What Is the Human Problem?

Different spiritual traditions offer different explanations.

Some teach that suffering comes from attachment or desire.

Others teach that the individual self is ultimately an illusion.

Others teach that liberation comes through knowledge or spiritual discipline.

If these explanations are correct, then the solution would involve enlightenment, detachment, or escape from the cycle of rebirth.

But before examining solutions, we must ask:

Does suffering come from illusion—or from something real about the human condition?

Before choosing a solution, it is important to understand the true nature of the problem.