Pain and Pleasure snip from Nisagadatta's "I Am That"

[Guest guest]

Q: If reality is bliss, then pleasure in some way must be related to

it.

 

M: Let us not proceed by verbal logic. The bliss of reality does not

exclude suffering. Besides, you know only pleasure, not the bliss of

pure being. So let us examine pleasure an its own level.

 

If you look at your self in your moments of pleasure or pain, you

will invariably find that it is not the thing in itself that is

pleasant or painful, but the situation of which it is a part.

Pleasure lies in the relationship between the enjoyer and the

enjoyed. And the essence of it is acceptance. Whatever may be the

situation, if it is acceptable , it is pleasant. If it is not

acceptable, it is painful. What makes it acceptable is not

important; the cause may be physical, or psychological. or

untraceable; acceptance is the decisive factor. obviously suffering

is due to non-acceptance.

 

Q: Pain is not acceptable.

 

M: Why not:? Did you ever try? Do try and you will find in pain a

joy which pleasure cannot yield, for the simple reason that

acceptance of pain take you much deeper than pleasure does. The

personal self by its very nature is constantly pursuing pleasure and

avoiding pain. the ending of this pattern is the ending of the

self. The ending of the self with its desires and fears enables you

to return to your real nature, the source of all happiness and

peace. The perennial desire for pleasure is the reflection of the

timeless harmony within.. It is an observable fact that one becomes

self-conscious only when caught in the conflict between pleasure and

pain, which demand choice and decision. It is this clash between

desire and fear that causes anger, which is the great destroyer of

sanity in life. When pain is accepted for what it is a lesson and a

warning, and deeply looked into and heeded, the separation between

pain and pleasure breaks down, both become experience --painful when

resisted joyful when accepted.

 

Q: Do you advise shunning pleasure and pursuing pain?

 

M: No, nor pursuing pleasure and shunning pain. Accept both as they

come, enjoy both while they last, let the go, as they must.

 

Q: How can I possible enjoy pain? Physical pain calls for action.

 

M: Of course. And so does mental. The bliss is in the awareness of

it, in not shrinking, or in any way turning away from it. All

happiness comes from awareness. The more we are conscious, the

deeper the joy. Acceptance of pain, non-resistance, courage ad

endurance--these open deep and perennial sources of real happiness,

true bliss.

 

Q: Why should pain be more effective than pleasure?

 

M: Pleasure is readily accepted, while all the powers of the self

reject pain. As the acceptance of pain is the denial of the self,

and he self stands in the way of true happiness, the whole hearted

acceptance of pain release the springs of happiness.

 

Q: Does the acceptance of suffering act the same way?

 

M: The fact of pain is easily brought within the focus of awareness.

With suffering it is not that simple. To focus suffering is not

enough, for mental life, as we know it, is one continuous stream of

suffering. To reach the deeper layers of suffering you must go to

its roots and uncover their vast underground network, where fear and

desire are closely interwoven and the currents of life's energy

oppose, obstruct and destroy each other.

 

Q: How can I set right a tangle which is entirely below the level of

consciousness?

 

M: By being with yourself, the "I Am"; by watching yourself in your

daily life with alert interest, with the intention to understand

rather than to judge, in full acceptance of whatever may emerge,

because it is there, you encourage the deep to come to the surface

and enrich your life and consciousness with its captive energies.

The is the great work of awareness; it removes obstacles and releases

energies by understanding the nature of life and mind. Intelligence

is the door to freedom and alert attention is the mother of

intelligence.

 

Q: Why does pleasure end in pain?

 

M: Everything has a beginning and an end and so does pleasure.

Don't anticipate and don't regret, and there will be no pain. It is

memory and imagination that cause suffering.

 

Of course pain after pleasure may be due to the misuse of the

body or the mind. The body knows its measure, but the mind does

not. Its appetites are numberless and limitless. Watch you mind

with great diligence, for there lies your bondage and also the key to

freedom.

 

When the mind takes over, remembers and anticipates, it exaggerates,

it distorts, it over looks. The past is projected into future and

the future betrays the expectations. The organ of sensation and

action are stimulated beyond capacity and they inevitably break

down. The objects of pleasure cannot yield what is expected of them

and get worn out or destroyed, by misuse . It results in excess of

pain where pleasure was looked for.