Thursday 26 November 2009

The Felon Loaden With Irons Wiser Than The Judge, If Wisdom Be In Suffering.

What about suffering? The bound-up ego, fashioned of fear, resists anything presumed to be a threat; that resistance is suffering. There may be pain, but there need not be suffering. Yet remember, as this is discussed and pondered, that pain and suffering and ego are labels, words, concepts. The feelings and states they attempt to describe are fleeting, utterly so with the complete fluidity of reality, and these words, as all words try to, point to something else that is "real". So take it all with a large grain of salt; there is very little to say on any subject that can be pinned down and labeled "unchanging truth".

There are objections to the pointer "suffering is oneness, too." There are volumes devoted to relieving suffering. There are skills taught and techniques suggested, all for the purpose of delivering the sufferer from that resistance. Resistance itself is said to be undesirable. Resistance, and the inevitable suffering it creates, are the fearful ego's reaction to what threatens it, its existence, and its identity as the most important thing in the world. The point of all this teaching of
Advaita and nonduality is, supposedly, to release us from the bondage of self, of ego. Yet the bondage of ego is indisputably part of it all, this Life. Duality needs opposites, subject and object, for oneness to apprehend itself. The end of the search is the realisation that all is oneness, that we are pure awareness, nothing more or less, and the fragile ego construct is seen as the small and unimportant thing it is, unburdened by the mistaken identity of All. The appearance is not what you are, it is often stated. The mirror of manifest reality is not what it reflects. What you are is mind-boggling, untranslatable, boundless Life. The appearance can be seen as the illusory thing it is, despite its tenacious solidity. And, can be seen that there was only a veil hiding this thing from itself; that reality has been itself all along.

Even in trying to understand such a fundamental concept as oneness, the mind, splitter of oneness, finds it necessary to define awareness as the ultimate and the manifested reality (consciousness) as a shadowy, wavery, poor second.

Yet the appearance, the ego, all that which we are encouraged to discount, though seemingly limited, is beautiful in all its polar opposites and more subtle modularities. In the reflection lives suffering, for suffering is needed for acceptance to be understood and felt. There are no easy answers for suffering, or just HOW to stop resisting, although you may find a few helpful hints here and there. There are supposedly ways and means to deflate and destroy the ego, despite its unwillingness to die, for it has had possession of your identity for so long. Some of these are: stop thinking, if you can; ponder that mind is the creator of time; peel all awareness back to the most basic of realities - that you exist, often referred to as "I Am". If you are suffering, there will probably be help at hand, a stirring to action, a way out, with some energetic flow from resistance to acceptance. The story of life toddles along, and no matter how profound the subject, or how near to absolute reality to protagonist gets, it's all just a story in time.

For suffering to be relieved is a craving of the ego. The need for life to be "better" is the ego's desire. Acceptance is the opposite of resistance; again, perhaps that is the answer, if the question is "How do I stop resisting life?". Yet there are no mistakes. Perhaps resistance shouldn't be resisted; it may just play itself out, in this story. Maybe suffering is there so redemption can follow, for redemption has no meaning unless there is something - suffering - to be delivered from. Perhaps the appearance isn't so vastly inferior to pure awareness; maybe they are the same thing, despite the inconceivable paradox and incongruity of that possibility. Maybe there isn't anything better than right here, right now. If that can be considered by the suffering ego, perhaps the suffering can just be splendid, painful and intensely felt Life.

14 comments:

Admin said...

I can't see anything better and if I can, it's the mind doing what it does but that is just the mind thinking of a better future (whatever that is). The mind can do nothing but think and think that it is causing actions to a better future. That is all it is ever doing, which is nothing but thinking without a thinker. Thinking happens, nobody thinking. Just a natural condition that unfolded upon learning words.

How Fun! Huh? :D

Although (as you mentioned) no words ever express it, beautiful expression Suzy :)

No One In Particular said...

Thank Nicholas sweetie, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Ronna said...

Hi Suzanne, resisting resistance is just more resistance! Seeing that just kinds of melts it away for me temporarily. It comes back and there is seeing again and melting away again. Acceptance of suffering appearing and disappearing this helps me to see what changes and what doesn't. I experience no suffering when seeing and knowing changelessness within me. Suffering is like a pointer to me kind of like a red light or someone poking me to pay attention, wake up, look around! I am not sure if suffering is necessary but I find it truly helpful.

No One In Particular said...

Hi Ronna, good point!

Fernando Rozas said...

Hi Suzanne,
About suffering:
“Start from the fact that you are THAT”, says Bob Adamson.
And THAT is 100% ‘acceptance’. Another name of THAT is ‘love’.
If in the appearance the apparent ego is resisting, THAT ‘accepts’ this resistance, completely.
In other words, THAT is 'ego-ing', isn’t it?
The resistance (suffering) is not real. It’s only apparent.

Thank you for your beautiful answer and happy Thanksgiving!

No One In Particular said...

Hey Fernando...nothing is real...nothing is happening...and that's probably what I'll write about, futilely, next blog entry.

MonkMojo says I'm like Sailor Bob, with boobs! The ego sure loves that!

Glad you liked the answer..."I" tried really really hard to get it "right".

Anonymous said...

Hi Suzanne,
Love your pointers and clairity.

I am curious, what moves you to action these days? Does thought still precede action and do you notice the decision making process is different these days? Thanks for sharing.

No One In Particular said...

Hi Anonymous, not sure what moves me to action...life itself, or something like that! Oh, and socks on the floor move me to pick them up, and mutter under my breath.

Shanto said...

I just watched the interview on Conscious TV. Sweet and lovely. No one is in need of any help, and it's truly beautiful when help is (apparently) given and recieved. It's all to be enjoyed, and if it isn't enjoyed that's just so totally okay. Nice to see you talking live. Love, Svante

No One In Particular said...

Thanks Svante, there is no time blah blah blah...but thanks for investing the time to listen to it. It's not short!

Shanto said...

No, it's not short. So it's long. :)

Anonymous said...

"Maybe there isn't anything better than right here, right now."

I like that, it is really disappointing, depressing for the mind.

I have found quite good this: "Whatever is happening is what we are looking for". No need to get or search what's happening, it is everything.
So the mind naturally relax, cool!

Admin said...

Awww I missed your appearance on Never Not Here. I was going stop in and say hello. A friend ask me to help her today with moving the big things out of her place before the foreclosure on her house kicks in. I just got back and settled in.

Miss you Suzy, watching the episode now.

No One In Particular said...

Gosh Nicholas, you didn't miss much...an hour and a half of no one talking about nothing...

Miss you too.