In addition to the four sufferings and the eight sufferings, which describe types of suffering, Buddhism analyzes suffering according to its cause in three ways (the three sufferings): suffering caused directly, the physical pain experienced by all living creatures with sensory systems; suffering caused by loss or destruction of things to which human beings have attachments or of which they entertain expectations; and suffering caused by the impermanence of all things. The first kind of suffering is objective. The second is subjective and can be relieved by altering one’s mental attitude. Much of the suffering that human beings experience is of this kind, as is most of the suffering that religions are called upon to succor. The last of the three sufferings, caused by the impermanence of all things, is an idea that permeates Buddhism and Indian philosophy in general.Basic Buddhist Concepts