Surveying the Notion of Suffering from The Viewpoints of Buddha (Jātaka) and Rumi (Mathnavi)

Happiness and salvation has long been considered by all religious schools. In the meantime, the issue of suffering consider as primary matter in this life and the next. Buddhism (relying to Jataka story) introduced as pragmatic school which has no optimism about suffering and its effects and regards the ignorance of past and present of human being as main reason of suffering. Buddhism recommends the eight ways to treat and get rid of this problem. But in Rumi’s works, suffering has positive effects such as evolution, salvation purity from sin, strength of faith and negative effects such as sadness, depression, decline of faith classes. Rumi tried to intrudes the main reason of pain and suffering. In Rumi’s point of view all of these factors can be found in lack of understanding about epistemology, cosmology, theology and anthropology. This study considers the suffering which is the central theme in Jataka. According to this story, suffering is the essential part of the world but Rumi in Mahtnavi regard suffering as essential internal factor which guide human being to achieve high goals. Jataka introduce ignorance as key reason of surfing but Rumi suggests that separating from essence world will leads to suffering and pain of human being. Separating can be avoidable such as lack of faith of god and caution, selfishness and follow the evil pass in spite of rationalism, and can be inevitable such as the descent of man and divine destiny. However Rumi has deferent perspective of suffering, its cause and its object, compared to Buddha. Although the similarity of these two view is undeniable.