On Suffering

On Suffering

We suffer when we don’t get what we want, whether it was buying a new product, or not getting our way with other people. If we say something stupid, or somebody gives us a certain look, we feel uncomfortable. We react to what we hear in the news - it’s especially catching if there is an element of injustice in it. These are imaginary sufferings, caused by our imaginary picture of ourselves and the world around us.

Having bodily discomforts, small or large, is unavoidable in life. If we focus on these and magnify them, feeling that they are undeserved or unfair, they become an excuse for negative emotions. If we take the same bodily pains and remove the negative emotions, they serve as a reminder that we exist, that we can actually escape imagination and become aware of the present moment.

From time to time, larger suffering comes our way. If we firmly grasp our wish to remember ourselves, there is no force larger than this to propel us into the present moment. This is the transformation of suffering into presence.

“Suffering is the best possible help for self-remembering if you learn how to use it. By itself it does not help; one can suffer one's whole life and it will not give a grain of result, but if one learns to use suffering, it will become helpful. The moment you suffer, try to remember yourself.”

Post by David Tuttle

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Image: Leanardo da Vinci