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Why do we Suffer? Buddhism and the Problem of Evil
Author(s) -
Gäb Sebastian
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
philosophy compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.973
H-Index - 25
ISSN - 1747-9991
DOI - 10.1111/phc3.12207
Subject(s) - buddhism , problem of evil , metaphysics , epistemology , philosophy , relation (database) , political ponerology , computer science , theology , database
This paper explains the Buddhist concept of suffering ( dukkha ) and its relation to the Christian problem of evil. Although there is no problem of evil in Buddhism, the Buddhist understanding of the origin and causes of suffering will help us to find new approaches to the problem of evil. More specifically, I argue (1) that the concept of evil can be interpreted in terms of dukkha ; (2) that the existence of suffering or dukkha is necessarily inevitable for finite beings, given the metaphysical structure of the world and ourselves; and (3) that this reasoning can be interpreted as a defense against the problem of evil.