The Problem of Evil and Suffering Can Easily be Explained
IC-814

Happiness and excitement, something every child in a modern society would experience. But there can never be happiness and excitement without evil and suffering, because that’s what makes happiness and excitement so rewarding. Everyone views evil and suffering from different perspectives, especially from a religious perspective. Buddhism is recognised as one of the most peaceful religions in the world, for its strict peace virtues and teachings (Der-Lan Yeh, 2006).  

What are the Buddhists teachings on the nature of evil and suffering?
Buddhists do not believe that human beings are evil, however they accept that suffering is the consequence of human’s greed, anger and ignorance (BBC n.d.). Buddhists teachings on the nature of evil and suffering are deeply rooted in the four noble truths and the main concept of karma (https://www.facebook.com/learn.religions, 2018). The four noble truths in Buddhism starts with Dukkha (suffering) which displays that life is inherently filled with suffering and dissatisfaction. Samudaya (Origin of suffering), represents that suffering arises from greed, desire and ignorance. Nirodha (Cessation of Suffering), informs that it is possible to end suffering by eliminating your desire and greed. Magga (Path to the Cessation of suffering), is a practical guide to end suffering. (Mark, 2021). Originated from Hinduism, Buddhism is also mainly scaffolded on Karma referring what goes around comes around. Karma refers to one’s actions whether good or bad has a corresponding effect on one’s future. Bad actions lead to suffering while good actions lead to happiness and peace (BBC, 2009). Buddhists also respond to evil and suffering through the eightfold path which is a concept outlining the steps to achieve enlightenment and liberation. This is through meditation, abandoning wholesome loved ones, developing awareness of the body, feelings, mind to maintain a clear and focused mind (Anon, 2021).

How do the Catholic Church's explanations of evil and suffering compare to those of other religious traditions?
While Buddhism approaches evil and suffering from focusing on karma and the four noble truths, the catholic church in contrasts takes the perspective of evil and suffering is understood through the lens of original sin and the fall of humanity (Patheos, 2019). Catholicism attributes evil to human sin and the disobedience to God, in contrast to Buddhism where they see evil and suffering as a result of ignorance and negative actions (Rhoades, 2017). Catholics also believe that the main purpose for evil and suffering adds redemptive value to bring induvial closer to God. However, Buddhist’s don’t particularly believe to look to God but believe that suffering is something to be fully understood by their mind and transcended through spiritual practice. Buddhism has an approach to rely on your own mind and become mentally strong, in comparison to the Catholic Church that believes they should look to God as a guide (Spiritual Primate, 2025) (Patheos, 2019). Catholics find solace in the redemptive power of Christ’s suffering and the sacrifice that he made for the world (Fradd, 2013). Catholics use this to find their confidence and courage to face fears, whereas Buddhists follow the eightfold path to achieve liberation from suffering. Both the Catholic Church and Buddhism have profound insights into the nature of evil and suffering, providing their followers with scaffolds for understanding and addressing these universal human experiences.

How does the Kandahar hijack highlight the struggle with pain and suffering?
The Kandahar hijack of the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in December 1999 was a traumatic event that involved terrorists hijacking the plane and leading to a weeklong hell for the passengers and crew (Financialexpress.com, 2024). This incident can be examined through the lens of Buddhism and their teachings of evil and suffering. The hijack and the terrorists terrorising and screaming in the first 20 minutes of the flight where passengers and crew endured pain, fear and loss can be seen as dukkha, which is the first out of four noble truth teachings of budda. The terrorist’s motive in the hijack was due to their craving an attachment to their political goal in releasing their fellow terrorist leader, Masood Azhar, which led to immense suffering for the innocent passengers and crew. This relates to Budda’s second noble truth teaching of Samudaya as this is the origination of the suffering. While the passengers were held hostage for a 7-day long period they were still released which can be referenced by Budda’s third teaching of Nirodha which is the end to suffering. All the passengers and crew may not be Buddhist however, their resilience and bravery to comprehend the hijack can be a step towards the last teaching of Budda in the noble truth known as Magga which is the path to end suffering through eliminating bad desires. After the incident passengers would feel the pain firsthand of evil holding them back from associating with evil themselves.

In conclusion, evil and suffering may be a painful burden, however, there are ways to avoid falling in the loophole of evil and suffering through finding a door to happiness and mindfulness through religion. Many religions have different aspects and beliefs for evil and suffering however, an intelligent person rather than choosing just Buddhism as a guide, would be a flexible learning other beliefs and finding similarities and differences to branch his knowledge. Evil and Suffering may sound painful however, without it the world wouldn’t feel as peaceful, and, PERFECT.

Akash Acharya
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