There are four noble truths: life is suffering, source of suffering, cessation of suffering, and the path. In Buddhism, the eightfold path is the path to the end of the suffering. I’m going to focus on the second component of the path, which is right thought. Right thought is the thought of renunciation, non-ill-will, and harmlessness. It is having loving thoughts towards yourself and all things without unhealthy attachment.
This is an important thing for me to apply to my own life. I constantly struggle with having right thought – self thought, thoughts of others, thoughts of the world, and being able to let go of things you shouldn’t hold onto. I think it’s an interesting idea that suffering stems from holding onto the painful things and I have constantly struggled with being able to let go of these things that are harmful to my thoughts.
I do think right action would decrease suffering, as it is abstaining from things that are harmful to the world and others. I think the 4 noble truths are so interesting. The idea that we, as humans, all suffer, but to remember that there is an end to it, and there are ways to dull the suffering.
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