Stress: Its all about clinging to the activity of the five aggregates

Figure 1: This figures shows that clinging to five aggregates is the basis of stress or suffering

Buddha did not say life is stress and suffering. Buddha only said there is stress and suffering in life (the First Noble Truth). What some people fail to see is that not only he said there is stress and suffering in life, he also gave the cause for it (the Second Noble Truth), how to get rid of it (the Third Noble Truth) and a clear path to get rid of this stress and suffering (the Fourth Noble Truth).

When we talk about the First Noble Truth it is about stress or suffering. Here is a extract from Maha- satipatthana sutta (The four foundations of mindfulness):

"Now what is the noble truth of stress?

Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful; separation from the loved is stressful; not getting what one wants is stressful.

In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful..."

" Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference" (DN 22), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 15 October 2011,http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html . Retrieved on 17 January 2012.

What does it really mean when you say "In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful."?

Let us take the first cause stress or suffering which is birth. As we all know when the fetus comes through the birth canal there is a lot of moulding of the head and the body. There must be a lot of pain perceived by the child being born. This is implied by the loud cry of every child as the fist response after birth. This is the expression of stress.

The perception of the pain during birth is the activity of the mind. It is basically the activity of the five aggregates. It is the body and touch sensation, body consciousness, contact, feeling, perception... as we have discussed in previous posts. Please see mind works model to appreciate the flow of Nama Dhamma (conciousness, contact, feeling, perception, and thoughts) for further reference. This is why birth stress is in short defined as clinging to the activity of the five aggregates.

Same principal applies to all the stresses shown in the diagram above (Figure 1) whether it is physical or mental stress. These include the stress of aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain (physical), distress (mental pain), despair, association with un-beloved, separation form the loved and not getting what one wants. They all are ultimately perceived by the mind and become activities of the five aggregates of clinging. Mind does not have hands to cling. We cling with our thoughts. Craving facilitates this clinging. Witout Craving there is no clinging. So we now come to the second Noble Truth, the Noble Truth of the origination of stress. This is nothing other than our Craving.

Therefore the first noble truth, the noble truth of suffering and stress is all about clinging to the five aggregates.

The footprint of the elephant

Ven. Sariputta said: "Friends, just as the footprints of all legged animals are encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant's footprint is reckoned the foremost among them in terms of size; in the same way, all skillful qualities are gathered under the four noble truths. Under which four? Under the noble truth of stress, under the noble truth of the origination of stress, under the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and under the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

"And what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful.1 In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful. And which are the five clinging-aggregates? The form clinging-aggregate, the feeling clinging-aggregate, the perception clinging-aggregate, the fabrication clinging-aggregate, & the consciousness clinging-aggregate.

Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

To read the full sutta:http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.028.than.html#inlaw

Build the house from the bottom up...

"Monks, if anyone were to say, 'Without having broken through to the noble truth of stress as it actually is present, without having broken through to the noble truth of the origination of stress... the cessation of stress... the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress*, as it actually is present, I will bring about the right ending of stress,' that would be an impossibility.

Just as if someone were to say, 'Without having built the lower story of a gabled building, I will put up the upper story,' that would be an impossibility; in the same way, if anyone were to say, 'Without having broken through to the noble truth of stress as it actually is present, without having broken through to the noble truth of the origination of stress... the cessation of stress... the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress, as it actually is present, I will bring about the right ending of stress,' that would be an impossibility.

*The Four Noble Truths (see labels)


-Kuta Sutta: Gabled
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.044.than.html

Pull your own arrow...

Seeking your own happiness,
you should pull out your own arrow:
your own lamentation,
longing,
& sorrow. 

With arrow pulled out,
independent,
attaining peace of awareness,
all grief transcended,
griefless you are
unbound.
Salla Sutta-The Arrow

Arrow-Suffering(dukka),
Pull the arrow-to realize the Four Noble Truths
Unbound-Fully enlightened- Nirvava

The stream-winner...three fetters are abandoned in him

A Poppy blooming in my garden in the morning

after the three coverings are shed.*

For the stream-winner, the arising of the Dhamma eye — with its insight into the causal principles underlying the origination and cessation of stress — is what cuts through the first three fetters.**

"He attends appropriately, This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress.*** As he attends appropriately in this way, three fetters are abandoned in him:

1. Self-identity view

2. Doubt

3. grasping at precepts (rituals) & practices

To read more click on the following link:
Stream Entry

*In the photograph (simile) above, the poppy blooming is compared to a "stream winner". The morning sun is the arising of the knowledge of The Four Noble Truths (The Right View). The shedding of the three coverings of the poppy bud is compared to the abandoning of the three fetters.

