The recent Tsunami disaster certainly has turned our attention to suffering. The images and stories show almost unimaginable physical hardship and mental sorrow of thousands of people.

Suffering, and the recognition of our existence as being inseparable from suffering was, after all, the driving force behind the Buddha's discoveries. I've often grappled with the fact that most western followers of Buddhism probably do not experience suffering as a day-to-day fact. I'll indulge in a big generalization, but most western Buddhists are probably fairly comfortable members of the middle or upper classes. Sure, I have plenty of stress in my life from work and family, but I can't say that I suffer.

And so what is there to drive our search for enlightenmenet? Is it just an intellectual exercise? Can there be real progress without the spur of suffering?