. This is the objective
of this presentation. In this paper, we are going to explore the foundational system of
Buddhism by hinging our discussions on the issue of sufferings. “Why sufferings?” one
may wonder. I believed that suffering, being the universal experience of mankind is one
of the more stable common ground we can climb onto in our engagement with other
ideologies. An atheist cannot but to acknowledge the reality of suffering though he may
blatantly reject the existence of God. And as we go on, we would discover that Buddhism
is a religion which deals primarily with the sufferings of humanity.
I employed my studies of Buddhism alongside with my experience in interacting with
Buddhists as resources for my paper. Therefore, I would say this presentation is aptly
titled; A Dialogue on Sufferings. I am, we are, attempting herein to interact with the
Buddhist religion in the next few paragraphs of my presentation.
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2. Suffering as the Starting Point of the Quest to Enlightenment: A History of
Buddhism
Since birth, the would-be Buddha, Prince Siddhattha was shielded from the reality of the
life and of the world by the façade of luxury built by his father around him. He had the
best palaces, the best companions, the most beautiful women, the riches clothing and
food and in short the best of life. But providence would have it that one day he would
encounter something that would change his life and the course of history forever.
One of the most significant moments of Buddhism must have been the beginning of
Siddhattha’s quest towards enlightenment. The Prince encountering the Four Sights of an
old man, a sick man, a dead man and an ascetic was moved by the awesome reality of the
nature of birth, aging, sickness and death that he was greatly disturbed. The encounter
began to spur him to contemplate on the solution to mankind’s predicament, i.e.
sufferings caused by the natural processes of life. And when he realized that he could not
find an answer in the world that his father had created for him, Siddhattha, determined
more than ever to pursue the way to escape sufferings. In Siddhattha’s time and still true
in our time in certain cultures, the quest for enlightenment was one which required the
renunciation of the sensuous world. In the Indian-Hindu culture, the path of a
vanaprastha, that of a holy pursuit for the ultimate truth in life, is a prescription not only
recommended but also seen as one of the final phases of a man’s life. Thus in leaving
behind his home, Siddhattha’s action was justified if not commendable. Yet Siddhatta’s
renunciation was unique because as most would dedicate their old age (60-80) to the
pursuit of spiritual truth, he left his home to join the ascetic band at the prime age of 29.
One of the Buddha’s first experiments to seek the truth was self-mortification.1 In order
to escape the sufferings caused by the sensuous cycle of life, the ascetics subject their
bodies to yet worse pain and sufferings. The purpose was to relieve one’s mind from the
MN 12: 45 for details of the Buddha’s initial experience of asceticism. Some of the more extreme selftorture practiced include eating only 7 spoonful of food a day and at time a fortnight, sleeping on spiked
mattress, remaining in squatting position for a very lengthy period of time as a form of meditation etc.
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body and concentrate on some kind of higher reality possibly by revelations of the gods.
By subjecting his material self to torture, the ascetic seeks to detach his true nature from
the body and attain liberation. This practice of exposing the body to extreme and intense
sufferings and pains was Buddha’s first experiment. After his enlightenment, however,
the Buddha criticized mortification as “painful, ignoble and misery”2. When he was an
old man, he commented that he did not gain any enlightenment nor supernatural prowess
by such practices. He soon left extreme asceticism and embraced a balanced and more
sober practice of reflection and meditation which he called the Middle Path.
3. Suffering as the Foundational Problem of Mankind: Buddha’s Discovery
After his enlightenment, Buddha preached this first sermon to his first five followers:
This, O Monks, is the Noble Truth of Suffering: Birth is suffering; decay is
suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering. Presence of objects we hate, is
suffering; Separation from objects we love, is suffering; not to obtain what we
desire, is suffering. Briefly, the fivefold clinging to existence is suffering.
This, O Monks, is the Noble Truth of the Cause of suffering: Thirst that leads to
re-birth, accornpanied by pleasure and lust, finding its delight here and there.
(This thirst is threefold), namely, thirst for pleasure, thirst for existence, thirst for
prosperity.
This, O Monks, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of suffering: (It ceases with)
the complete cessation of this thirst,--a cessation which consists in the absence of
every passion,--with the abandoning of this thirst, with the doing away with it,
with the deliverance from it, with the destruction of desire.
This, O Monks, is the Noble Truth of the Path which leads to the extinguishing of
craving of suffering: that holy eightfold Path, that is to say, Right Belief, Right
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Vin 6:17
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Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Means of Livelihood, Right
Endeavour, Right Memory, Right Meditation.3
In this maiden sermon, the Buddha expounded two important teachings of Buddhism, the
Four Noble Truth and the Eightfold Path. As his starting point from the beginning of his
search while still in the palace was the sufferings related to the processes of life, the
solution he found was related to these issues, that is, how to escape from those sufferings.
