The Four Enemies: Understanding Suffering
…oka dukkha]
The Buddha characterized the suffering of sorrow as affect-
ing one with burning in the heart as if the mind has lost all
refreshedness. It is a mind that is ’dried up’ by anxiety, sleep-
less …
This text discusses the metaphor of four enemies that represent the sufferings inherent in human existence: birth, aging, illness, and death. Birth is akin to the first enemy, seducing us into life, w