Cause of Dissatisfaction and Suffering

The Second Noble Truth refers to the arising, origin, and cause of our dissatisfaction and suffering. We desire, crave, and thirst for happiness, security, and identity in this world of impermanence.

Influenced by our misperception (ignorance/delusion), we want life to satisfy our every craving, need, and desire.

We want from life what it can never provide: constant happiness, pleasure, and security undisturbed by change or loss.

When life fails to satisfy our needs and desires, we experience fear, frustration, hurt, anger, pain, or suffering.

Afflicted by such thoughts and emotions, we tend to speak and act in negative ways which cause further suffering.

Therefore our dissatisfaction and suffering do not come from outside of ourselves.

We cause our own suffering when we fail to realize that the impermanent nature of life is incapable of providing constant satisfaction for our craving, need, and desire. The origin and cause of dissatisfaction and suffering is our misperception of reality (ignorance/delusion), self-centered desire (greed), craving, grasping, attachment to things that do not last, and our negative behavior.

Insight into the Second Noble Truth: To overcome dissatisfaction and suffering, it is essential that:

• We clearly identify the causes of this experience;

• We deeply feel and fully understand these causes; finally,

• We choose to abandon, remove, and stop creating the causes of our suffering.

Source: Used with permission from https://sourcepointglobaloutreach.org/what-we-offer/