user23750: In vipassana we are asked to be optimist. But buddha said expectation is the cause of all suffering. .
Is there any difference between expectation and optimism?

user16635: To 'expect' is to imagine a particular state of the world and assume or assert that it will come to be. It is a counterfactual that can lead to discontentment and attachment (dukkha and tanhā) if it doesn't come to pass exactly as imagined.
To be 'optimistic' is to have trust in the workings of the world: faith that whatever outcome arises (expected or unexpected) will ultimately work out well. Optimism is an attitude more than a belief, and it's an attitude that tends to dissolve discontentment and attachment.

23750: <p>In vipassana we are asked to be optimist. But buddha said expectation is the cause of all suffering. .
Is there any difference between expectation and optimism?</p>
 16635: <p>To 'expect' is to imagine a particular state of the world and assume or assert that it will come to be. It is a counterfactual that can lead to discontentment and attachment (dukkha and tanhā) if it doesn't come to pass exactly as imagined.</p>
<p>To be 'optimistic' is to have trust in the workings of the world: faith that whatever outcome arises (expected or unexpected) will ultimately work out well. Optimism is an attitude more than a belief, and it's an attitude that tends to dissolve discontentment and attachment.</p>
