Si-Do: Transformation of Suffering

Si-Do: Transformation of Suffering

In relation to being present, George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky spoke about two conscious shocks. We’ve addressed the Mi-Fa interval as characterized by imagination or identification. We bridge this interval by re-affirming self-remembering.

The Si-Do interval is characterized by suffering. The four lower centers suffer, each in its own way. There’s instinctive suffering (all bodily discomforts from the benign to the excruciating, distasteful food, foul odors, and so on), moving centered suffering (inability to move or understand spacial relationships), intellectual suffering (not knowing, not having or not being able to acquire enough information) and emotional suffering (grief, unrequited love, broken promises). Here’s the problem though; when the lower self suffers, without divided attention imagination and identification arise and negative emotions ensue, and higher centers are submerged.

Yesterday I was driving back home and the vehicle two cars in front of me was driving below the speed limit. The vehicle behind the front car followed at the same speed. There was plenty of opportunity for the car in front of mine to pass the front vehicle but it stayed in place. Irritation quickly occurred, and looking ahead I could see there was no oncoming traffic and no double-yellow line. I gunned the van to about 70 MPH and was almost past the front vehicle when I saw a highway patrol car in the distance coming towards me. In that moment, I knew the patrolman was going to turn around and stop me. Returning to divided attention, I pulled over, shut off the engine, rolled down the windows and waited for the officer to pull up behind me. We had a brief exchange and the officer simply cautioned me to slow down and did not write a speeding ticket.

This morning I had to go to town again. My journey began at 6:15am, when there’s little or no traffic. There’s a long two-lane country road before reaching the main highway, and at that time of day, no highway patrol so its possible to travel quite a few more miles per hour over the posted speed limit. This morning though an eighteen wheel truck rumbled along in front of a line of cars ahead of me at a much lower speed than the speed limit. Again impatience and irritation welled up. But the memory of the previous afternoon’s encounter also entered and the realization occurred that this was an opportunity to transform the suffering of the expectation of a fast drive to the highway into inconspicuous presence. Once again I had re-verified the Teacher’s observation that self-remembering is a Mi-Fa experience and transforming suffering is a Si-Do experience.

The image from Joan de Joanes’ triptych shows the Crucifixion. All the individuals pictured are in a state of suffering. Uncharacteristically though, instead of a martyred Christ included in the picture, there’s an empty space. The steward having fulfilled his role is no longer needed leaving the space for higher centers to emerge.

In relation to intervals, the Teacher offers us this gem of wisdom: “Intervals are golden opportunities to make conscious efforts, because only conscious effort produces the golden state of inconspicuous presence.”

Join the discussion

Triptych of the Crucifixion, Joan de Joanes

(Vicente Juan Masip) c. 1562

Museu de Belles Arts de València