Why do we Suffer?

[Guest guest]

We come into this world with all the tendencies and baggage from our

previous lives. The Masters use the analogy of shooting arrows. We

shot arrows last life, they did not land before we died, then we

died. Now we have new bodies, and those arrows we shot have to land.

We have to experience the fruits of our karma. So as each arrow

lands, some new action / reaction is automatically set up. As we

react, we shoot another arrow. This goes on and on. Now, if we

react emotionally, the next arrow shot will be erratic and cause

further disrubtive karma. But, if we were able to pause, and think

for a second before we reacted, then the next action we preformed,

the next arrow we shot, would be more accurate, the action more

balanced and harmonious, and the karma would not be harmful. So, the

question arises: how do we prepare ourselves, calm ourselves, center

ourselves, so we can stop shooting random wild arrows, and shoot

more arrows which hit our target and decrease the amount of negative

karma we create for ourselves?

 

Meditation, chanting, pujas, homas, prayer: all these techniques

will calm us and help to prevent over reacting. We have to

discipline ourselves. With discipline, comes freedom. Without

discipline, we are driven by impulses and the ego. We run around in

circles.

 

All manifestations suffer and grow. Pain is our teaching - Pleasure

is our examination. Suffering is mental affliction. If the body is in

pain, but the mind is in bliss, who suffers?