An expert doctor comes to examine a sick person. He explains to the sick person: “This is your disease; this is the cause of your disease; and here—I have a medicine for your disease. The medicine will remove the cause of the disease and thus cure the disease.” The sick person takes the medicine and becomes healthy. Now, would we say that this doctor is promoting disease or promoting health?
In exactly the same manner, the Buddha explains to the suffering people what their misery is; what the root cause of their misery is; then he gives the solution to eradicate all misery. He clearly explains to them that if they practise the solution, they will come out of their misery. People suffer from impurities of the mind. When they follow this wise man’s advice, they come out of misery because mental impurities are removed. Is it then logical to say that the Buddha is promoting misery?
( extract from “Was the Buddha a Pessimist?” a translation and adaptation of the VRI Hindi publication “Kyā Buddha Dukkhavādī The?” written by Goenka.)
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