Ask The Master: 10 Oct 2007

Q. Is suffering essential?

Yes, in a way it is.

Because suffering can be a powerful catalyst to growth. Just like a seed first has to rupture before a plant can grow and blossom, intense suffering can break down the defenses of your ego, leaving you open and vulnerable to Existence. With your usual thought patterns shattered, you begin to see things as they actually are.

Pain is part of everybody's life. True maturity lies in knowing how to use that pain -- before it uses you!

A small story:

Two men, one a jnaani (a wise man), and the other an ordinary man, were traveling through a forest on a dark, moonless night. Suddenly, a shaft of lightning flashed in the sky.

The ordinary man began to tremble in fear. A storm! His mind was immediately given over to confusion. Should he walk on? Or should he find a safe place to stop till the storm was spent? The man began wishing that he had never decided to undertake this journey. He cursed himself as foolish and unlucky. In other words, he fell headlong into suffering!

The jnaani, on the other hand, simply used the moment to take a better look at the road ahead. He ensured that he was traveling in the right direction, thanked the lightning for its help, and moved onward.

Pain is just like this flash of lightning. You have no control over its existence. But whether you suffer from it or learn from it, is entirely up to you!

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Open the Door, Let the breeze in!