Category Archives: Humanities

The Truth About the First Noble Truth

The first noble truth in Buddhism is usually stated as “Life is suffering.” At its face value, this statement seems so negative that people (especially Westerners, I think) struggle against it, as if accepting this truth is resignation, a call to abandon optimism. I have also seen it stated as “Suffering exists,” which is more palatable. Sometimes the word “stress” is substituted. Whatever word is chosen, the problem is that we take the statement as an absolute. We see the statement as declarative, prescriptive, and not descriptive. To become entangled and waylaid by the semantics is to miss the point, and that point is, “Life is hard.” It doesn’t mean it’s not worth living, or entirely miserable. It just means that living is a challenge. Accepting what is presents one with the opportunity to explore, learn, change, and grow.

An excerpt from Buddhanet explains the first noble truth thusly:

The First Noble Truth is not a dismal metaphysical statement saying that everything is suffering. Notice that there is a difference between a metaphysical doctrine in which you are making a statement about The Absolute and a Noble Truth which is a reflection. A Noble Truth is a truth to reflect upon; it is not an absolute; it is not The Absolute. This is where Western people get very confused because they interpret this Noble Truth as a kind of metaphysical truth of Buddhism — but it was never meant to be that.

You can see that the First Noble Truth is not an absolute statement because of the Fourth Noble Truth, which is the way of non-suffering. You cannot have absolute suffering and then have a way out of it, can you? That doesnÂ’t make sense. Yet some people will pick up on the First Noble Truth and say that the Buddha taught that everything is suffering.

The Pali word, dukkha, means “incapable of satisfying” or “not able to bear or withstand anything”: always changing, incapable of truly fulfilling us or making us happy. The sensual world is like that, a vibration in nature. It would, in fact, be terrible if we did find satisfaction in the sensory world because then we wouldnÂ’t search beyond it; weÂ’d just be bound to it. However, as we awaken to this dukkha, we begin to find the way out so that we are no longer constantly trapped in sensory consciousness.

Words to Ponder #31

At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done — then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.

–Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden (1911)

A Definition of Poverty

Ruby K. Payne, author of Understanding Poverty, defines poverty as “the extent to which an individual does without resources.” However, many people overlook the types of resources other than money that one needs. In addition to financial resources, a person needs the following resources as well:

  • emotional: an internal resource involving the ability to choose and control emotional responses, especially in negative situations, and is evidenced in stamina, perseverance, and choices.
  • mental: intellectual ability and acquired skills (reading, writing, computing) needed for daily life.
  • spiritual: a belief in one’s purpose and/or connection with divine guidance.
  • physical: basic physical health and mobility.
  • support systems: such as friends, family, and other resources available in times of need.
  • role models/relationships: having frequent access to adults who are appropriate, nurturing (especially if dealing with children), and do not engage in self-destructive behavior.
  • knowledge of hidden rules: all groups have unspoken cues and habits which are beneficial and necessary to learn.

Ms. Payne focuses primarily on assisting children, though these resources are universal. For more information about her work, visit a-ha! Process, Inc.


Update: I have received numerous requests in comments and email asking me to send additional material to students doing projects on poverty. Please note that I not an expert on the issue. The purpose of this blog is to provide links to items of interest so as to encourage the reader’s exploration. The sources I use are the same as those the reader would — by researching the Internet.

A Guide to Online Therapy

Choosing an Online Therapist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Professional Help on the Web, by Gary S. Stolfe. Harrisburg, PA: Whitehat Communications, ©2001. 108 pp.

With our economy still in recovery, people who would benefit from counseling may not get the help they need due to cost. There are other reasons why people may not be able to access in-person therapy — geographical isolation, disabilities that prevent travel, concern for community status, feelings ashamed or guilty for seeking help, or having social phobia and panic attacks. Online therapy can be a fruitful method of getting assistance for some types of problems. This book is a primer on how to go about doing just that.

The author begins by exploring the ways in which online therapy is different, such as missing non-verbal cues, distance preventing crisis intervention, questions of effectiveness, potential for fraud, and risks to confidentiality. Stolfe then clarifies the types of problems that respond best to online counseling and those that do not. Issues not to be handled online are suicidality, disordered thinking, medical issues related to mental health (such as anorexia nervosa), and borderline personality disorder. The types of problems he suggests for online therapy are related to personal growth and fulfillment, adult children of alcoholics, agoraphobia/anxiety disorders/social phobia, body image issues/problems, and shame/guilt. The chapter includes a table that identifies major areas of trouble and the level of care which best serves them (inpatient, outpatient, online, etc.).

Characteristics of a good therapist are discussed: empathy, compassion, knowledge, credentials, trustworthiness. For online therapy, however, Stolfe suggests additional qualities to consider: experience; an appropriate website with all necessary information; good typing, spelling, and grammar; online savvy and comfort; if the therapist receives supervision; and membership in the ISMHO (International Society of Mental Health Online).

Chapter 4 covers the basic mechanics of online counseling, i.e., the venues (email, chat) and the types of security issues related to them. Guidance for finding a therapist online and the type of fee you can expect to pay are also provided. Following that, Stolfe describes the protocol for the first contact and first appointment. He also explains how to terminate therapy, whether it’s due to financial problems, ethical concerns, or is planned (goals have been met).

The last chapters provide information on computer and Internet basics, a computer-buying checklist, online therapy ethics, types of therapy, and online therapy sites and companies.

In all, this small book is densely packed with useful information. Online therapy is likely to grow. If used ethically, it provides another resource for people wanting to improve their lives. This guide will help the potential client in his or her search to find caring and competent service.

A Definition of Belief

Here is my coffee-inspired thought for the morning.

Beliefs: windows built into the house of one’s existence, providing stable views of the world. Their frames also limit perspective and can lead to rigid thinking. Windows are not permanent, but renovation is required to move them.

Words to Ponder #26

Today we have a double-header. They were both too appealing for me to choose one over the other.

It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming an educated person, the enormous interest it adds to life. To be able to be caught up into the world of thought — that is to be educated.

–Edith Hamilton

If I were asked to enumerate ten educational stupidities, the giving of grades would head the list… If I can’t give a child a better reason for studying than a grade on a report card, I ought to lock my desk and go home and stay there.

–Dorothy De Zouch

Go See!

Over at Markham’s Behavioral Health is a stunning quote by Michael Ventura on the topic of lying. The truth of it resonates so strongly in me that I feel inspired to print and plaster it everywhere. Not that I will, of course. But it made me sit up and take notice — gave me pause to check my own integrity.