The other day, my guru sent me an email. Not a long sermon, not a book—just an email. In it, he gave me something simple and life-changing. He said, “Here is why people suffer, and here is why most of that suffering is unnecessary.” It’s the kind of wisdom that hits you because it’s so obvious you can’t believe you never saw it.
Buddhism, he reminded me, is an ancient tradition that started with a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha—the “awakened one.” Over 2,000 years ago, he taught that life is full of suffering but that suffering can end. How? By understanding where it comes from and learning how to let go.
My guru’s email broke it down even further. He said suffering comes from only a handful of things. In fact, they can all fit into a single easy-to-remember list called THE SHIT:
Thirst. Hunger. Exposure to the elements. Sickness. Horniness. Injury. Tiredness.
And then there’s one more: Your Brain.
For most of human history, these were real, unavoidable problems. People were thirsty and had no clean water. They went hungry, got sick, froze in the cold, or died from injuries. They lived short, hard lives full of fear and pain.
But, my guru wrote, in the modern world—at least for most people in developed countries—these things don’t have to control you anymore. Clean water is everywhere. Food is cheap and available. You have a roof over your head. Medicine exists. Roads are safe. Hospitals exist. Almost every physical need can be met easily today, compared to the struggles of the past.
Thirst? Drink water.
Hunger? Eat something.
Exposure? Go indoors.
Sickness? Take care of your body and see a doctor.
Horniness? Take care of yourself or let it pass.
Injury? Avoid carelessness.
Tiredness? Go to sleep.
In other words, all these things can be solved if you choose to solve them. Yet people still suffer. Why? Because of the last one: Your Brain.
The brain is tricky. It evolved to keep you alive thousands of years ago when the world was dangerous. It still acts like you’re in that world. It tells you to worry, to fear, to stay alert even when you’re safe. It invents threats and repeats old pain. It creates suffering out of nothing. Most people let their brain run wild, and it ruins their peace.
But as my guru said, you don’t have to listen to it. You can notice the lies it tells. You can see that you are alive right now, in a time and place where you are safer and more comfortable than almost any human who has ever lived. You already live in conditions that would have seemed like paradise to your ancestors.
This, he said, is what Buddhism has been pointing to all along: Nirvana is not a faraway place. It’s not only for monks. It’s not locked in a temple. Nirvana is here, now, when suffering ends. It’s what happens when you take care of your basic needs and stop letting your brain torture you with fear and longing.
The sad truth, my guru wrote, is that most people don’t really want Nirvana. They say they do, but they cling to their suffering because it feels familiar. They hold on to their pain because it gives them something to talk about, something to blame. They’d rather keep their misery than let it go.
But you don’t have to. You can choose differently. You can handle the SHIT—thirst, hunger, exposure, sickness, horniness, injury, tiredness—because our world makes that easy. Then you can learn to quiet the brain, the last and biggest cause of suffering.
My guru ended the email with this: Nirvana is right in front of you. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to chase it. You only have to stop believing the suffering your brain gives you. Peace is already here—if you’re willing to take it.
tl;dr
The provided text, titled "THE SHIT That Keeps You From Nirvana," explores the concept of suffering and its origins, drawing inspiration from Buddhist principles and a guru's insights. It posits that while ancient humans faced unavoidable hardships like thirst, hunger, and illness, modern society, especially in developed nations, has largely mitigated these physical causes of suffering. The core argument is that the primary source of ongoing suffering in contemporary life stems from "Your Brain," which constantly invents threats and fosters worry even when basic needs are met. The author suggests that Nirvana is not a distant ideal but an accessible state achieved by addressing fundamental needs and learning to quiet the mind's self-imposed torment, emphasizing that peace is readily available if one chooses to embrace it.