Buddhism which he founded therefore can be said to be primarily formulated to deal with
the issue of sufferings. One Buddhist scholar observed that Buddhism is therapeutic in
character 4 and an ancient commentator refer to the teachings of the Buddha as medicine
for the sick (suffering) world5. Very early, Buddhism has already established that they are
here to provide an answer to grief, lamentation, suffering, sorrow and despair.6
What was the Buddha’s eureka-model of sufferings? The First Noble Truth was that
Suffering is universal. Buddha’s exposition of suffering in man is both physiological and
psychological. It was an existential reality that cannot be denied. So long as the biological
process is continual, the man will be exposed to sufferings. So long as the mind is
attached to hate and love, the man will be exposed to sufferings.
The Second Noble Truth explains that sufferings arise because of men’s cravings. Such
desires lead to attachment that in turn gives rise to love-hate emotion that ultimately leads
to sufferings. There are three types of craving, craving for sensuous indulgence, craving
for being and craving non-being.
The Third Noble Truth explains the cessations of sufferings. If craving is the cause of
sufferings, then cutting the tree at its root requires the removal of cravings in life. When
this happen, the being is liberated from sufferings and like the Buddha, he attains the
state of bliss called Nibbana.
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Vin 6:19-21
Essential of Buddhism, Ven Pategama Gnanarama
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Vis 16, Buddhaghosa, “ the truth of suffering is like a disease, the truth of the origin is like the cause of
the disease, the truth of cessation is like the curing of the disease, and the truth of path is like the medicine”
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Anguttara Nikaya 3
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The Fourth Noble Truth explains the way to achieve the removal of cravings. Buddha
prescribed what is now known as the noble eightfold path, as listed in the sermon above,
to be cultivated by the Buddhists.
4. The Hope of Sufferings: Nibbana
One of the most difficult teachings to understand in Buddhism is the concept of Nibbana.
Yet this is the most important one because Nibbana is the goal of all practicing
Buddhists7. There is a common misunderstanding however that Nibbana is the equivalent
to the Christian heaven or paradise. Nibbana is not a place, it is not paradise but is
beyond paradise (in the Buddhist understanding of heaven/paradise). 8 What is Nibbana?
If Buddhism purports to solve the problem of sufferings, Nibbana being the ultimate goal
of all Buddhists, is the final solution of sufferings. An ascetic once enquired Ven.
Sariputta, “What is Nibbana?” and Sariputta answered him “The destruction of lust, the
destruction of hatred and the destruction of delusion…is called Nibbana”. And in the
Ratana Sutta, those who achieved Nibbana was described as “the old [kamma] is
destroyed, no new [kamma] to be reproduced, those whose hearts are detached from a
future birth, their seeds of existence have ceased, their desires do not spring up again –
are extinguished like a lamp”. In the light of the Third Noble Truth, at the removal of
desires or lusts, sufferings cease.
There are four characteristics of Nibbana, namely9, 1) total release from sufferings, 2)
total absence of sufferings, 3) total absence of the need for restoration and 4) eternal. In
order to arrive at such state, the Buddhist saint Avaghosa explained that “a sage obtains
Nibbana when the desires and the passions have been consumed”.10 Therefore Buddhism
stressed on being dispassionate, not only without emotional attachment to things external,
7
What is Nibbana?, Ven. Dr. Hammalava Saddhtissa
What Buddhists Believe, Dr. K Sri Dhammananda, p 103
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Patisambhidamagga 1
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Saundaranandakavyam 16:28
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but also without any attachment to the self, which the Buddha taught does not exist.11 But
one must not assume that Nibbana is without joy. The Buddha himself said that Nibbana
is the highest happiness.12 This is not sensuous happiness but “an ease” or “satisfactory
joy” or a happiness that is derived from emancipation or liberation from an unpleasant
experience.13
The next question will be, how does one achieve or arrive at Nibbana? As taught by the
Buddha in the Fourth Noble Truth, the ceasing of sufferings can be achieved through the
eightfold path. By cultivation of all the right practices in one’s life, the Buddhist man is
aiming to be dispassionate because through “dispassion is one freed (or liberated)”14. And
he is expected to do this on his own because such liberation or salvation cannot be
attained through the agency of another. The Buddha, his teachings (Dhamma) and the
community of monks (Sangha)15 can only be served as a guidance map towards the
destination (Nibbana); one has to walk the journey himself.
“you yourself make the effort for your salvation the Buddhas are only Teachers
who can show you how to achieve it”16
5. The Bodhisatta’s Compassion towards Suffering Humanity
Although it was mentioned prior that salvation or rather liberation from sufferings into
Nibbana is a self-effort, there are some schools of Buddhism which evolved from the
orthodox teachings. We shall in this paper discuss a unique concept of liberation taught
by the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism which is the predominant Buddhist school in
China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, some part of Indo-China and Malaysia.
Samyutta Nikaya 3, “This is not mine, this am I not, this is not my self”
Dhammapada v 204
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What is Nibbana?, Ven. Dr. Hammalava Saddhatissa
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Visuddhimagga 2
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Collectively known as the “Triple Gems” in which Buddhists take refuge. According to Dr. K Sri
Dhammananda, “taking refuge in the Triple Gems” is not equivalent to worship of those things but rather is
an acknowledgment of the Triple Gem as the “means by which one can eradicate all the causes of their fear
and other mental disturbances”
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Dhammapada 276
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12
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Bodhisatta17 is a being destined to attain buddhahood in the future. The authoritative
scriptures in the Theravada tradition only ascribe this title to Prince Siddhattha in his
previous existence (or previous lives) before his final birth as Gotama Siddhattha. That
notwithstanding, the concept of Bodhisatta practically has no implication to the
Theravadins. The Mahayana school however places much emphasis on the Bodhisatta.
