Bhagavan on suffering

[Guest guest]

FROM CONSCIOUS IMMORTALITY

 

There has been evil and sorrow since the beginning of creation. You

ask why the rishis do not put matters right. The Vedas tell of the

demons (asuras) who have existed since the earliest times. There is a

force of opposition in the world which produces strife and suffering,

but it works to make humankind grow and evolve. It is a force in

nature which exists with the good.

 

Q: What is the purpose of all the suffering and evil in the world?

M: Your question is itself an outcome of the suffering. Sorrow makes

on think of God. If it were not for the suffering, would you have

asked the question? Except for jnanis, everybody, from a king to a

peasant, has a certain amount of sorrow. Even in cases where it seems,

to be absent it is only a matter of time--sooner of later it comes.

Also, one may not question sorrow or God at the first blow, but one is

likely to at the fifth. We have taken this vehicle (the body) in order

to know our real state.

Q: But why should imperfection come from perfection?

M: Had it not been for the manifestation of the universe, we would not

have thought about the real state. It is your fault if you do not know

yourself.

Q: Is the world plan really good then?

M: It is indeed good. The error is on our part. When we correct that

error, the whole scheme becomes good.

Q: How is it possible to change world suffering?

M: Realize the Self; that is all that is necessary.

Q: The world is materialistic. What is the remedy for that?

M: Material or spiritual, it is according to you outlook. Correct your

outlook! The creator knows how to take care of His creation.

Q: Is the world progressing?

M: There is one who governs the world, and it is His lookout to take

care of it. He who has given life to the world also knows how to look

after it. If we progress, the world progresses. As you are, so is the

world. Without understanding the Self, what is the use of

understanding the world? Without Self-knowledge, knowledge of the

world is of no use. See the world through the eyes of your supreme

Self.

Q: There are widespread disasters in the world, for instance famine

and pestilence. What is the cause for this state of affairs?

M: To whom does all this appear? You were not aware of the world and

its suffering in your sleep. You are conscious of them only in your

waking state. Continue in the state in which you were not aware of the

world, when its sufferings did not affect you. When you remain as the

Self (as in sleep), the world and its suffering will not affect you.

Therefore look within. Seek the Self. There will then be and end to

the world and it's miseries.

Q: But that is selfishness.

M: The world is not external. Because you wrongly identify yourself

with the body, you see the world. Its pain becomes apparent to you.

But they are not real. Seek the reality and get rid of the unreal

feeling.

Q: There are great people, public workers, who cannot solve the misery

of the world.

M: They are ego-centered, hence the inability.

If they remained in the Self, they would be different.

Q: Why did the Self manifest as this miserable world?

M: In order that you might seek it. your eyes cannot see themselves,

but put a mirror in front of them and then, and only then, do they see

themselves. Similarly with creation. See yourself first and then see

the whole world as the Self.

Q: Why is there sorrow and evil in the universe.

M: It is God's will.

Q: Why?

M: He is inscrutable. No motive can be attributed to that power, no

desire, no goal to achieve, can be asserted of that all wise, all

powerful Being. Like the sun, God is untouched by the activities which

take place in His presence. If the mind is unsatisfied or restless on

account of events, it is a good idea to accept God's will as the

solution; thus it is wise to drop the sense of responsibility and free

will, by regarding ourselves as the instruments of God, to do and

suffer as He pleases.

Q: Why is there imperfection in perfection?

M: For whom is there relativity? For whom is there imperfection? The

Absolute is not imperfect. Does the Absolute tell you that is is

covered up? It is the individual soul who says something covers the

Absolute.

Q: We feel that there is a lot of misery caused by over-population,

but if we did not exist, the misery would disappear too.

M: We can find out the cause of this misery by finding out the cause

of our birth. If that which is born( the ego) is known, the evils

disappear.

Q: I am possessed by fears of disease and death.

M: Who gets the disease? Do you get it? If you analyze what you are,

you see that disease cannot affect you. What are you? Do you die?

Think of the Atman; realize That!

Q: I try but it doesn't stay in my mind for long.

M: Practice makes perfect.

Q: Meanwhile?

M: Meanwhile there need not be suffering.

Q: We are men living in the world and have one kind of grief or

another. We pray for help and are still not satisfied. What should we

do?

M: Trust god. If you surrender you must be able abide by His will and

not grieve when things do not go as you would wish. They may turn out

differently from how they appear. Distress often leads people to have

faith in God.

Q: The quest for Self is selfish in a world of misery.

M: The sea is not aware of its wave. Similarly, the Self is not aware

of its ego.

 

If a person's happiness were due to outer circumstances and

possessions, then one without any possessions would have no happiness

whatsoever. Does real experience show this?

 

No. For in deep sleep one is devoid of all possessions including the

body, yet instead of being unhappy one enjoys blissful release.

Doesn't everyone want to sleep soundly? Hence happiness is not due to

external causes, but to retuning into the Self. When the pure "I", the

Reality, is forgotten, all kinds of misery crop up, but when the Self

is held fast, the miseries do not affect