We have come a long way from the ancient world and the Dark Ages. We are now in the age of modern civilization when science and technology have aided human progress tremendously. An event that takes place at the present moment in one part of the world can be known to the rest of the world in a matter of a few seconds. Science and technology have developed to such an extent that they have contributed to making it possible for man to land on the moon. We marvel at how much man has achieved today. But we must not be carried away by the praise worthy achievements. These are only a part of today’s developments in the world. They are creative efforts that are apprecia-ted. There are also other developments which are destructive such as the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima when the pillars of civilization trembled at their very foundation. The attack on the twin towers in New York also reminds us of how man’s mind is capable of carrying out such destructive action.
The above developments clearly indi-cate that man is capable of creative as well as destructive actions. At present it app-ears that the destructive forces are promin-ently dominant. Nations are holding meet-ings to discuss and find ways to deal with terrorism. The United Nations is continuously striving for peace and a better world. It is quite an uphill task. I feel there is much need for peace and a better world today and I believe that Buddhism - the teachings of our Lord Buddha offer the ideal way to help us to achieve peace and a much better world with respect to dealing with the problem of suffering that we are undergoing today.
The aim of this paper will be to present what Buddhism has to offer to the world in dealing with the problem of suffering. I feel that it would be most proper to very briefly dwell on a short sketch of our Lord Buddha as a prelude to His teachings which will follow as the main subject of this paper.