He is believed to be a being who postponed his entry into Nibbana so that he may return
to the world to show and help others to attain enlightenment. The Bodhisattas are
therefore considered to be the all-loving and all-compassionate beings who assumed
some sort of saviour-role to help Buddhists who pray to them. The identity and the
historicity of many of the Bodhisattas cannot be affirmed. Some from the Theravada
tradition even claimed that certain Bodhisattas were later fabrications and did not really
existed. But the nature of the Buddhist faith is such that both can still live peacefully
alongside one another. The lack of scriptural control and the fluidity of the religion allow
Buddhism greater space to evolve compared to religions like Christianity or Islam.
One popular Bodhisatta is Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Guan Yin; Japanese: Kanon;
Tibetan: Chenrezig/Padmapani) who is known among the Chinese Buddhist as the AllMerciful and All-Compassionate Bodhisatta Who Hear the Sounds (fig. prayers) of the
World. He is said to have appeared in different manifestations to devotees in their
afflictions to offer miraculous interventions. Another prominent Bodhisatta figure in
Mahayana tradition, especially the Chinese Buddhism is Di Zhang Wang Pu Sa who
made a vow to postpone his entry into Nibbana until he brings liberation to all the beings
suffering in Hell. One final example is Amitabha, the Patron Buddha of Pure Land
Buddhism. It was believed that Amitabha out of great compassion for humanity used his
metaphysical power to create a paradise-world so that every devotee who put faith in him
by chanting his name will be able to be reborn in that place and from there be given a
more condusive environment for cultivation towards enlightenment.
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Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms & Doctrines, Ven. Nyanatiloka
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In all these examples, the Bodhisattas are ideal beings to be emulated and honoured and
more often than not, worshipped by the devotees. And as followers of the Bodhisattas,
Mahayana Buddhists put more emphasis on showing compassions to the sufferings of
others than personal liberation, which is the characteristic of the Theravadin school.
While Theravada Buddhists organized themselves around certain individual monk, who
often live in isolated hermitage, to study the scriptures and to meditate, the Mahayana
Buddhists organized themselves as communities supporting one another, each trying to
live out the ideals of the Bodhisatta. More often than not, they were the ones who are
actively involved in community projects such as recycling campaigns, blood donation
drives etc.
6. The Cross, The Suffering God and The Hero of The Afflicted
Buddhism is a religion began because of the realization of the undeniable existence of
sufferings in the world. Its whole system of belief therefore revolved around meeting the
question of sufferings. Answers were provided as to why we suffer, but more
importantly, the Buddha’s mission was to point to the question, how can a person end his
sufferings? He showed the equations, he drew the plans and drafted the map. The Buddha
pointed to a goal which he said he has arrived and claimed that upon arrival, all
sufferings will cease. Thus far he showed us, then he gave us a parting advice: “Work
hard to gain your salvation”.
Christianity too is a religion of suffering. I shall not elaborate too thoroughly here, but I
shall raise just three points for our reflections.
The Cross, being the well-worn symbol of Christianity is not a cool accessory to wear, at
least not at the time when Jesus lived. It was a symbol of criminality, embarrassment,
pain, punishment, shame, suffering and sorrow. No one would in their sane mind be
identified much less found donning a miniature crucifix. All who were identified with the
Cross was without choice. All, except one man who chose to don the cross. He must
either be insane or …
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The Suffering God, someone very long ago painted a series of pictures of God. In the first
picture, God was not on his holy throne, nor was he in his white shinning robe. God
looked a bit funny in that picture. He had his sleeves rolled up, as if preparing to get
down to business, or get into the mud. It was not really a picture of God one would
prepare to imagine. But it was nothing like the second picture. In the second picture, God
was bloody all over, he was despised and rejected, he was stricken, smitten and afflicted,
he was wounded, crushed, chastised, whipped, oppressed, he was slaughtered. It was a
bloody picture. God was tied up and was beaten, he was abused. Now I know why he
rolled up his sleeves, he was getting ready to be abused. Was he insane? No, he is God.18
The Hero to the afflicted walked into the hall, he took the scripture scroll and began
reading as if receiving an important mandate.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
To bring good news to the poor
To liberate the captives
To bring sight to the blinds
To bring liberation to those who are suffering from oppressions
To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour!19
This Hero was mandated, was chosen was anointed to go into a world where sufferings
are real and intense. He will go and suffer with them. More than that, he was to bring
REAL hope to meet REAL sufferings. He will go and suffer for them. He was not insane,
he was God.
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The picture was painted by Isaiah in Isaiah 52:10 and Isaiah 52:14-53:12
Luke 4:18-19
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