**Fetters

The five lower fetters:

1. Self-identity views

2. Doubt (uncertainty)

3. Grasping at precepts & practices

4. Sensual desire

5. Ill will.

The five higher fetters:

1. Passion for form

2. Passion for what is formless

3. Conceit

4. Restlessness

5. Ignorance

*** The four Noble Truths

So rare is a human birth...

"Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push it south, a wind from the south would push it north.

And suppose a blind sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?"

"It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole."

"It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

Now, this human state has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, has arisen in the world. A doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.*'"

Chiggala Sutta
The Hole

*The Four Noble Truths

Like the blind men who saw the elephant....

"Once, in this same Savatthi, there was a certain king who said to a certain man, 'Gather together all the people in Savatthi who have been blind from birth.'"

"'As you say, your majesty,' the man replied and, rounding up all the people in Savatthi who had been blind from birth, he went to the king and on arrival said, 'Your majesty, the people in Savatthi who have been blind from birth have been gathered together.'

"'Very well then, show the blind people an elephant.'

"'As you say, your majesty,' the man replied and he showed the blind people an elephant. To some of the blind people he showed the head of the elephant, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant is like.' To some of them he showed an ear of the elephant, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant is like.' To some of them he showed a tusk... the trunk... the body... a foot... the hindquarters... the tail... the tuft at the end of the tail, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant is like.'

"Then, having shown the blind people the elephant, the man went to the king and on arrival said, 'Your majesty, the blind people have seen the elephant. May your majesty do what you think it is now time to do.'

"Then the king went to the blind people and on arrival asked them, 'Blind people, have you seen the elephant?'

"'Yes, your majesty. We have seen the elephant.'

"'Now tell me, blind people, what the elephant is like.'

"The blind people who had been shown the head of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a water jar.'

"Those who had been shown the ear of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a winnowing basket.'

"Those who had been shown the tusk of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like an iron rod.'

"Those who had been shown the trunk of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like the pole of a plow.'

"Those who had been shown the body of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a granary.'

"Those who had been shown the foot of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a post.'

"Those who had been shown the hindquarters of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a mortar.'

"Those who had been shown the tail of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a pestle.'

"Those who had been shown the tuft at the end of the tail of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a broom.'

"Saying, 'The elephant is like this, it's not like that. The elephant's not like that, it's like this,' they struck one another with their fists. That gratified the king.

"In the same way, monks, the wanderers of other sects are blind and eyeless*. They don't know what is beneficial and what is harmful. They don't know what is the Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma. Not knowing what is beneficial and what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma, they live arguing, quarreling, and disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.'"

*blind and eyeless- This means not knowing the Four Noble Truths

Tittha Sutta -Various Sectarians (1)

Which is harder to do...

"What do you think, Ananda: Which is harder to do, harder to master — to shoot arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other, or to take a horsehair split into seven strands and pierce tip with a tip?"

"This, lord, is harder to do, harder to master — to take a horsehair split into seven strands and pierce tip with a tip."

"And they, Ananda, pierce what is even harder to pierce, those who pierce, as it actually is present, that 'This is stress'; who pierce, as it actually is present, that 'This is the origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of stress'... 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stres*s.'

"Therefore, Ananda, your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress*.'"

Vala Sutta-The Horsehair

* Four Noble Truths

The wise always delights...in the Dhamma

Drinking the Dhamma,
refreshed by the Dhamma,
one sleeps at ease
with clear awareness & calm.
In the Dhamma revealed
by the noble ones,
the wise person
always delights.
-Dhammapada

House-builder, you're seen!

Through the round of many births I roamed
without reward,
without rest,
seeking the house-builder.
Painful is birth
again & again.

House-builder, you're seen!
You will not build a house again.
All your rafters broken,
the ridge pole dismantled,
immersed in dismantling, the mind
has attained to the end of craving.
Jaravagga
Aging

The worst "darkness" of all..."

There is, monks, an inter-cosmic void, an unrestrained darkness, a pitch-black darkness, where even the light of the sun & moon — so mighty, so powerful — doesn't reach."

