Life as suffering
The idea of life as suffering is central to Buddhism and Eastern modes of thought, and it is essentially rooted in irony. One part of the irony is that life seems somewhat pleasant, especially from the perspective of innocence, but according to this philosophy, life must be understood as inherently suffering. For instance, the desires of life are painful. To want something hurts, and life is full of desire. To want a better life is painful, and the suffering of life is painful. By accepting this pain as essentially unavoidable and inherent to the human experience, one can rid themselves of the additional pain of aversion and imbalance.
The obvious task
The objective of the Dalai Lama's Ethics is ironic because it is so obvious. If life is suffering, then what is the ultimate goal of life? To find true happiness. But, since suffering is unavoidable, the task is not as easy as it seems. There must exist a new kind of happiness, hidden by dramatic irony, which could bring perfect happiness without respect to external circumstances. The happiness that the Dalai Lama teaches is a happiness that doesn't change when life throws someone a curve ball.
The confusing nature of tempation
There is dramatic irony in life's temptations, because in a given moment, the temptation feels so true and obvious, but if one abstains from those temptations, one's life improves immeasurably. For instance, it is tempting to yell and criticize whenever feelings of anger arise, but this temptation is ironically destructive. By remaining calm and patient, one mitigates further suffering, and one learns a great deal from anger. The temptation promises immediate pleasure, but ironically, that pleasure comes at the expense of true happiness.
The pain of courage
When one hears the word "courage," one typically associates that with a brave warrior going into battle, like the young prophet warrior Arjuna whose guide, the god Lord Krishna, helps him to perform correct actions. That is courage, but for the Dalai Lama, the application of courage is ironic. For instance, it is courage to not need to perform a wrong action. By using "so pa," the courageous response to adversity, one can become ethical simply by selecting the better option when circumstances demand a reaction. By reacting patiently, one is courageous. Courage is the ironic power to do what is least attractive but most profitable.
The loving nature of karma
The chapter on karma explains that karma is essentially ironic. Although bad karma seems bad to us, all karma is essentially rooted in love, because karmic manifestations allow the human to learn from their mistakes. This is not pleasant, but it is good. The irony of karma is that such problems arise from one's mistaken opinions about life to help teach the correct opinions, but in real time, it feels like God is punishing us for being evil. Ironically, that is not the case; it is a gift to learn from mistakes, because it leads to existential bliss and ultimate happiness, says the teacher.
