suffering

A Distinction Between Pain and Suffering

August 11, 2011

Pain and suffering. We have all experienced them.  Many make no distinction between the two­–to have pain is to suffer.  I do make a distinction between pain and suffering, though it took decades for me to find that distinction. This is how I see it:  Pain is pure and simple.  It burns clear and hot.  [...]

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All Shall Be Well

August 9, 2011

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”  Julian of Norwich It is interesting to hear people’s reactions to my news about the death of my dog and the declining health of my Dad.  All are kind and speak words of comfort, and all speak those [...]

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All Else is Madness

July 1, 2011

“See if you can catch yourself complaining in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself a [...]

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A Horse, A Choice, and An Aspiration

May 3, 2011

“If you aspire to become an evolutionarily enlightened human being, your ability to do so depends upon accepting the simple fact that independent of external circumstances, you always have a measure of freedom to choose. That sounds like a simple statement, but it’s amazing how many intelligent people will deny it. When you look honestly [...]

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This Life, This Body

March 10, 2011

I want to talk more about pain and suffering.  I remember a time when I could barely tolerate this world.  My thoughts were constantly on heaven where I believed I would no longer suffer.  This life and this world were simply a matter of surviving until I entered glory.  In other words, grin and bear [...]

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Life is like a Rosebush

March 9, 2011

Yesterday, I cut back the rosebushes in preparation for summer.  I discovered that one must be quite careful with rosebushes!  Gloves and long sleeves are handy.  Gingerly handling the bushes is beneficial.  Patience and full attention are helpful.  Respect is necessary. Roses are beautiful and delicate but beneath their inspiring beauty are the terrible thorns.  [...]

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Interrupting the Story

February 4, 2011

I have been making a conscious effort to examine and drop the story lines I create.  It’s not easy and I have a long way to go.  My story lines are often unconscious—a result of habit, culture, family, etc.  For example, I’ve told myself, three or four times already this morning, that I don’t feel [...]

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An Investigation into a Story Line

January 26, 2011

I awake and hear myself say, “I don’t feel good.”  A story line.  Easily said, easily latched onto.  What does it mean that I don’t feel good?  It could mean a thousand different things on any given day.  I must inquire into this story line—flesh it out.  What do I witness? There is burning in [...]

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Sadness Flowing

January 25, 2011

I notice when I’m sad that I have an immediate tendency to want to think about the sadness, rather than feel it.  Why am I sad?  What does this mean?  I shouldn’t be sad.  I should be really sad!  Why aren’t I stronger?  What’s wrong with me anyway? When the thoughts take over, I begin [...]

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Sadness and Fear Witnessed

January 24, 2011

I’m sad this morning, and scared.  Mostly, though I’m scared.  Mostly though, I’m sad—is what I meant to say!  Am I mostly scared?  I confuse myself sometimes.  The subconscious is so tricky—isn’t it? I’m venturing into new territory and that requires letting go of the old, thus the sadness and the fear.  The releasing of [...]

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