Was suffering an ascetic practice?

The very beginning of the four teachings is suffering.
There is always suffering for living things.
The cause of suffering is thirst and worry.
Even if you die with an obsession with life, you will be reincarnated, so you won't be able to graduate from the loop of suffering.
However, Buddha discovered that there is a way to attain enlightenment (“attain Buddhism without hesitation” in Japanese) and graduate from the loop of suffering.
That is the fourth path of the Four Nobles, and that is what ascetic practice is.
In other words, ascetic practice in Buddhism is a training method for graduating from suffering.
“Neither I nor you have realized it yet, so it is natural for us to suffer as summer is hot and water flows downwards,” and we have no choice but to accept the current situation first.
And if you don't like suffering, you have no choice but to aim for enlightenment.
In order for enlightenment to erase the afflictions that cause suffering and enter nirvana (peaceful destruction), it is necessary to practice the Eight Shodo, the three schools of commandment, and wisdom, and for example, even if you commit suicide easily or if you reincarnate as an earthworm without intelligence, you won't even be able to practice ascetic practices and crawl around in pain.
That's why Buddhism is about practicing even a little while feeling the joy of being born in a human body and being able to live in a country with Buddhism.
Also, the Pure Land faith, which aims to pass away (reincarnate) in the Pure Land, which is an environment that is easier to understand, is also popular.

I read your consultation. I understand how you feel, but there are some difficult questions about how to answer them.

The challenge for answering monks is to search for content that will first be heard and then accepted, even if it doesn't go as far as the Buddha's confrontation theory (speaking according to the other person's ability or condition).

In most cases, counselors do not want to learn Buddhism or practice Buddhism, but rather they want to solve problems that have befallen them.

In terms of Buddhism, of course, as you said, the Buddha is a god in monotheistic religion such as Christianity, in other words, he is not the ruler of fate or the creator of the world, so the Buddha does not inflict suffering on us.

And when it comes to where suffering lies, many people probably think it's outside of themselves. In other words, the idea is that bad events and unreasonable opponents are the cause of suffering, and it is good to get rid of them. However, in terms of Buddhism, the cause of suffering is one's own inner affliction.

Even if you ignore that gap in perception and suddenly throw up Buddhist orthodoxy, they won't be accepted at all.

“What? Am I to blame? Even though it's been such a terrible situation!?”

I can see that it ends up being rejected. Therefore, while following the counselor's perception of the current situation, the ideal answer is to first accept that painful feeling and situation, then calm down, recognize the current situation, determine the essence of the problem, and gradually move towards Buddhist thought and practice.

Therefore, the answers are basically one-of-a-kind content for the consultant. I am grateful here at hasunoha that it is shared in this way.

I said “huh?” There are times when even what I think resonates with other people, and vice versa.

Even if you can't choose the events that happen, I think the essence of the problem of suffering lies in how you feel about those events. That's what it means to deserve it. There are probably various paths and convenience (procedures) to get to its essence.

You should also refer to other people's consultations and answers to them, and if you have any questions of your own, please discuss them here.

There is this in the short sutras of the Shikoh Pledge, which summarizes the religious spirit of Buddhism, the Bodhisattva heart, so to speak. “Dharmon Immortal Pledge Studies” = I pledge that the Dharma will learn even though it is limitless. Any event is a guide rather than a test for the Buddha. I think I'll learn good things, bad things, hardships, and pleasures depending on myself. I think I'll improve my personality by learning about those relationships and opportunities. Unlocking one's own original function of the Buddha, becoming safe without problems, and opening up the Buddha's observational power is also called development (Kaihotsu).
Any difficulty or pleasure in life is “suffering.” “Suffering” is not bad, it's Duca. Things that don't turn out the way you want them to. It's free, unpredictable, and tricky about my own desires, expectations, settings, and my own rules. The fact that you have a completely different aspect from how you perceive yourself = this side of the brain is called “suffering.”
Since it is Japanese and kanji, there are many people who interpret it as “painful,” but death from senile illness and death from senile illness should not necessarily be painful. Even if you're sick, there must be a peaceful death where you forget your illness, forget your age or old age. It's not a reading that says bitter = painful.
To put it bluntly, outside the room I'm in now, my chickens are over 100 decibels of roaring and cuckling dozens of times. I'm going to wake up. However, it is a habit of animals, organisms, and chickens that live in the natural world, and it is natural and natural. It's not going according to our side's wishes and wishes. 🐔 However, it doesn't matter if it screams when I don't take it up and I'm “unable to” feel like it. It's not that it's painful or that things don't turn out the way you want, it's just that there's a pure cock-a-boo phenomenon. Dharma is a guide to an intelligent and comfortable heart called enlightenment and nirvana. All kinds of difficulties, hardships, and pleasures are raging, and at the beginning, it's just an innocent and clean event = Buddha's image. Thankfully, no matter what that was. Using it as an opportunity, even if it is difficult, leading and moving it in a better direction, no problems, comfort, silence, intelligence, and a better direction as a jumping platform, ascending platform, trigger, learning, trajectory correction, and turning point can be said to be a Buddhist way of life.
Training is not about patience. It is important to look closely at the facts and identify them as “the most important cause and effect” beyond people's opinions and values. I learned it too. Thank you very much.

Suffering is simply a feeling that it is suffering, and that alone cannot be called ascetic practice.
In Buddhism, all phenomena are viewed as bitter and empty, simply because there is little suffering, even if it is easy.
When you receive pleasant suffering, when you receive painful suffering, your mind responds to it. I see that way of being able to overcome that state of mind with less worry and suffering is a successful practice.
Living is full of suffering and very difficult things, and in order to reduce suffering, we must learn to learn some skills and do work to earn sustenance for a living. In terms of learning and work, I see that what I was able to do had many results of training, and the results of ascetic practice were few for what I couldn't do.
I think the standard for whether it works or doesn't work is whether you have a lot or little selfishness. No matter what you feel, if you are strong, your reaction to likes and dislikes will increase, and I think it will be difficult. If you don't have much selfishness, I think it's easier to calmly get through it, wondering how to deal with it.
I think it's relatively easy to learn and work if you choose something that is easy for you to do and that you are good at, and proceed slowly, there will be less pain.
I think that loosely speaking of suffering as ascetic practice in Buddhism omits the above.