Does Suffering Exist?

Buddhist teachers say that unless one understands the First Noble Truth (the Truth of Suffering) one cannot understand anything else about Buddhism. When one acknowledges that suffering exists then one can proceed on the Buddhist path. I guess suffering is a tool for awakening – not ‘enlightenment’ awakening but awakening to the truth that one suffers and thereby motivating one to seek out the cause(s) of suffering and an end to suffering. But Buddhism also teaches that the self does not exist and is an illusion. The way I see it suffering brings the self into sharp focus and puts the self under scrutiny. Eventually, one accepts that the self does not exist and one is therefore freed from suffering. So if there is a connection between self and suffering, and the self does not actually exist, then isn’t it logical to say that suffering does not exist? So what is the real meaning of the First Noble Truth? It would seem that the Buddha is lying when he says, ‘Suffering exists.” Because, really, it doesn’t. Interesting.