Suffering and Its Causes: A Psychological Analysis of Buddhist Philosophical Theories

Suffering is the central issue in Buddhist philosophy. From the words of the Buddha and the analysis of Buddhist traditions, it can be understood that suffering has two different dimensions; one is psychological suffering and the other is ontological. Thus, suffering covers a wide range of human life, from severe mental and physical pressures to limited and transient experiences, not achieving dreams as well as being caught up in the wheel of existence. The Buddhist claim is that liberation from both levels is possible. This paper examines suffering in the first dimension with a detailed look at the philosophical theories of the Buddhist schools. All Buddhist traditions consider themselves healers; first they find the cause and then suggest the treatment method. They claim that the techniques they use to treat suffering quench ignorance and thirst at both levels. But psychological analysis of Buddhist philosophical theories shows that the effectiveness of Buddhist teaching is limited to the first level.