The really problematic dimension of suffering is not personal (if one can indeed become "detached" from internal desire or aversion) - it is interpersonal. Try being detatched whilst your loved ones are being tortured...
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Irmeli Mattsson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Irmeli Mattsson" > <Irmeli.Mattsson@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I still believe that it owes a lot to Buddhism... > > > > > > > > > > > > That's a stretch. Many translations of the First > > > > > > Noble Truth have it as "Life is suffering," but > > > > > > that's not related in any way to God, since they > > > > > > don't believe in one. > > > > > > > > > > To say "life is suffering" implies there is something-- > > > > > a condition or state--that is *not* suffering. > > > > > > > > > > If suffering is said to be a lack, there is something-- > > > > > a condition or state--in which nothing is lacking. > > > > > > > > > > What is it? > > > > > > > > ++ State of mind? > > > > > > In a way. If (as the Four Noble Truths state) the > > > cause of suffering is attachment to desire/aversion, > > > then living in a state of mind that is *not* attached > > > to achieving the fruits of desire or avoiding the > > > things one is averse to is a way beyond suffering. > > > > > > The "input" to life doesn't change, only one's > > > ability to greet it with equanimity. Try to force > > > the square peg of that input into the round hole of > > > one's desires, and you get suffering. Treat it as > > > a square peg and be neither attached nor averse, > > > no suffering. > > > > > > Nothing to "achieve," no "obstacles" to remove from > > > the "path" to non-suffering, nowhere to "go." Same > > > old same old...just life dealt with as What Is, not > > > What You'd Like Life To Be. > > > > > > Just for fun, compare and contrast this to MMY's > > > latest U.N. rap, in which he once again presents his > > > S-V theories and suggests that the problems of the > > > world can't be solved unless one starts over with > > > all-new buildings. In the Buddhist view, this > > > approach to resolving suffering can never work > > > because it is based upon trying to change the input > > > of life to avoid suffering, rather than change the > > > inner being's ability to deals with the input with- > > > out attachment. > > > > > > In the Buddhist view, the richest, most successful > > > person in the world, living in a perfectly-aligned > > > S-V house but still attached to his desires, will > > > be lost in suffering. Whereas the poor person who > > > lives in a cardboard box, if he is not attached to > > > his desires, is beyond suffering. > > > > > > > **** > > The basic division between suffering and non-suffering lies in, as > > Barry puts it, if you can accept `What is', or if you want to make > > life what you want or dream it to be. Paradoxically also accepting > > 'what is' much more effectively leads to transformation and true > healing. > > > > The latter way was my way of functioning until age 16. I perceived > > many faults and defects in myself and wanted to become like some of my > > peers I admired. The efforts I made to change myself lead mainly to > > big disappointments and even to worsening of my problems. > > > > Then at 16 I got the realization that life doesn't expect me to be > > like someone, it accepts me as nothing. Life accepts me as no one. > > There is an evolutionary impulse deep in life's functioning. All I > > need to do is to align with this evolutionary impulse. It meant > > `active passivity'. Passivity meant accepting yourself as you are, or > > being nothing, and not trying to become something. Active meant being > > alert in nothingness and acting when an impulse appeared from deep > inside. > > > > This was a start of a highly interesting and exciting journey of life > > consciously appreciating transformation. And I want to emphasise the > > word start. I had just got a stable platform. Being established on > > that I can keep basic stability and calm in the whirls of true > > transformation and even enjoy the journey, just as you can find a > > roller coaster ride very enjoyable. > > > > For a person, who does not rest on this kind of very stable platform, > > enlightenment as a dream state means a blissful end station, where all > > the whirls of painful creation and destruction have ceased. There the > > essential nature of life is a threat, and enlightenment means you > > don't need to re-incarnate anymore. > > > > Felt pain, mental or physical, is an important source of suffering. > > Pain that one can accept I don't call suffering. It is just a very > > intense sensation. Fear makes pain worse. Embracing resolves it. This > > is of course much more easily said than done. I know this myself > > thoroughly through my own life experience. I have a hereditary > > muscular disease. For a very long time (from childhood on, getting > > worse when I became adult) I felt very uncomfortable pain in my hands > > and feet. At worst it felt like an awful pain in my bones. I was > > afraid of this pain. It made me react physically to it by contraction, > > which made the disease progress. The culmination of this process > > happened in 92, when intense burning and tingling sensations appeared > > in my feet. My feet were like burning, and simultaneously it could > > feel like they were in ice and freezing. It was awful. However I > > recognized hidden rage in this pain and started to work with it. I > > engaged myself also in long psychotherapy to help the rocess. > > > > Gradually the burning sensation started to diminish and my perception > > of it to change. I can still occasionally have intense burning > > sensations in my feet, but now I can appreciate this sensation as > > blissful. The unpleasant pain in my hands I can also appreciate better > > nowadays. The shift of perception has changed the advancing of the > > disease to slow healing. My feet are stronger than they were at 92. > > And my hands are also better, so I can work again much better with > > computer. I still cannot write much by hand, but there is clear > > improvement there also. > > Because I have accepted what is, I have never felt myself to be > > suffering during this journey. > > > > Irmeli > > > **** > I want as a clarification add that the realization or shift in > perception that happened to me at 16, was not an logical intellectual > idea that I started to follow. > It was a sudden shift, that felt like a second of dizziness in my head > while I was walking downstairs. After it I felt different, very calm, > even and light. And I started to observe myself to be functioning > differently. Earlier I had felt very hurt, when my mother screamed and > yelled to me. From now on it had not impact on me. > The intellectual understanding and description of my new way of > functioning appeared only after I started to observe and analyse my > functioning. There was no possibility for me to slip back to the old > way of functioning. It just didn't exist anymore, nor did I miss it. > > Irmeli > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
