Reflection: Suffering

[Unveiled Artist]

"'He was thinking, incidentally, that there was a moment or two in his epileptic condition almost before the fit itself (if it occurred in waking hours) when suddenly amid the sadness, spiritual darkness and depression, his brain seemed to catch fire at brief moments....His sensation of being alive and his awareness increased tenfold at those moments which flashed by like lightning. His mind and heart were flooded by a dazzling light. All his agitation, doubts and worries, seemed composed in a twinkling, culminating in a great calm, full of understanding...but these moments, these glimmerings were still but a premonition of that final second (never more than a second) with which the seizure itself began. That second was, of course, unbearable.'" ~Fyodor Dostoevsky​

I've always tried to figure how to explain my seizures. Seizures have defined my life. It means unpredictability. The impermanence of life that we cannot stop but it flows naturally. It's what we can't control and things that pop up that we learn to calm our mind and thoughts to see things in a new light. I knew all this through suffering through seizures.

Suffering: In Buddhism, we talk about the end of suffering. At the same time, through suffering, I have learned a great deal. So what exactly is suffering? If The Buddha's goal is to end it, why would we need it (say sacrifice of a person) to learn from it? What makes suffering an attachment to humanity to which if they followed the path of non-attachment, they'd fine they do not need death and pain to live life in peace?

But, my question is, what is suffering?

Think about it. We are born, we live, we age, and we die. That is natural. To our bodies, that isn't suffering, that is just going through the natural stage of life. Whether we develop cancer or develop conditions like epilepsy, this is all the body expressing its aging and the consequence of our actions that bring on what the body cannot handle.

I have never asked why there is suffering in the world. So, religions such as christianity does not make sense because I have nothing to relieve when sins are natural part of our reaction to our environment. However, the mind (in Buddhism) is totally different. We can function when we sin but if we are attached to lust that does not ease the mind.

So what motivation do each of you religious have to end suffering?

What about your personal suffering or make up one that would motivate you to follow the belief that you do to end it either now or in the future?

If you don't follow a faith, that is okay. We still suffer. It does not depend on your disbelief. So what is your perspective of it? Do you care-and if you don't, that is okay. What would you do if someone shot you or you got into a car accident. Would your life view change?

I know mine did when I had a big seizure to where I didn't know if I could move ever again. The funny thing about it is I never thought about god. I almost got hit by a car. No god. A dog almost attacked me. No god.

So, I know there are varying answers and I know god or disbelief in him isn't a universal foundation and influence. If you have answers, are they independent of christianity?

Take your time. I'm thinking of how to start practicing my faith. It's good to meditate and give but the first step is understanding what suffering is. If you don't understand the foundation from another perspective, the practice is half-hearted.

So, Buddhists and Hindus how would you describe suffering?

Buddhist, did you start off with learning of suffering or did out go straight to meditation?

Anyway, you don't have to answer all the questions. A lot of them are rhetorical. Just want to know what everyone is thinking about when it comes to suffering since I never thought about the suffering of the world and why. I respond to it, help people, but never theorize the nature of it.​

Hence the reason of this thread just in case you're wondering. How do you do that?

 

[sun rise]

I wonder if this quote from Socrates is helpful:

If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I wonder if this quote from Socrates is helpful:

If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.

Thanks!

He also said this:

“If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be content to take their own and depart.”

Socrates

 

[RoaringSilence]

"'He was thinking, incidentally, that there was a moment or two in his epileptic condition almost before the fit itself (if it occurred in waking hours) when suddenly amid the sadness, spiritual darkness and depression, his brain seemed to catch fire at brief moments....His sensation of being alive and his awareness increased tenfold at those moments which flashed by like lightning. His mind and heart were flooded by a dazzling light. All his agitation, doubts and worries, seemed composed in a twinkling, culminating in a great calm, full of understanding...but these moments, these glimmerings were still but a premonition of that final second (never more than a second) with which the seizure itself began. That second was, of course, unbearable.'" ~Fyodor Dostoevsky​

I've always tried to figure how to explain my seizures. Seizures have defined my life. It means unpredictability. The impermanence of life that we cannot stop but it flows naturally. It's what we can't control and things that pop up that we learn to calm our mind and thoughts to see things in a new light. I knew all this through suffering through seizures.

Suffering: In Buddhism, we talk about the end of suffering. At the same time, through suffering, I have learned a great deal. So what exactly is suffering? If The Buddha's goal is to end it, why would we need it (say sacrifice of a person) to learn from it? What makes suffering an attachment to humanity to which if they followed the path of non-attachment, they'd fine they do not need death and pain to live life in peace?

But, my question is, what is suffering?

Think about it. We are born, we live, we age, and we die. That is natural. To our bodies, that isn't suffering, that is just going through the natural stage of life. Whether we develop cancer or develop conditions like epilepsy, this is all the body expressing its aging and the consequence of our actions that bring on what the body cannot handle.

I have never asked why there is suffering in the world. So, religions such as christianity does not make sense because I have nothing to relieve when sins are natural part of our reaction to our environment. However, the mind (in Buddhism) is totally different. We can function when we sin but if we are attached to lust that does not ease the mind.

So what motivation do each of you religious have to end suffering?

What about your personal suffering or make up one that would motivate you to follow the belief that you do to end it either now or in the future?

