What does it mean to be free from physical & mental suffering? – is there a way to determine this or measure this objectively?

Last Updated on May 12, 2024 by pg@petergamma.org

• To be free from mental & physical suffering?
• To be happy?
• To be completely sane?
• where is the difference?
• Is not the goal of psychotherapists to help their patients to lead a life which is free from mental suffering?
• Do they help their patients also how to become happy?
• No – this is too much – this is an answer psychotherapists give.
• In the Buddhist tradition you are not completely sane until you are fully enlightened»:

1400. Theravāda Buddhist monk Ajahn Amaro: «In the Buddhist tradition you are not completely sane until you are fully enlightened» – Tibets most famous poet Milarepa (950 -1052) received the whole teaching as how to attain one’s fullest enlighenment in one lifetime from a Guru who lived in India

But where are the brain scanners which allows to measure in an objectively way if a person is:

• free from mental suffering?
• happy?
• enlightened?
• comletely mentally sane?

Can this be done with the brain scanner Richard R. Davidson uses?:

And psychiatrists also ask the question:

• What does mentally ill mean?
• And what does mentally healthy mean?
• And Peter Gamma from www.petergamma.org asks, where are the scientific studies which give an answer to these open questions?

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche teaches in the following video:

Buddha has taught 84 000 teachings,
but to put that into very simple worlds,
is to have a good heart,
and what does it mean to have a good heart is,
to have the intention to free all beings
from physical and mental suffering.
And this is summarized the 84 000 teachings into simple words.

What is your opinion about this topic? Write it in the comments below.