The Nature of Suffering - And the Key to Happiness
In the modern world of today,
billions of people are fearing coronavirus and many governments are acting to politicise the fear as much as acting to contain and hopefully exterminate the virus.
The nature of suffering is twofold:
1. The physical; as in suffering caused by physical incapacity, the common cold,
coronavirus and accidental injuries that compromise our physical ability to act
in the world. A great amount of effort is put into alleviating these physical
sufferings by the use of various treatments within the realms of allopathic
medicine.
While chemical medicine and surgical interventions take care of some of the
physical aspects of human existence, these do little to alleviate the suffering
caused by poverty, malnutrition, social injustice, political oppression and the
rights of the rich over the rights over the poor and the continuing
dispossession of the poor.
2. Mental suffering is a far greater problem because it is a suffering induced
by the imagination of every individual and inflicts not only individuals
themselves but more tragically others as well.
Buddha taught that the primary source of suffering was ignorance and this writer
must concur. Because we do not know the nature and extent of our universe, we
have no knowledge of our place or purpose in space and time, but many believe
they know and continually propagate false beliefs. One false belief being
propagated is that belief in a particular god provides immunity from coronavirus
and the greater tragedy is that people are fearful and ignorant enough to cling
to such beliefs.
Humanity is like a bowl of Goldfish swimming around and trying to arrange
existence based on limited perception. Therefore we need to expand our
perception, to see beyond the confines of our planet, solar system and begin to
explore the nature of our galaxy in relation to all others. Some of us have been
doing this for countless millennia, our ancestors long ago began tracking the
movement of the seasons, of the moon and other observable phenomenon and the
continuation of this work is vital for our long-term well-being.
Yet the biggest problem most of us have is that we confine ourselves within
limited belief systems. It's not long ago that in some parts of the world,
people believed the Earth was flat while in other parts of the world centring on
India, people knew a greater truth. The eminent scientists of the time described
the universe in a similar manner as Doctor John Hagelin in the above video but
this understanding is difficult so it's much easier to see life as being a gift
so in turn one gets back to life to maintain a perpetual energy cycle that
benefits both human existence and our planetary environment.
The silent majority have been raised in ignorance and
therefore suffer some unexplained cause.
So When things go wrong, it's always some one else's fault.
Outcomes and adaptations:
We may not see the universe as a flow of energy and give the utmost of our
attention and effort to the physical reality and adapter within our social,
religious and political creations. By doing so we become trapped within the
quagmire of samsara or the reactionary karma caused by the generations who have
gone before. At an individual level life is a spiritual desert.
Conversely, one who accepts life as a gift and devotes themselves to gifting in
return is fuelled by the very source of creation giving rise to inner peace and
contentment, a lasting sense of happiness and joy that is only marred by the
ignorance and suffering perpetuated by those blind to the spirit within.
The Key to Happiness is in accepting that we don't have all the answers, we
don't know so many things but we do know that religions and governments are
man-made, acting kindly, expressing gratitude and being generous in the world
placates the soul and infects others to make the world a happier place.
In the modern world of today,
billions of people are fearing coronavirus and many governments are acting to politicise the fear as much as acting to contain and hopefully exterminate the virus.