A Release from Aging, Illness, Death, and Separation

An anthropologist once questioned a native Alaskan shaman about his tribes belief system. After putting up with the anthropologist's questions for a while, the shaman finally told him, "Look, we don't believe. We fear."

In a similar way, Buddhism starts out, not with a belief, but with a fear of very present dangers.

As the Buddha himself told his students, his initial impetus for leaving home and seeking awakening was his comprehension of the great dangers that inevitably follow on birth, namely: aging, illness, death, and separation.

The awakening he sought was one that would lead him to a happiness not subject to aging, illness, death, and separation.

After finding that happiness, and in attempting to show others how to find it for themselves, he frequently referred to themes of aging, of illness, of death, and of separation as useful objects of contemplation.

Because of this, his Teachings have often been referred to as pessimistic. But this emphasis is akin to a doctor focusing on the symptoms and causes of disease as part of an effort to bring about a cure.

The Buddha was not afraid to dwell on the topics of aging, illness, death, and separation because the awakening he taught brings about a total release from them.