When this was said, one of the monks said to the Blessed One, "Wow, what a great darkness! What a really great darkness! Is there any darkness greater & more frightening than that?"

"There is, monk, a darkness greater & more frightening than that."

"And which darkness, lord, is greater & more frightening than that?"

"Any priests or contemplatives who do not know, as it actually is present, that 'This is stress'; who do not know, as it actually is present, that 'This is the origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of stress'... 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress'*: They revel in (thought-) fabrications leading to birth; they revel in fabrications leading to aging; they revel in fabrications leading to death; they revel in fabrications leading to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Reveling in fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they fabricate fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Fabricating fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they drop into the darkness of birth. They drop into the darkness of aging... the darkness of death... darkness of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. They are not totally released from birth, aging, death, sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. They are not totally released, I tell you, from suffering & stress. -Andhakara Sutta -Darkness

*The Four Noble Truths

(The worst darkness of all...not realizing The Four Noble Truths)

A man were wounded with a poisoned arrow

Some people get too much involved in trivial details of the Dhamma rather than focusing on what is essential to the their progress in this path. They will never arrive at the true Dhamma. Buddha used this simile to illustrate this point.

"It's just as if a man were wounded with an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends & companions, kinsmen & relatives would provide him with a surgeon, and the man would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know whether the man who wounded me was a noble warrior, a priest, a merchant, or a worker.' He would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know the given name & clan name of the man who wounded me... until I know whether he was tall, medium, or short... until I know whether he was dark, ruddy-brown, or golden-colored... until I know his home village, town, or city... until I know whether the bow with which I was wounded was a long bow or a crossbow... until I know whether the bowstring with which I was wounded was fiber, bamboo threads, sinew, hemp, or bark... until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was wild or cultivated... until I know whether the feathers of the shaft with which I was wounded were those of a vulture, a stork, a hawk, a peacock, or another bird... until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was bound with the sinew of an ox, a water buffalo, a langur, or a monkey.' He would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was that of a common arrow, a curved arrow, a barbed, a calf-toothed, or an oleander arrow.' The man would die and those things would still remain unknown to him.

"In the same way, if anyone were to say, 'I won't live the holy life under the Blessed One as long as he does not declare to me that 'The cosmos is eternal,'... or that 'After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,' the man would die and those things would still remain undeclared by the Tathagata.

"And why are they undeclared by me? Because they are not connected with the goal, are not fundamental to the holy life. They do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That's why they are undeclared by me.

"And what is declared by me? 'This is stress,' is declared by me. 'This is the origination of stress,' is declared by me. 'This is the cessation of stress,' is declared by me. 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress*,' is declared by me. And why are they declared by me? Because they are connected with the goal, are fundamental to the holy life. They lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That's why they are declared by me.

* The Four Noble Truths

Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta-The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya

"Leaves in my hand"

Once the Blessed One was staying at Kosambi in the simsapa forest. Then, picking up a few simsapa leaves with his hand, he asked the monks, "What do you think, monks: Which are more numerous, the few simsapa leaves in my hand or those overhead in the simsapa forest?"

"The leaves in the hand of the Blessed One are few in number, lord. Those overhead in the forest are far more numerous."

"In the same way, monks, those things that I have known with direct knowledge but have not taught are far more numerous [than what I have taught]. And why haven't I taught them? Because they are not connected with the goal, do not relate to the rudiments of the holy life, and do not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. That is why I have not taught them.

"And what have I taught?* 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress': This is what I have taught. And why have I taught these things? Because they are connected with the goal, relate to the rudiments of the holy life, and lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. This is why I have taught them.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.''-Simsapa Sutta -The Simsapa Leaves

* The Four Noble Truths

Note: The word stress is used here instead of the word suffering

" The True Weapons of Mass Destruction" - Greed, Hatred and Delusion

'The Right View"

I was very disturbed to hear this story from a patient I saw last week at the clinic who presented with a hand infection. She was bitten a few days ago by another woman. This has apparently happened after a verbal argument between the two women. I was shocked to see this but I thought to myself .... this is a good example of human hatred at its best! Buddha said greed, hatred and delusion are the roots of all the unwholesome deeds in this world. I like to call these the "true weapons of mass destruction." People fight at home, at school or at work because of greed, hatred and delusion. People design chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction because of greed, hatred and delusion. Terrorist attacks on nations and war among countries happens because of greed, hatred and delusion. Whatever the unwholesome or so called "evil deeds" big or small that happen in this world can fit into three baskets of greed, hatred and delusion.

