Are we hardwired to suffer ?

[Hermes Trismegistus]

Hello everyone, 

 

A recurrent theme that pretty much appears in every self help book, video, or any other source, is the elimination of suffering.  Practically all of this industry can be boiled down to that significant theme. A happier life, with the least amount of pain and suffering. This made me wonder if this is the default state that we, as human beings, are destined to endure.  Is the human mind just programmed to make itself miserable ? 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Hermes Trismegistus

[Faceless]

Our ability to think has its adventages but it also has its disadvantages. Thought has helped man to survive his environment since the beging of man. But when that same capacity to think gets transferred over psychologically then comes the conflict. Thought is the root of conflict and suffering. 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Faceless

[Monkey-man]

@Hermes Trismegistus suffering like pain and all the negative emotions and thinking are designed for us to survive

but because we are self-aware we cling to that things long-term and that creates suffering that destroys us

your dog doesn't suffer, dog can feel pain, hunger, sadness but wouldn't turn it into suffering

[Monkey-man]

@Mighty Mouse  i think self-awareness is when thought recognises itself and misinterprets itself for true self

[Leo Gura]

@Hermes Trismegistus As the Buddha so eloquently put it: All life is suffering. Enlightenment is the only cure.

Suffering is the consequence of the struggle to stay alive.

Basically, to stop suffering you have to kill yourself (Nirvana). I can tell ya, there's no suffering in Nirvana. It's peaceful beyond imagination.

So start meditating, or self-inquiring, or yoga to get there. And BTW, "there" is none other than here.

[Faceless]

What true self ?? 

[Faceless]

Isn’t this thought induced idea of a true self an attempt to escape suffering and therefore brings about its own conflict and suffering??‍♀️

[Faceless]

11 minutes ago, Shiva said:

7 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@Hermes Trismegistus As the Buddha so eloquently put it: All life is suffering. Enlightenment is the only cure.

Suffering is the consequence of the struggle to stay alive.

Basically, to stop suffering you have to kill yourself (Nirvana). I can tell ya, there's no suffering in Nirvana. It's peaceful beyond imagination.

Perhaps this is a foolish question, but isn't suicide then the fastest way to enlightenment?

Not if there is a movement of becoming. That’s the point. What this word enlightenment points to is a ceasing of becoming. The psychological entity I call the me is a movment in time/thought. The self “thought” and it’s fragmentary and divisive nature within the psychological field breeds conflict and desire. Any movement of desire is a movement of thought. 

If desire must cease to reach this “enlightenment” then how can the pursuit in becoming bring this transformation about? 

Do u see this friend?

Edited January 30, 2018 by Faceless

[AlwaysBeNice]

42 minutes ago, Shiva said:

Perhaps this is a foolish question, but isn't suicide then the fastest way to enlightenment?

You can't kill yourself by destroying your human body, not the emotional body / the momentum of attachment of the mind, you'd need to complete your spiritual practice regardless. 

And from what I've heard from reputable sources, cutting your process short like that, before having fully lived a human experience (as being awake, fully conscious), will probably result in choosing another incarnation.

Because experientially living a human enlightened life is desirable (living as a Jesus or Buddha ain't boring), and would allow you to leave the human experience satisfied in spirit as well, because physical incarnations also serve the purpose of shaping spirit to be able to have a sense of personality with it.

 

[SOUL]

Pain and suffering aren't quite the same thing but though we can suffer pain all pain isn't suffering and all suffering isn't pain.

As an example, there are people who put themselves through painful experiences and it's not suffering to them or perceived negatively. Conversely, there are people who can go through experiences that pleasurable and still suffer in them or perceive them negatively.

We can have an experience of continuing physical suffering due to ongoing circumstances but the suffering that the Buddha spoke of and what most seek to be 'free' from is self induced suffering. As well intention as Buddha or other people are in trying to alleviate self induced suffering by saying that life is suffering that isn't expressing the whole as it is.

In life there is happiness, sadness, apathy, pain, pleasure, insensitivity, love, fear, dispassion, joy, misery, stoicity and on and on. Life is filled with many things, one of them is suffering and no offense to the wise Buddha but life isn't just suffering.

We can be liberated from suffering without the "death" of our body, our ego, our self...we can be at peace in life and it's simply a state of being which may be difficult to realize when we are distracted by everything life encompasses but it is really that simple.... just be it.

Edited January 30, 2018 by SOUL