Have you thought of an answer to the question ‘what is suffering’ before? It was the Gautama Buddha who found a complete answer to this question. In the Buddha’s first sermon, which is called ‘Dhamma Chakkha Pavattana Sutta,’ he gave a brief description to the suffering as follows.

“Birth is a suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, leaving loved ones is suffering, unification with dislikes is suffering, and missing what is wished for is suffering. In summary, all five attachments or clinging (Pancha Upadanaskanda), objects (rupa), feelings (vedana), recognitions (sangna), deeds/or aims (sanskara), and explicit recognitions (viññana) are suffering.”

(Dhamma Chakkha Pavattana Sutta)

Let us now understand the suffering that the Buddha taught us one by one separately. Lord Buddha in Maha Satipatthana Sutta taught us as follows:

“Dear Bikkhus, what is birth?
A birth can be seen when different creatures are born in their different tribes (or kinds) or when the organs are grown. It can also be happened in a womb or without a womb. Emergence of the five attachments (objects (rupa), feelings (vedana), recognitions (sangna), deeds/or aims (sanskara), and explicit recognitions (viñññna)) is also a birth. Another way of being born is the birth with the six components (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). When these births are occurred it is known as be born either in Andaja, Jalabuja, Sanseedaja, or Oopapatika births.

Dear Bikkhus, what is aging and decaying?
It is a decaying and a digestion process of an individual. This body faces deficiencies such as fracturing teeth and loosing hair with time. The skin becomes rough and fills with wrinkles, and gets distorted beyond recognition. Life span ends and all the vital components like eyes and ears become old, useless, and incapable of being controlled as one wish. Dear Monks, this is called the aging and decaying.

Dear Bikkhus, what is the death?
Beings departing from their worlds can be seen. There is such a departure. Disintegration, disappearance, death, letting go of one’s own body, partitioning of the life can also be seen. Dear Monks, this is called the death.

Dear Bikkhus, what is agony that traps one’s heart with sorrow?
Dear Monks, when someone who is suffering from one of the great pains or from one of the unbearable sorrows, that person can become sad or can suffer from sadness. There is a sadness which can burn that person’s heart, and it can burn that person completely. This is called the agony that traps one’s heart with sorrow.

Dear Bikkhus, what is sobbing of calling out names of dead relatives with a great agony?
Dear Monks, when someone who is suffering from one of the great pains or from one of the unbearable agonies, that person can sob or be in a state of sobbing. The sobbing can be seen with calling out names of parents, relatives, loved ones, and friends who left that person. This is called the sobbing of calling out names of dead relatives with a great agony.

Dear Bikkhus, what is the state of sorrow that one undergoes due to bodily (physical) pains?
Dear Monks, if there is an unbearable and great body pain, a repulsive condition, or disaffection due to a repulsive condition corresponding to a dislike touch to the physical body, then it is called the suffering with respect to the body.

Dear Bikkhus, what are the mind-related sufferings?
Dear Monks, if there is an unbearable and great pain originated from within a mind, a repulsive condition, or disaffection due to a repulsive condition corresponding to a dislike mental touch, then it is called the suffering related to mind.

Dear Bikkhus, what is a sorrowful sighing that corresponds to one’s repeated thoughts about the sadness one faced?
Dear Monks, if there is an immense tiredness for someone who is suffering from one of the many troubles or one of the great and unbearable pains, and the person is sighing hard thinking about that suffering, showing an exhausted condition, sighing again and again thinking about the pain that person went through, then this is called the sorrowful sighing that corresponds to one’s repeated thoughts about the sadness one faced.

Dear Bikkhus, what is the state of sadness that corresponds to the union of dislike objectives and people?
Sometimes we come across objectives such as that of bad, ugly, and disgusting figures (or objects), sound, smells, tastes, touches, or thoughts that come to the mind. Also, one could encounter different individuals with different characteristics. These individuals might like you to get into danger, like to see your misfortune, like to hurt you, and like to show you the wrong way and let you get into trouble. When you meet, get along, or live together with these troublesome objectives and individuals, this is called the state of sadness correspond to the union of dislike objectives and people.

Dear Bikkhus, what is the state of sadness that one faces because of being separated from the objectives and individuals one loves most?
Sometimes we come across such as that of good, pleasant, and pleasing figures (or objects), sound, smells, tastes, touches, or thoughts that come to the mind. Also, one can face different individuals with different characteristics. These individuals like to do you good, like to see your fortune, like to comfort you, and like to show you the right way and help you correct your bad behaviors. These are your parents, brothers and sisters, people who are older or younger than you, friends, your relatives, or some other such people. When you miss, leave behind, or live without these caring individuals and objectives, it is called the state of sadness that one faces because of being separated from the objectives and individuals one loves most.

Dear Bikkhus, if one does not get what is wished for, and then it is also a state of sadness. What is that sadness?
Dear Monks, every living being, who is destined to be born, bears some expectations such as following in their minds: ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined to a definite rebirth! We hope that definite birth would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, living beings that has aging and decaying as their own gift of their birth bears a hope like this in their minds: ‘Oh! We hope for our youth and beauty to last forever! We hope these aging and decaying are not definite for us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, these living beings carry death with them like a gift, though with hopes in their minds such as: ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined with our deaths! We hope our deaths would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, these living beings are destined with agony that traps one’s heart with sorrow, though with hopes in their minds such as: ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined with the agony that traps our hearts with sorrow! We hope the agony that traps our hearts with sorrow would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, these living beings are destined with sobbing of calling out names of dead relatives with a great agony, though with hopes in their minds. ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined with the sobbing of calling out names of our dead relatives with a great agony! We hope the sobbing of calling out names of dead relatives with a great agony would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, these living beings are destined with unbearable sorrows due to undergoing bodily (physical) pains, though with hopes in their minds. ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined with the unbearable sorrows that suffer us due to our bodily (physical) pains! We hope the unbearable sorrows that suffer us due to our bodily (physical) pains would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, these living beings are destined with sufferings related to mind, though with hopes in their minds. ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined with sufferings of our minds! We hope the sufferings of our minds would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, these living beings are destined with sorrowful sighing that is corresponding to their repeated thoughts about the sadness they faced, though with hopes in their minds. ‘Oh! We hope we are not destined with sorrowful sighing that corresponds to our repeated thoughts about the sadness we faced! We hope the sorrowful sighing that corresponds to our repeated thoughts about the sadness we faced would not come to us!’ Though Dear Monks, this is not something one can achieve only by wishing it to be happened. This is also a state of sadness that one faces because that person doesn’t get what is hoped for.

Dear Bikkhus, what is the state of suffering of all five attachments in summary?
Those five attachments are: rupa (objects that generate from the four kinds or satara maha bhotha, that is patavi (things that become sand with time), apo (things that mix with water), thejo (the warmth), vayo (things that mix with wind; the air)), vedana (feelings occur due to touch), sangna (recognitions occur due to touch), sanskara (deeds/or aims that occur due to touch), and vinggnana (explicit recognitions that occur due to nama-ropa).

Dear Bikkhus; if everything is folded or summarized into one, the five attachments can be recognized as the suffering.

Dear Bikkhus, this is the ultimate truth of the state of suffering.

(The Lord Buddha – Satipatthana Sutta – Deega Nikaya)