Pain in Buddha's Philosophy:An Analytical and Critical Study

          The present study examines Buddha`s view of the problem of pain (dukkha), which constitutes the core of his philosophy and the most profound of inescapable human experiences. The Buddha distinguishes between three levels of pain: direct pain arising from sensory and psychological experiences; the suffering that emerges from the individual’s reaction to this direct pain; and the pain of dissatisfaction or existential discontent, which accompanies the transient nature of life. To overcome this condition, the Buddha proposes the Four Noble Truths: the existence of pain; its cause, rooted in attachment (to desire, aversion, and delusion); the possibility of liberation from it; and the practical path that leads to such liberation, namely the Noble Eightfold Path. This path, consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, is described by the Buddha as the ‘Middle Way,’ one that avoids the extremes of indulgence in pleasure and self-mortification.
       The study also addresses a number of philosophical issues raised by the Buddhist treatment of pain, such as the tension between belief in karma and the denial of the self, and the divergent interpretations of nirvāṇa—whether as eternal bliss or as emptiness and non-being. It concludes that the philosophy of the Buddha represents a profound human attempt to understand pain and to mitigate its intensity through liberation from attachment. Nevertheless, it also embodies fundamental contradictions that call for further analysis and critique, while at the same time offering rich human and ethical values that can contribute to contemporary philosophical discussions on the meaning of pain and the possibilities of overcoming it.”