Sufferings of Pain and Pleasure

[Guest guest]

Greetings advaitins,

 

Some commented on another list, "suffering is our teacher and our

master".

 

Sufferings is our teacher? What are sufferings? Pain?

 

All the pain and pleasure we experience are in a way - suffering.

Separateness from our Divine Reality causes us to experience and

indulge in various worldly experiences and suffer unknowingly without even

being aware of it.

 

In the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, Kunti asks the Lord to shower her and her

family with painful sufferings, so that they may never forget Him. To me,

pleasure looks like a greater suffering than pain, because it is the one

where God is completely forgotten.

 

Pain then material pleasures, then pain again is the order of life and the

waves of the ocean of Prakrti (nature of the cosmos). The question is

whether you want to associate yourselves with the turbulent waves or the

deep-rooted mighty but calm oceans.

 

Suffering from pleasure is to prepare one for pain. Only after

experiencing pleasure, can one fully appreciate the mighty blows of

pain. When this happens, detachment from material indulgences and

attachment to the Spiritual Identity will arise slowly.

>From pain, one is prepared for the forthcoming pleasures. When the

pleasures arrive, all spiritual efforts is discarded and indulgence

becomes the order of the day. With the amount of pleasure that

overwhelms the person, nobody thinks that pain will ever return. But it

does.

 

After this, like the immunity of the body that increases at every

entrance of the similar pathogens, the spiritual aspirant will

automatically realize the transient and insecure nature of pain and

pleasure. He will think, "There is no way I can WANT pleasure but NOT WANT

pain. If this is the case, I don't want pleasure too! But there must be

true lasting happiness out there. What is it?" He will stop building

houses on the waves but would start to look for firm solid ground.

 

Next, with firm control over the detachment of both material pleasures and

pain, the spiritual aspirant searches earnestly and finally finds from the

Lord Within, the Wisdom that would free him and grant him everlasting

spiritual Bliss of just Being. Standing on the waves, he dives into the

mighty, yet calm oceans and finds the Pearl of Wisdom hiding in the Oyster

of his Heart. He dived with the protective gear of self-control and he

found the Pearl safely. He no longer is a limited individual suffering

from the turbulence of the waves, but has become one with the mighty

oceans. The waves are merely an outer facade of the oceans.

 

Do I think sufferings of pain and pleasure is a Master Teacher? No!

God (your Spirit) is. Pain, pleasures and sufferings are mere phases. Like

passing through many levels of the education system, each individual soul

has to experience every kind of feeling both emotionally and physically,

whether good or evil, painful or filled with material pleasure or

spiritual bliss. Each soul also has to perform all kinds of actions and

speak all kinds of words, both kind and soothing as well as evil and

stinging. Every action has a reaction and resound. All the good and bad

that you do is invisibly done to yourself through many births in different

bodies. Unlike our education system, where one chooses a field and

specializes in it, in the Spiritual Education cutting across births, each

candidate for Liberation experiences almost everything, unless by the

Grace of God.

 

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna outlines three stages, Tamasic -

spiritual regression, dullness, ignorance, indulgence as the primary

school, Rajasic - spiritual stagnation, aggresiveness, passion, pride as

the secondary/ high school and Sattvic - spiritual progress, goodness,

moderateness etc. as the university of His education system. Graduates are

not produced in batches every semester like accountants (Sri Yukteswar's

joke) but appear from time to time being shining examples to the world.

 

If the feet is tender, it can be very sensitive to feeling and very

vulnerable to pain. Nature wants it to suffer so that its outer skin

becomes tougher. This is also demanded of souls. Be equal-minded in times

of pain and pleasure, says Krishna.

 

But, spiritual aspirants would pray for Him to grant that (the ability to

endure), rather than giving pleasures and restraining pain because

receiving pleasures is like stretching the rubber band, the more it is

stretched, the more painful it will be when it is let go. When we gain the

equal-minded ability to endure, He will take both pain and pleasure, but

give Bliss and Peace.

 

What more can I ask other than His sweet protection?

 

WISDOM:

 

"Suffering entitles you more to the Grace of the Lord. When suffering

comes in waves, one behind the other, be glad that the shore is near, bear

them bravely. Like cowards, do not throw the blame on some outside power

or develop dislike for the Lord." -Sathya Sai Baba.

 

"Those who seek to acquire steadiness of faith must first acquire the

strength to bear grief and pain, insult and injury. The succession of joy

and grief must help confirm the faith and make it immovable. That alone

can evidence true devotion." -Sathya Sai Baba.

 

--

Warmest regards,

Ruben

ruben

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"Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe."

- Tao Te Ching