The Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths begins with the injunction that if you are to attain liberation, you must understand and fully experience how your life is entwined and defined by “dukkha,” meaning your mental experiences of discomfort, pain, anxiety, stress, instability, inadequacy, failure, and disappointment, each of which is felt as suffering in your mind. This teaching is often referred to as the “Truth of Suffering.”

Dancing with Life, Chapter 3, p. 27

For your reflection:
Make a list of the different ways in which you experience suffering. Notice if there are certain areas of your life in which you are resistant to acknowledging the existence of suffering. Also think about your closest friends and the ways in which suffering shows up in their lives.