Early in his teaching career, Buddha gave a talk about the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Social worker, Buddhist minister, and psychotherapist David Brazier sees the core of his message as being "how to live a noble and satisfying life in which affliction and trouble are as essential as the grit is to the pearl." The author is convinced that this profound teaching has depth charges for understanding human psychology, for spiritual practice, and for the conduct of everyday life.
Brazier sees it as a supreme irony that many people seem to think that Buddhism is nothing more than a path for those who wish to escape from suffering. His radical view is just the opposite: "Where the grief is strongest, the doubt most disturbing, the turmoil most opaque, the ignorance most dark — that is the place where enlightenment will break through. Lotuses only grow in swamps." Brazier challenges us to learn from adversity. He also defines nirvana as the process on earth of mastering the fire within us. The Feeling Buddha offers a refreshing reframing of human suffering.