IS BUDDHISM FOR THE WEST?

Buddhism is for anyone who suffers, and that is everyone.

Suffering is a central fact of life. Birth entails pain, decay is painful, disease is painful, death is painful. Painful, too, union with what is unpleasant. Separation from the pleasant is painful. Any unsatisfied craving is painful.

This suffering is not exclusive to Asia. It is common to all humans everywhere, including especially in the West. Action and achievement are high priorities in the West, and with such pressing motives comes inevitable frustration.  Frustration equals suffering.

The origin of suffering is the drive to gratify the senses or the craving for material gains, which is particularly pronounced in the materialistic culture of the West.

The elimination of suffering is the objective of Buddhism, and this is to give up, to get rid of, to be emancipated from the desires that cause so much distress.

The one Path that leads to freedom from all misery is the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, and everyone the world over can benefit from it.