Buddhism 101 says that all is suffering in this world. We know suffering is the cause of our unhappiness and meditation is how we see through this illusion. Can this truth be taken into the worst pain? Or into minor irritations? Can we master the experience of being able to distinguish between pain and suffering in our inner experiences of life?
I think this is one of our most crucial skills to master in our lifetime, and one of the hardest. Our suffering is what is so easy for us to identify with, to attach to, to justify, and it will cause us the most problems. How do we know when we have negative emotions that are motivating us to change and transform, or making us more of a victim? Is our judgment and righteous indignation justified, or is it resistance?
Concluding the RedFlame portion of this series, below is Part 6 of RedFlame DeepWater, continuing the conversation from Part 5 Me, Pain & Suffering.
RedFlame DeepWater
Part 6
Pain, Suffering & Resistance
Suffering: I do not cease to exist when you, Pain, are accepted! You cause more of me, because that is the way of this world. That is how it works, that is what people like, it is how they gain their power.
Pain: In some people, more of you grows from my existence. In others, I am making progress. Some are learning that I am Now, you are Resistance.
Suffering: I am not resistance, I should be here, I am the energy for change.
My righteous indignation will get bad circumstances to change. My sadness & grief show I care and will make the pain go away. My impatience will get things moving. My anger will force them to listen to me and my irritation will make others do my will. Others relate to me this way because it is a big part of the culture. It is expected of me to behave this way. This is how I get respect.
Pain: You describe Illusions.
Suffering: You are so wrong, I will conquer it all, I have the power to do it, the force to move things forward. I will not relinquish my power!
Pain: You have the power to create only more of yourself, all your actions will only increase your own power.
Suffering: Yes, and what is wrong with that?
Pain: It is all resistance, resistance to compassion, to wisdom, to Now, to life.
(Me – pops forth, returning from the sidelines)
Me: I saw him!
I saw suffering – You were right – what a sneaky twin you have.
I saw how my resistance to the changes caused by the RedFlame created righteous indignation, judgment, sadness, grief, impatience, irritation, anger & depression.
It was suffering beyond measure. I used this suffering to try and get out of my suffering. I became the snake eating my tail. Why didn’t someone tell me?
Pain: I just did. Had you not experienced it and saw it for yourself, you would not have believed me. You would not have gone on this journey.
Me: But wait, I heard you say you had a different purpose, that you are not the same as suffering. Then who are you?
Pain: I am the present. I only exist now.
Me: So what… you are still pain, why don’t you go away now that I know the secret? You still hurt inside of me.
Pain: Yes, but I hurt NOW. I hold no past or future.
Me. But you did hurt in the past. And, I think you will hurt in the future.
Pain: Those are memories & projections you created.
I live only NOW, NOW, and NOW…
Look deeply…
I am the gateway to…
peace…stillness..
no – thing, no – one…
See?
Me: I already have nothing and no one. That is the result of RedFlame.
Pain: You are only partially right. You have me, and that is all you need to see that you have,
no – thing, no – one. Release resistance to NOW…
Me: (Snap)
(Suffering & Resistance are trailing off to places unseen, Pain dissolves into oneness with Me & Darkness)
Stillness…
No One: Now open your eyes. See where you have always been…
No One:
A Body undifferentiated, slowly arises
floats out of the Dark Place
arms out-stretched
into light and…
I AM in Water!
I AM the Water!
Peaceful, Beautiful, Blue,
DeepWater!
Anne Tyler Lord
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