Suffering

[Guest guest]

This is in response to so many people talking about suffering. At

times, the discussion seemed very intellectual to me. I am a person

with numerous chronic illnesses. The big whammy is called

Neuroendocrine Immune Disorder. I deal every day with pain, which is

sometimes manageable and sometimes puts me to bed. This pain may be

specifically located or it may be diffused all over my body. I get

migraine headaches where even light and sound make it worse. I get

pain in my belly when it gets distended from my illness, and

sometimes, it is so distended I could look like I am 9 months

pregnant. I am not saying this for sympathy, but to make the

discussion of suffering real for me. I am not able to work, because

of my illness, and I loved my work. Sometimes I am not even able to

endure the physical therapy that has been ordered for me by my

doctor.

 

When I am in pain, I try to remember detachment, but I am no swami,

and my spiritual awareness, though lively in interest is a pinprick

in practice. I know, practice more. It is very hard to be detached

from this body, even when I am telling myself, "I am not this body."

I try to remember Ganesha and pray to him when my belly gets

distended because I hate my belly and I don't want to hate it. I say,

"Look, Ganesha, I have a belly like You; please help me to love it." I

don't think hating my body for being sick is very productive to my

spiritual development.

 

My question for Swami is this: for someone like me, who is in the

midst of suffering from a physical malady, how do I detach from my

body, which is giving me a variety of painful symptoms; how do I keep

my mind focused on God/Goddess; how do I accept my situation and go on

each day? Is there some specific practice that would help me? Thank

you.

[Guest guest]

Dear Nierika,

I will forward your question to Swamiji to get his input.

 

Meanwhile, I hope you dont mind if I give my two cents.

 

I am sorry to hear of your health problems and pray that you find

some medical relief. IMHO, we all go through problems, some physical

and some emotional . Of course there are varying degrees , but the

common denominator is that the suffering is increased when we start

to focus on ourselves . Why am I suffering ? What did I do to

deserve this ? and the endless preoccupation and love affairs we

have with ourselves.

 

As a person who has gone through that route before, I would like to

suggest something that helps me. I start thinking "OK this is

something that I have to live with. Now what can I do to make this a

brighter day. How can I be of help to someone ? " and the focus

shifts aways from me to something more positive.

 

As Swamiji said on another occassion, it is not the "why" that

helps , but "how" we can overcome that counts. And like it says in

the Rgvedoktam Ratri Suktam - when the dawn comes in the darkness

departs. So instead of fighting our problems in the dark , if we

light a lamp of unselfishness - it could be a small seva to help

anyone that needs it , we are moving in the right direction to face

life positively.

 

Thank you for sharing . I will add you to our list of people to be

prayed for in our Prayer club on Saturday.

 

Jai Maa

Latha

 

 

 

 

 

, nierika@a... wrote:

> This is in response to so many people talking about suffering. At

times, the

> discussion seemed very intellectual to me. I am a person with

numerous

> chronic illnesses. The big whammy is called Neuroendocrine Immune

Disorder. I deal

> every day with pain, which is sometimes manageable and sometimes

puts me to

> bed. This pain may be specifically located or it may be diffused

all over my

> body. I get migraine headaches where even light and sound make it

worse. I get

> pain in my belly when it gets distended from my illness, and

sometimes, it

> is so distended I could look like I am 9 months pregnant. I am

not saying this

> for sympathy, but to make the discussion of suffering real for

me. I am not

> able to work, because of my illness, and I loved my work.

Sometimes I am not

> even able to endure the physical therapy that has been ordered

for me by my

> doctor.

>

> When I am in pain, I try to remember detachment, but I am no

swami, and my

> spiritual awareness, though lively in interest is a pinprick in

practice. I

> know, practice more. It is very hard to be detached from this

body, even when I

> am telling myself, "I am not this body." I try to remember Ganesha

and pray

> to him when my belly gets distended because I hate my belly and I

don't want

> to hate it. I say, "Look, Ganesha, I have a belly like You;

please help me to

> love it." I don't think hating my body for being sick is very

productive to

> my spiritual development.

>

> My question for Swami is this: for someone like me, who is in the

midst of

> suffering from a physical malady, how do I detach from my body,

which is giving

> me a variety of painful symptoms; how do I keep my mind focused

on

> God/Goddess; how do I accept my situation and go on each day? Is

there some specific

> practice that would help me? Thank you.

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

In my opinion, it is suffering that allows us to become closer with

Goddess than any other mechanism.

If we realize that Maha Maya is the great test of consciousness, then we

can realize that pain and suffering are just dramatic forms of that

test.

It is literally Maa who created the possibility of our suffering. It is

Maa who created the mechanism by which we suffer. And it is literally Maa

who suffers through us.

Swamiji's point, by my understanding, is that only the mind suffers. The

spirit, the consciousness within does not suffer. Suffering causes us to

grow beyond mind identification because it is only the mind that feels

the suffering and it suffers only because it judges the situation as

something that should not be.

Realize that this pain is necessary for your life experience and realize

that it is not necessary to cope with it. Realize that you simply have to

accept it and be who you are "in spite" of it. Learn to love,

learn to serve goddess, learn to care, and learn to give even though you

have this mental idea of physical suffering.

When you accomplish your life's missions even while all this seeming pain

exists, mother will grant you a boon. Just be careful what you ask

for.

Kali Puja would help greatly. If you can do it over an open fire, tossing

in pieces of hard rice, sesame seeds, and Mung Dal (little saucer shaped

brown beans), you can offset the necessity of the pain through

sadhana.

Pain to me has always been Maa's method of telling me to move forward,

QUICKLY. Its a push from her through one of the easiest mechanisms for

her to communicate. Pain is not bad. Pain is not horrible. Pain is not

painful. It is the mind that labels it and the minds of doctors and

psychologists that tell us that its not normal.

Pain is more natural than potato chips.

Love,

Brian

At 05:14 AM 7/9/2004, you wrote:

This

is in response to so many people talking about suffering. At times, the

discussion seemed very intellectual to me. I am a person with numerous

chronic illnesses. The big whammy is called Neuroendocrine Immune

Disorder. I deal every day with pain, which is sometimes manageable and

sometimes puts me to bed. This pain may be specifically located or it may

be diffused all over my body. I get migraine headaches where even light

and sound make it worse. I get pain in my belly when it gets distended

from my illness, and sometimes, it is so distended I could look like I am

9 months pregnant. I am not saying this for sympathy, but to make the

discussion of suffering real for me. I am not able to work, because of my

illness, and I loved my work. Sometimes I am not even able to endure the

physical therapy that has been ordered for me by my doctor.

When I am in pain, I try to remember detachment, but I am no swami, and

my spiritual awareness, though lively in interest is a pinprick in

practice. I know, practice more. It is very hard to be detached from this

body, even when I am telling myself, "I am not this body." I

try to remember Ganesha and pray to him when my belly gets distended

because I hate my belly and I don't want to hate it. I say, "Look,

Ganesha, I have a belly like You; please help me to love it." I

don't think hating my body for being sick is very productive to my

spiritual development.

My question for Swami is this: for someone like me, who is in the midst

of suffering from a physical malady, how do I detach from my body, which

is giving me a variety of painful symptoms; how do I keep my mind focused

on God/Goddess; how do I accept my situation and go on each day? Is there

some specific practice that would help me? Thank you.

Sponsor

 

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