Hinduism

Suffering in Hinduism is occurs on a mental and physical level. The degree of suffering depends on one’s past life. They call this consequence karma. It is not believed to be a punishment, but rather a natural result of the moral laws of the universe in response to the past negative actions. Therefore, if a Hindu was struggling through a rough time and asked “why me?” or “what caused this to happen?”- a response as I understand from the Hindu religion would be that it is due to the soul’s previous activities. This is the price that a Hindu must pay if they made bad decisions in their previous existence. Suffering is understood to be part of living until the Hindu reaches moksha, and is released from the present suffering on Earth. As long as the Hindu is on Earth, he or she will experience physical pain. But as I mentioned before, physical pain is separate from mental pain. While the body may be in pain, the Self or soul is not in any way affected or harmed. From the story of Arjuna, a seeker of wisdom in The Bhagavad-Gita, the relationship between suffering and soul:

“The self embodied in the body
of every being is indestructible”.

- The Bhagavad-Gita

and also:

“Weapons do not cut it,
fire does not burn it,
waters do not wet it,
wind does not wither it.
It cannot be cut or burned;
it cannot be wet or withered;
it is enduring, all-pervasive,
fixed, immovable, and timeless”.

- The Bhagavad-Gita

Therefore, it is considered temporary suffering and not solely bad but as experiences that need to be viewed from multiple perspectives. Hindu traditions hold that all things are manifestations of God, so nothing is only good or bad, including suffering. To view suffering as bad is to see only one side of it. Suffering is positive if it leads to progress on a spiritual path. Some even embrace suffering as a way to progress on his spiritual path, to be tested and learn from a difficult experience.

“Contacts with matter make us feel
heat and cold, pleasure and pain.
Arjuna, you must learn to endure
fleeting things—they come and go!
When these cannot torment a man,
When suffering and joy are equal
for him and he has courage,
he is fit for immortality.”

- The Bhagavad-Gita

Under Hinduism, the process of suffering is seen as an opportunity to break through to the unconscious and not plead for pain relief. Most important would be to refocus away from pain to dharma.

You can read the entire Bhagavad-Gita by following this link:
http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/