Buddha said when one understands the unwholesome, the root of the unwholesome, the wholesome, and the root of the wholesome, in that way he is one of "Right View." "The Right View" is the first step in the noble eightfold pathway leading to ultimate happiness. The Buddha said arriving at the "Right View" is something like seeing the brightness in the sky when the sun is about to rise (see the above picture). When the sun is fully shining you have already arrived at the perfect wisdom, called Nirvana. To achieve this one has to follow The Noble Eightfold Path, the pathway that leads to ultimate happiness.

Now we know that greed, hatred and delusion are the root of unwholesome deeds. What are the unwholesome deeds?

1. Killing living beings is unwholesome

2. Taking what is not given is unwholesome

3. Misconduct in sensual pleasures is unwholesome

4. False speech is unwholesome

5. Malicious speech is unwholesome

6. Harsh speech is unwholesome

7. Gossip is unwholesome

8. Covetousness is unwholesome

9. Ill will is unwholesome

10. Wrong view is unwholesome.

So the question is can we completely get rid of greed, hatred and delusion in our lives? Non -greed can be achieved by the practice of non-attachment (letting go). This may sound simple and you may say "it is no big deal , I can do it!" In real life you may find it is very difficult to do this when it is really the time "to let go." The deep cravings and attachments embedded in us may be very subtle, hard to see, yet they may be very strong. The practice of Vipassana meditation (see below) will help overcome these attachments and to help "let go" with ease.

Now how can we get rid of hatred? The antidote for anger and hatred is loving kindness. The loving kindness practice should start towards yourself first. This is the most important and the one that people often forget the most. This may be one reason why we find more and more depression in this world today. Once you start loving and appreciating yourself then you gradually spread loving kindness to your family, neighbours, ....and so on, and finally to the entire universe. I have discussed the practice of loving kindness and its benefits in a previous post (see below). The more you practice loving kindness the faster the anger or hatred will leave your heart. Buddha gave a beautiful simile about this. He said, "in some people anger is like a 'line drawn in the water'. It vanishes instantly as soon it appears. In others it is like a 'line drawn in the sand.' With time it will slowly fade away. In the third group it is like a 'line drawn on a rock.' It may take a lot of effort and time to get rid of anger. The first person has a lot of loving kindness in his heart whereas the last person needs to practice more loving kindness."

Finally, getting rid of delusion is the most difficult task. First of all it is a very difficult concept to understand. I will try to explain this clearly as possible in my own interpretation during this post. Delusion is also sometimes referred as "ignorance." This really means that we are really unaware of the true nature of our existence. To understand this you need to contemplate on how The Four Noble Truths work. Once we understand what is unhappiness and its cause,the craving, we have to find out how we can get rid of this craving. To do this we have to contemplate on how our six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue,body and mind) work together with the external sense objects (object, sound, smell, taste, touch, mental object) and how and where this craving arise. Then you can contemplate on impermanence, suffering, and non-self of these six senses and their external sense objects. If this process is practiced diligently with mindfulness, it will help to get rid of the craving that arises in them as we realize it is fruitless to suffer because of an impermanent nature that is anyway not in your control (non-self)). This will help us step outside of this constant struggle with desire and aversion. You can merely look at them as they are with equanimity and let them go. This is the practice of Vipassana meditation. This will be discussed later in detail in a future post. Some concepts like, sensory restrains, impermanence, suffering and non-self have been addressed already in some of my previous posts (see below).

Therefore one must understand, although it is difficult, it is not impossible to fully get rid of greed, hatred and delusion, if you walk the path laid down by the Buddha (The Noble Eightfold Path). He has done all the hard work for us, we just have to see it and walk on the path. Buddha very cleverly showed us how to travel this path with great precision. It is like a "do it yourself" project. Nobody can do it for you, not even Buddha. You have to travel this path alone by yourself and it will finally lead you to the ultimate happiness in this very life.

