Why does there have to be so much suffering?

Malana · July 19, 2012, 06:18:02 PM

Hello Everyone,

I have been on a spiritual path for a while now and have recently been feeling angry and frustrated and am having a hard time processing these emotions without feeling even more ashamed for feeling these emotions in the first place. I find myself feeling angry at the whole concept of being here and am very confused as to why there needs to be so much suffering. Every day I feel more and more perplexed that people, including myself, are going about their daily lives, or trying to at least, while there is so much suffering going on in the world. I understand that we can't understand fully why there has to be so much suffering, however for some reason it is hitting me hard and I just can't get over this. Why does there have to be suffering?? Why all the illusion, guesswork and confusion??

Is it normal to be feeling this way? I feel awful, because it makes me feel ungrateful, however that is not it. I am grateful, however am still feeling this way. I was happily progressing on my spiritual path and working on different aspects of such, however this whole emotional concept has blindsighted me and I can't seem to get past this to regain a sense of peacefulness. Does anyone know what this means? Is this part of the process? How does one get over this phenomena and move on with life? Any thoughts on this would be greatly and humbly appreciated.

Mystery1 · July 20, 2012, 10:33:35 AM

I have been through this. I was very angry for a long time. How could this(suffering) be allowed? Then I realized the Karma of others is kind of none of my business. Although it's painful to watch others suffer or when seeming wrongs are done by others to others. It doesn't seem fair. (It is a trap, a distraction to keep you from healing yourself). Now I have come to feel that "it is all handled". My individual ego wants to rage against the universe, but the great hologram is working together for the greater good. Your work is to heal yourself and your perception of the world. All else follows. I forget who it was that said, "In my world, nothing ever goes wrong." When you come to a place of deep surrender and you know that you don't have all the answers, when you are no longer judging the world as right-wrong, bad-good a new meaning can be revealed to you. You have to take the power out of your judgements and opinions and then you will be able to see with the Self.

Mystery1 · July 20, 2012, 10:53:23 AM

Just realized I am not supposed to give advice since I am not a Fire Serpent Tantra Lineage Member. I apologize if I spoke out of turn. I just sympathized with Explorer. I will humbly hold my tongue.

Malana · July 20, 2012, 11:15:20 AM

Mystery, your words were filled with heart, truth and compassion. I couldn't ask for more. Thank you for bringing to light a new perspective on this complexity. I am very grateful to you.

Duu · July 21, 2012, 05:49:06 AM

Hi, just expanding on previous nice answer.
World is experienced as duality. Light and shadow. Pleasure and pain.
And in order to learn we need to experience the effects of our actions. Im thinking that just reading about love and gentleness doesn't work. We need to fully see, experience that the hate, fear or judgment of others doesn't really lead anywhere. And sometimes we need to feel pain to experience compassion of others. And it is a quite rare gift a truly noble feeling and worth the experience of the confusion and pain.

So if you feel suffering, maybe it is just your own judgment about what going on as not right or not correct or just. Maybe if you could accept is as a part of how we learn and grow, you could see that if you would take away from the poor and suffering the ability to see and learn from their actions, mistakes and try again in their own way again. Than you would take something very precious from them. Something that perhaps we came here to experience.

And maybe your neighbor who is living rich and nice life is suffering more than someone living in rags. So we just hide it better.
I once thought that to help someone not to fail or give him money is to love.
But than I found out that if you truly love someone you have to allow him to fail. And that was for me painful lesson. I found out that my feelings of compassion was just selfishness. I wanted them to be or to make them to fit to my image of the world. So really I was not good person at all. And when you dont help others and let them fail.. no gratefulness, no thanks for your love. They would think badly and despise one. Can you realy love them that much or do you love more your ego, your oversensitivity? Life of a saint is invisible and ordinary. That what I thought, but I still did not mastered it. Some compasion is just genetic.

Yes Mystery1, welcome, you can discuss about anything you want. Discussing a philosophical or practical issue and sharing an experience is always welcome.
Limitation would be if a specific advice is asked about a personal kundalini issue.
Than it is better to allow lineage members to answer.

Love.
Duu

Malana · July 21, 2012, 10:18:40 PM

Duu, thank you. I appreciate your added insights on this - they helped to further my understandings of things. Both responses also helped to somewhat free me of my own self-induced emotional blockages connected to this concern; for that, I am simply grateful.

Mystress · August 02, 2012, 09:14:11 PM

Buddha said, pain is part of life but suffering is optional.
Suffering is mostly born of resistance. So much of disease is rooted in unresolved emotions.

Try this for one week: be grateful for everything. You will be amazed at how an expression of gratitude can change perceptions. Goddess sees it all perfect.

robot · August 25, 2012, 03:02:46 PM

Experience your frustration with suffering totally. Don't try to get back to peace--it might be the surest way to not find it. The issue is your shame with these feelings, but all feelings are perfect, they are you right where you are, and all you can do is be where you are. Feel the frustration and feel the shame, too. Don't grasp at what you "should" be feeling. There is a kind of truth in feeling frustrated with suffering, anyway.

I think underneath it there is something more truthful and beautiful, but let yourself have this here and now.
I think to know and experience the truth, all the illusion and falseness have to be experienced as what they are. People have to reach the end of things, they have to eat dirt until they realize its dirt, they have to walk in the dark forest path until the very end, because that is the only way to know, to experience for yourself hell and so understand heaven. Suffering is a byproduct of ignorance. Everyone has what they need inside them, and they manifest their situations and work out their own salvation and wisdom in their unique way.
Im not at there right now, but at times of spiritual insight I have become honestly and totally grateful for all the suffering in my life. I dont understand it, and these days Im more where you are! But its very encouraging to me.