On Suffering

The predicament of human suffering is an issue that surfaces in most of the world's religions. Suffering impacts us all in one way or another, and the experience of it can be hard to reconcile with a benevolent and loving God or universe. In this essay, I will explore the role and nature of suffering from two diverse spiritual traditions: Christianity and Hinduism. Essentially, Christians view suffering as a consequence of free will, and Hindus view suffering as a result of karma; thus, the notion of causality features in both traditions. Furthermore, although these religions are significantly different in their beliefs, structure and traditions, their approaches to dealing with suffering and its role in shaping the soul's destiny contain some strikingly common themes.

A familiar critique of monotheistic religions, such as Christianity, is that an all-powerful and all-loving God would not allow such immense suffering and evil to exist on earth; thus, God must be either impotent or non-existent.[1] Yet the role of suffering in Christian theology becomes clearer when one considers the possibility of living under the control of a totalitarian God that allows only the good to exist – it may eliminate suffering, but it would also abolish freedom. Without the freedom to choose evil, we are not freely choosing good either, which erases its meaning. Hence, for Christians, the role of suffering is deeply entwined with the notion of free will; God did not eliminate suffering because God was unwilling to eradicate freedom.[2] For Christians, suffering exists because free will exists and one reaps whatever one sows.[3] 

Christ experienced unimaginable suffering and betrayal during his life. His confrontation with the forces of evil and suffering is exemplified in his trial and crucifixion. In an almost literal battle, Christ is represented as contending with malicious spiritual forces that cause human suffering, such as devils and evil spirits, and hostile human forces, such as those who abuse their power and authority.[4] Despite his intense suffering, his compassion for his persecutors remained intact, most obviously displayed when he stated, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do'.[5] The harrowing circumstances surrounding Christ’s trial and crucifixion did not cause his faith in God to waver.[6] His apparent defeat was, thus, a spiritual victory, and his death, a new beginning. The Gospels state that Christ experienced the reality of suffering without being defeated by it.[7] Therefore, according to Christians, Christ does not take away our suffering; he enters into it and transforms it, thereby giving it spiritual power and meaning. Consequently, embracing suffering as a spiritually transformative experience is typical of the Christian response. 

Connected to the understanding that even the most intense experience of individual suffering cannot defeat God is the expectation of a pragmatic response to suffering whenever it occurs. For the individual, this implies avoiding causing suffering to others and relieving the suffering of others whenever possible, as well as an enduring sense of compassion amidst the experience of personal suffering.[8] Compassion poured through Christ, and he devoted much of his life to alleviating the suffering of others. The continuous reality of suffering never overwhelmed him, and he never tried to escape or evade it. Rather, Christ's lived experience validated what he preached. As Kilpatrick has described it:

He lived in unbroken communion with God, and faced all the problems of life from that position of perfect acquaintance. He knew God. He knew that God's love gathers into its company all the suffering of man and of the whole sentient creation. The goodwill of a God whom he knew as the Father cannot be impugned. The victory of his love cannot be doubted. In this faith Jesus lived and died. He revealed to men its divine object and gave theism the verification of experience.[9]

Summarising the Christian response to suffering has its challenges, given Christianity's many branches of interpretation; however, summarising the Hindu response to suffering is far more complex. In Hinduism, just as there are countless Gods and Goddesses, there are myriad ways of viewing the same topic, none of which is complete in its unique perspective and yet remains entirely valid in its own right.[10] For Hindus, all religious truths are different paths leading to the same place, and no religious truth can claim to encompass the whole truth in exclusivity.[11]

In contrast to Christianity, which views a person’s choices as determining the state of their soul – in Hinduism, typically, people are viewed as intrinsically good, or in other words, the essential nature of all individuals is their atman or soul, which is pure. However, the transcendental atman lives in a temporal body with an ego (jiva) and the ego exists in a world that encompasses the entire spectrum of good, evil and everything in between. Accordingly, it is not the soul that causes suffering – it is the instinctive nature or ego, and like a wild beast, it must be tamed through spiritual practice. In Hinduism, a person who generates suffering is not intrinsically evil but rather incapable of controlling their instinctual or egoic nature.[12] Therefore, the spiritual path for the Hindu, like the Christian, involves restraining the egoic tendencies that foster suffering, such as greed, fear, rage or any other impulse that causes harm to the self and others.