Related suttas:

Sammaditthi Sutta, Magga-vibhanga Sutta, Saleyyaka Sutta, Mula Sutta

Sammaditthi Sutta

Avijja Pahana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya IV)

Avijja Sutta- On Ignorance (Samyutta Nikaya XLV.1)

Avijja Sutta- On Ignorance (Samyutta Nikaya XXXV.80)

Pahana Sutta -On Giving Up

Related posts:

What is the matter with my grass? (Post on Loving Kindness)

Who will drink this medicine? (Post on The Four Noble Truths)

Why is this dog asking for more ? (Post on Sensory Restrains)

"Stop worrying about your body so much...you are just renting it anyway" (Post on Anatta or Non-self)

Life is just like a "Morning Glory"- Mindfulness about life (Post on Impermanence)

Mindfulness About Life- "A Lesson From The Garden" (Post on Impermanence)

Who will drink this medicine?

"One who drinks deeply of Buddha's teachings lives happily with a peaceful mind"- Buddha

Buddha can be regarded the greatest physician who lived on earth. He like any other great physician, diagnosed the illness, found the cause for it, explained how to get rid of and then prescribed the medication needed to overcome the illness.

Buddhist teachings are regarded as the "medicine for the mind". In an earlier posting I discussed Buddhism as the ultimate psychotherapy and how Buddhist practices will lead you to attain the ultimate happiness, that the Buddha called the "Bliss of Nirvana". This is the inner happiness of the unconditioned mind. This happiness comes only "within, not without".

In reality we are all "patients" to a certain degree. If you think for a moment we are constantly struggling in this world running away from pain and seeking pleasure. It is the pleasure for our body and our mind. Nobody can honestly say that they were never unhappy, sometime in their lives. We all get sad and feel depressed at certain times. Some times we can get into more serious situations like clinical depression, in our lives. Some people go further down this road and even get suicidal thoughts.

What is the reason for this? It is because we looked for the answer in the wrong place. We look for the answers to our problems in the outside world. We will never think even for a moment that the real answer is within us. The Buddha only directed us to look inside of us. The answer is always there. We only did not see it. Why is that? It is because our minds were already conditioned. This Buddha called "Avijja" in Pali language. In English it is called ignorance or delusion. In this part of the world we may want to call it "stupidity". It sounds like a simple problem but is it very hard to see. That is where the Buddhist teachings and practices come in. Buddhism tells you "how to do it" rather than "what to do". This is the basic difference in the Buddhist teachings compared to other religions. There is only one medicine for the mind to be free from all the suffering and pains. This is "The Four Noble Truths".

Now who will drink it? To explain this I will tell you a metaphor that is applicable today.

Imagine that somebody is gravely sick and is about to die. There are many possible scenarios.

1. The patient is in a place that there is no doctor therefore he dies.

2. The patent does not look for a doctor and he dies.

3. Patient looks for a doctor and he does not find one and he dies.

4. The patient refuses to go see the doctor and he dies.

5. The patent goes to a doctor but he does not get the right medicine and he dies. (In this case the doctor may be sued).

6. Patient finds the doctor and he prescribes the right medicine to save the patients life. He brings it home and does not drink it in time. Why didn't he drink it in time? This is because he refuses to drink the medicine until all his questions are answered. He has many questions like, is the doctor qualified? Is the medicine pure? Which company makes the medicine? Where was the bottle made? And so on. These are irrelevant questions, as his time is running out. He dies before all his questions are answered.

7. Only the wise man finds the doctor, gets the medicine, drinks it in time and gets cured.

In this metaphor the medicine is the Dhamma (Buddhist teachings). The sick man is the ordinary worldly being.

So do you think you are sick ? If the answer is "no" you may be enlightened. You are free from all suffering in this world and beyond. If the answer is "yes" browse this site you will find the medicine. But remember only you can drink it. Nobody can drink it for you or force you to drink.

"Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this Dhamma and Discipline has one taste, taste of liberation"-Paharada Sutta, Buddha

Paharada Sutta

Please see other related posts:

Buddha, The Great Physician

The ultimate-psychotherapy-through-Buddhism

Buddha, The Great Physician

Buddha can be regarded as the greatest physician who lived on the earth. His medicine was for the mind. He said "whatever you do, the body will get sick, but dont ever let your mind get sick". Buddha like other great physicians in the world found:

1. The sickness.

2. Cause of the sickness.

3. How to get rid of the sickness.

4. The path that leads to getting rid of the sickness.

This is the final common goal in learning how to practice Buddhism. This was called the Four Noble Truths by the Buddha.

The features of his teachings (Dhamma) are as follows. The Dhamma is very clear, with direct results, timeless, calling one to investigate for himself, only through yourself you can understand, to be realized individually by the wise.

Also see other related posts:

Who will drink this medicine?