If we expect things in our lives to stay the same or we are looking for certainty, we are bound to be disappointed. Suffering arises when we invest our emotional security in what we think is a solid foundation but is actually quicksand. This is the noble truth of suffering as taught by the Buddha.
The reason that this occurs — the cause of suffering — is that we are mistaken about what is dependable and what is not. For example, the reality that things will change is dependable as is the reality that our actions are habit forming. If we base our action on those truths, uncertainty will not be a concern for us.
Change and uncertainty are inevitable, but when we decide to observe, our perspective ceases to be a cause for suffering and the change itself serves as our primary meditation object. Observation of the storm thus becomes our refuge from it and our suffering can begin to cease.
The Buddha’s gift to the world was the development of a training regime that can transform our lives from one in which we are tossed around at sea with every wave of instability to a quiet tranquility of simple knowing that change is inevitable. Thanks to this gift — the path leading to the cessation of suffering — the method is available for one who wishes to make spiritual development a priority and discover happiness in the here and now.