If you don't follow a faith, that is okay. We still suffer. It does not depend on your disbelief. So what is your perspective of it? Do you care-and if you don't, that is okay. What would you do if someone shot you or you got into a car accident. Would your life view change?

I know mine did when I had a big seizure to where I didn't know if I could move ever again. The funny thing about it is I never thought about god. I almost got hit by a car. No god. A dog almost attacked me. No god.

So, I know there are varying answers and I know god or disbelief in him isn't a universal foundation and influence. If you have answers, are they independent of christianity?

Take your time. I'm thinking of how to start practicing my faith. It's good to meditate and give but the first step is understanding what suffering is. If you don't understand the foundation from another perspective, the practice is half-hearted.

So, Buddhists and Hindus how would you describe suffering?

Buddhist, did you start off with learning of suffering or did out go straight to meditation?

Anyway, you don't have to answer all the questions. A lot of them are rhetorical. Just want to know what everyone is thinking about when it comes to suffering since I never thought about the suffering of the world and why. I respond to it, help people, but never theorize the nature of it.​

Hence the reason of this thread just in case you're wondering. How do you do that?

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Thanks RoaringSilence!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I like Tolle's take on suffering -

Just as a fish lives his entire life in the water, most of humanity lives their entire life in the ego personality.

The fish doesn't know anything about the water, unless a fisherman captures him and pulls him onto dry land. The fish flops and wiggles and seeks desperately to return to the water.

A human being doesn't know that he or she is immersed in an ocean of ego (their own and every one else's), unless some rare and unusual experience pulls them out of it into a higher or deeper dimension of experience. Usually, this experience is welcomed, but after a little while, we start to squirm and flail about in discomfort. We long to return to the safe confines of the ego mind.

We secretly love our ego because it gives us our identity. Without the ego and its rich and varied content, we feel as though we are nothing at all. We may even feel that we don't exist.

For more ... try this site -

Eckhart Tolle Teachings | Why Do We Suffer?

If you want some rather wacky and unconventional advice - try this thread -

Laugh at your own ego

Cheers!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I wonder if this quote from Socrates is helpful:

If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.

True. We can't get out of suffering. I actually don't know what it means to be "healthy" I told my doctor this. The Buddhist goal is to end suffering which is a paradox since you can't end it but fully understand it to not be affected by it. I guess we can divide sufferings by types? Medically I suffered all my life. I wouldn't know what to really feel or motivate myself to not be ill anymore.

Reflecting while I'm talking. For some reason pure meditation doesn't help. I have to write or do something. I used to read a lot of the philosophers of age years ago. They have good words of wisdom. I'll probably revisit them.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Thanks!

He also said this:

“If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be content to take their own and depart.”

Socrates

Interesting. Hm.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

This was a great video. Thank you for sharing. I know I'd like to comment. I'll be back to reflect.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I like Tolle's take on suffering -

Just as a fish lives his entire life in the water, most of humanity lives their entire life in the ego personality.

The fish doesn't know anything about the water, unless a fisherman captures him and pulls him onto dry land. The fish flops and wiggles and seeks desperately to return to the water.
Fyodor Dostoevsk

Eckhart Tolle Teachings | Why Do We Suffer?

If you want some rather wacky and unconventional advice - try this thread -

Laugh at your own ego

Cheers!

I was just posting that I have always been suffering medically and never knew what healthy is. Compared to then, I'm better off and still ill. My doctor and I discussed my having another brain surgery to help get rid of all my seizures and side effects. After zillions of testings, we decided no. "We decided suffering was better than risking the possibility of death or more problems with the brain."

So, on that note, of course there will always be suffering. It would be beneficial to end suffering (have the surgery) but wouldn't that be unrealistic compared to learning how to deal with the ego through our respective beliefs rather than hope for everything to be hunky doory without a period of shock?

 

[RoaringSilence]

This was a great video. Thank you for sharing. I know I'd like to comment. I'll be back to reflect.

yoga is a working solution , and this man has a working tech. if you cannot reach this person you can consult a local yoga guy to help you with physical stuff if not the spiritual stuff .. just by simple breathing techs you can resolve a lot.. try it out if you haven't already.
i sincerely feel that you will recover gradually , and everything will be fine.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

yoga is a working solution , and this man has a working tech. if you cannot reach this person you can consult a local yoga guy to help you with physical stuff if not the spiritual stuff .. just by simple breathing techs you can resolve a lot.. try it out if you haven't already.
i sincerely feel that you will recover gradually , and everything will be fine.

I did some yoga way back for my physical health. I wouldn't know if Buddhist use yoga like Hindus do. Our Sangha focuses more on breathing meditation. We have rec center that has yoga classes that I look into.

Let me ask, what does "sun salutations" mean in Hinduism? I used to do that independently and actually revere the sun but not, of course, part of a religion.

 

[RoaringSilence]

I did some yoga way back for my physical health. I wouldn't know if Buddhist use yoga like Hindus do. Our Sangha focuses more on breathing meditation. We have rec center that has yoga classes that I look into.

Let me ask, what does "sun salutations" mean in Hinduism? I used to do that independently and actually revere the sun but not, of course, part of a religion.

hindus respect all sources of life including cows for milk..and just about everything , sun happens to fall in the life giving category , so we say hello to the rising sun and goodnight to the sunset

being hindu means just respect stuff and live to the fullest if you need stuff ask god to help lol that's all ..don't stress yourself too much imo ..you are overthinking.