Sue Benjamin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I'm in a muddle of questioning right now. Can anyone help me out? God, help me out here. What do you mean "suffering is a view of life"? And, "suffering is a choice". Am I missing something here? What is suffering? Is it really an absence of love? We do suffer in our humanness. Suffering is part of the human experience, as is joy. How can we not suffer? How can we not feel joy? Yes, a lot of suffering is probably unnecessary and avoidable. I feel that we need to respect our humanness, honor our feelings, and allow them to process and release. It's called being honest and responsible. It can be a painful process (suffering). We should never deny or suppress our humanity and feelings. That is dishonest and irresponsible. We are both divine and human, and both sides need to be expressed and honored. Jesus was both divine and human, right? I believe he allowed himself to be both and express both. Some religions teach that the human, or carnal mind, or the flesh is to be denied. What does that really mean? What is the ego? Is the egoic mind and carnal mind the same thing? What is the purpose of the ego? Why does it get such a bad rap if God gave it to us? Why do some people despise their humanity while denying their divinity? Or deny their humanity and arrogantly think they are only divine? Why does ego seem to cause us so much suffering? How can we truly end suffering and still be human? I sure don't have all this stuff figured out. I think what the Bible teaches, and what is being taught today, without the Bible, is all saying the same thing, but just languaging it differently. And that causes division, confusion and argumentation. It's the wording and definition that people (egos) get hung up on that differs and divides. Truth is truth and will only unify. How do you define Truth then? How can people come to Unity and Truth? How can people truly know only love, if Love is really all there is? How can we erase illusion of suffering from our reality and experience? Lots of questions. Okay, enough for tonight. Thanks for allowing me to vent. Love to all of you, Sue
My response: Sue, Thank you for the honest _expression of where you are at in the "Awakening". I can only respond from where I am at this time. I find I do have have a choice to suffer or not suffer. I equate suffering with worry or delight about the future and regret or satisfaction about the past. When I catch my mind taking me there I bring it back to the present by telling myself to be in the present. To see the present events, experiences, feelings as a taste of Heaven. An instant transformation happens when I do this. What was pain before now is a sensation I can experience with a smile. What was un- ease or disease before now becomes a peaceful experience of what is. What was satisfaction now becomes joy. What was delight now becomes a peace beyond understaning. I believe that it is my willingness to experience whatever is before me to experience and not any particular method of doing this that provides the fuel for this trasformation. I suggest that you give this willingness to see things from a holistic point of view to Your Self and experience the transformation in your own particular style. With joy in our relationship, Michael ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Would you Help a Child in need? It is easier than you think. Click Here to meet a Child you can help. http://us.click.yahoo.com/sTR6_D/I_qJAA/i1hLAA/wpWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> The inner light can answer any of this world's queries and resolve any of its problems. Beyond all of these concerns, the inner light will show you who you are and your relationship to all...and bring you an understanding of love and peace that transcends ordinary human thought processes. Discover what it truly means to "love one another" and to "see peace." Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simplisticmeditation/ <*> 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/
