Bipolarwanderings

I had a fruitful conversation with my spiritual teacher a few days ago, who shared with me her belief that all beings will suffer, as long as they’re on earth.

“Look around,” she said, “The planet is dying, it’s part of life for all beings to suffer.”

As she was saying these words, something in me rejected this idea. Be it my own spiritual conditioning about suffering, or my own intuitive sense, or even a miscommunication on the word ‘suffering’ between us, I didn’t agree.

And so I clarified.

“I agree with you that most beings will feel grief or heartbreak at the prospect of something that is heartbreaking or grief-stricken, because that is the human condition…but to suffer, suffering happens after the situation. Suffering happens when the situation has come and passed, and our thoughts about the situation continue to cause us suffering…that is what I am trying to unlearn, or practice, in my spiritual sense.”

After we agreed that we were on the same page about suffering, we continued on into the conversation about what it is to suffer, and how to quiet the monkey mind that bounces around, giving us no rest in our dis-ease.

And so, I ask you, what is suffering to you?

Is it the heartbreak you feel at the devastating shootings happening around the country?

Or is it the aftermath of the event, when your troubled mind cannot find peace in light of the terrible situation, and won’t stop spinning and spinning and spinning?

Or perhaps, it’s both? Let me know what you think in the comments!