Another factor involved in suffering for Hindus is the notion of karma, which could be loosely compared to the Christian idea of reaping what you sow. The Hindu belief in karma is exemplified by the acceptance of the caste system, which is largely viewed as an accumulated reward or punishment for an individual's past actions in previous lifetimes.[13] Furthermore, Hindus understand the experience of suffering as internal as well as external – when one's internal egoic nature is dominant, one experiences its adverse effects through negative karma.[14] Karma is also understood as an impersonal moral law of the universe, which is as reliable and impartial as the physical law of gravity.[15] As summarised by S. Radhakrishnan:

Until we negate the ego and get fixed in the Divine Ground we are

bound to the endless procession of events called samsara. The principle

which governs this world of becoming is called karma. There are

moral and spiritual laws as well as physical laws. If we neglect the laws

of health, we injure our health; if we neglect the laws of morality, we

wreck our higher life... The law of karma is not external to the indi-

vidual. The judge is not without but within.[16]

Similar to the Christian view of looking within to find the kingdom of God, Hinduism encourages turning inward to find the true self or atman and, eventually, Brahman, the ultimate divine reality.[17] In essence, a Hindu’s spiritual focus is to become aware of the essential self (atman), practice appropriate action (dharma), detach from the illusory and transient things of the world that give rise to suffering (samsara) and ultimately achieve liberation from suffering entirely (moksha).[18] Through the cycle of death and rebirth and the experience of suffering, the soul gains insight into and eventual release from the illusion of the material world and achieves union with the divine. Accordingly, the world's karmic suffering could be viewed as a catalyst for individual spiritual growth, awakening and emancipation. Naturally, there are many unpleasant things that most people hope never to experience, and the Vedas contain numerous prayers to ward off negative experiences.[19] Nonetheless, suffering is viewed as a natural aspect of the universe that may be highly beneficial when it eliminates accumulated karma and initiates the quest for spiritual development.[20]

From a psychological perspective, both religions' expressions of good versus evil and the experience of suffering, depict a metaphorical yet fundamental conflict within ourselves. Suffering appears in both faiths as a spiritual initiation, not unlike the mythological hero's journey. In dark times, when one is forced to detach from the world and turn inward, the experience of suffering could be viewed as the spark that lights the flame within, illuminating the essence of the true self and that of the divine. From the standpoint of both Christian and Hindu thought, suffering tends to involve spiritual compensation and personal transformation. Through the experience of suffering, spiritual treasures are excavated from previously unknown inner sources. Consequently, suffering should not be considered entirely negative, nor should it be avoided. Instead, both traditions encourage one to surrender to the experience of suffering when it occurs, embracing its transformative powers. Further, both traditions convey that suffering, although agonising, is not the final destination of the soul. Beyond suffering is an everlasting and unconquerable aspect of the self/divine. Whether viewed as Christ and the kingdom of God or the soul (atman) and the ultimate divinity (Brahman), both traditions point to the transcendental truth that suffering comes bearing gifts: insight, profound compassion, liberation from the undeserving diversions of the physical world into a higher state of spiritual awareness and union with the divine. 

Bibliography

Bilimoria, P & Deakin University. School Of Humanities. Open Campus Program, The self and its destiny in Hinduism. Geelong, Vic., Deakin University, 1990.

Bowker, J, Problems of Suffering in Religions of the World. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1995, Chapters 2 & 5.

Crossway Bibles, The Holy Bible : English Standard Version containing the Old and New Testaments.. Wheaton, Ill., Crossway, 2016.

Hastings, J, John Alexander Selbie, & Louis Herbert Gray, Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics: Picts-Sacraments. , 1919.

Radhakrishnan, S, The principal Upaniṣads. Editorial: New York, Harpercollins Publishers, 2018.

[1] Bowker J, Christianity, Problems of Suffering in Religions of the World (Cambridge University Press 1970).

[2] Bowker J, Christianity, 1970.

[3] Galatians 6:7, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 2016.

[4] Bowker J, Christianity, 1970.

[5] Luke 23:24, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 2016.

[6] Bowker J, Christianity, 1970.

[7] Bowker J, Christianity, 1970.

[8] Bowker J, Christianity, 1970.

[9] T. P. Kilpatrick, article on ' Suffering' in Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics.

[10] Bowker J, Hinduism, Problems of Suffering in Religions of the World (Cambridge University Press 1970).

[11] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.

[12] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.

[13] P. Bilimoria, The self and its destiny in Hinduism, Deakin University, 1990.

[14] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.

[15] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.

[16] S. Radhakrishnan, The Principal Upanishads (2018), p. 113.

[17] P. Bilimoria, The self and its destiny in Hinduism, 1990.

[18] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.

[19] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.

[20] Bowker J, Hinduism, 1970.