Suffering Opens the Way to Bliss

To a friend who saw misery all around and felt that the God is not right in creating this kind of a world

The question – why there is inequality and suffering in this world appears to have remained unanswered even today.  Whatever answers are there, like the principle of Karma and fate or destiny, appear to fall flat on a little more questioning when we try to understand them in a logical way through our mind.  Though who have known have no doubt on the principle of destiny in respect of what we get in the external world (material possessions and relationships) and free choice in the inner dimension – spiritual quest.  Why is it so?

The expanse of the existence is infinite.  Everything in it is interconnected and interdependent – inanimates like galaxies, sun, earth, water, light and animates like plant, animals, human beings etc.  And they are functioning in an order – governed by some law.   Mind is finite – limited by the inputs from the sense organs.  It can understand only that which is finite.  Infinite simply means that which is beyond comprehension of the mind.  

Existence is not an unresolved puzzle – by its very nature it is puzzle which is incapable of being resolved.  That is why it is said that the life is a mystery (jeevan rahashya hai) – mystery for the limited mind.  Those who went to explore this mystery had to necessarily go beyond the mind.  In that search the explorer (ego or perception of a separate identity) is lost and becomes one with it.  There is no observer, nothing to observe and no observation – only an experience of peace and bliss.  We are aware that there is no way to express even physical experiences like taste of something.  The only way is to make the person taste that particular thing.  It cannot, obviously, be otherwise in respect of an experience that is beyond the mind.  So it is not that the human beings have not experienced the existence and its mysteries but there is no way it can be communicated to us through words.  Some of us can, however, surely feel something of it in the presence of a person (Guru) who has experienced it.

Coming to the process of logical understanding, how do we decide on correctness or otherwise of any statement?  The correctness of a statement is judged by comparing it with the information stored in our brain cells.  If the statement agrees with that, we call it to be correct.  But if it does not agree with the stored information, we consider it to be incorrect.  Now consider a situation that the information in the form of the new statement was part of our memory and the information lying there was received now.  Then comparing them we would have had an opposite view.  So our logic works on first come first serve principle.  Whatever is put in the mind first is correct and that becomes the basis for our decision of correctness or otherwise of anything which we encounter later.  Absurdity and unreliability of our logic is, thus, obvious.  This, in fact, is the cause of all our hatred and destruction in the name of nations and religions.

Another thing, answer to ‘why’ only takes a question a step back.  In reality it is not an answer.  For example, if a child asks : why the plants are green?  One can answer, it is because of presence of chlorophyll.  But question can again be asked : why the presence of chlorophyll makes it green or why the plants contain chlorophyll?  One can go on putting 'why' before each of the answer.  And soon one would reach a stage where there will be no further answer.

In reality there is no answer to ‘why’.  Search for an answer to ‘why’ is an itch of the mind.  It does not solve a problem – it only takes it a step back.  And this keeps the mind occupied – preventing one from finding real solutions to one’s problems. 

Mind or the ego survives only on that which is no more there (past) and that which is yet to come (future).  And that evokes suffering, anger or anxiety.  Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev once said that it is not a miracle that a few persons like Buddha, Christ or Krishna attain a state of bliss – it is our basic nature.  The miracle is that how by continuously delving into past and future, working overtime, we manage to create misery.  If we stop for a while, the bliss will spring up from within, as it is our basic nature.

In the present, in the experience of ‘isness’, there is no mind and no ego.  Without knowing, we have all experienced the ‘isness’ of the present.  All our experiences of happiness are those when in certain circumstance, our mind was silenced, i.e., it was not engaged in some thought of past or the future.  One experiences it in a caressing touch of one’s loved one in a relaxed state, one experiences it when one witnesses whole range of snow clad mountains or vast sea for the first time.

Whatever ‘is’, it is there.  It cannot be otherwise.  To think that one can make a difference to this infinite interconnected and interdependent existence is an illusion of the ‘ego’ – the limited mind.  In the acceptance of what ‘is’ lies the answer – peace and bliss.

To many it may appear that ‘acceptance’ is an escape from reality – when the whole world is suffering how can one just accept it and avoid doing something to bring an improvement – leave a better world behind.

Acceptance does not mean inaction.  Whatever requires to be done in a set-up according to the social norms and position in which one finds oneself to be placed, one needs to do that to best of one’s ability.  Whatever follows, it follows.  There has to be acceptance for that.  Again if one tries to accept, such acceptance will not have grace.  If acceptance springs up from within, it is beautiful.

Acceptance of everything and everyone is the key.  This leads one to experience the present moment as in state of acceptance there is no past and no future.  To reach this state – the state of total acceptance – state of peace and bliss – one needs to delve in (by following processes for one's spiritual growth).  It is not something which has to be acquired from somewhere or from someone, it is our basic nature.

One more thing to understand is that actually what we see around reflects our mental make-up, rather than any reality.  A person in separation from one’s beloved sees the moon, the trees – all sad.  In the same setting, a person with one’s beloved and in a romantic mood finds the moon and the trees and everyone around dancing and participating in a great celebration of this existence.

One morning I was going for a walk in Allahabad.  I saw two dogs, jogging in a relaxed manner with their tails up.  On other side of the road, a huge dog tied with a rope was menacingly barking.  Other two dogs, without taking a note of the barking dog, continued enjoying their relaxed jogging.  When the dogs, who are expected to impulsively react, could ignore the barking dog, can we who ascribe intelligence to ourselves not ignore provocative actions of others, I thought.  Other person instead of picking up such teaching, could have got irritated over unnecessary noise being created by the dog or even against the owner of the dog or the Municipal Corporation.

It is a fact that nobody can put anger or fear into anyone.  Hidden anger or fear in somebody may get triggered because of someone else’s action.  Some persons are known to be cool and some short tempered.  In the same environment, their reactions differ.  So it is not the circumstance that is responsible for our reactions but it is our mental make up including the sub-conscious and unconscious layers of our mind that determines our response.  If we see pain and suffering around, again it is projection of our inner hidden pain.  They say the world (Samsar) is a screen and we project ourselves on that screen.  Anxiety, anger or mental suffering do not come from outside, they are our reactions to external situations.  Reactions are solely ours.

If the cause of the problem was outside, it would have been very difficult to deal with it as the solution may depend on so many external factors and multitude of forces acting outside – most of which may be beyond our control.  But as the cause of our suffering is our reaction, we have complete freedom and power over it.

Coming back to the role of the mind – it is not an enemy – it is an invaluable aid and opens up supreme opportunity to human beings.  Apart from its role in maintaining this body and making a living in this world, if one’s intelligence is really sharp, it helps reach the understanding that one cannot achieve lasting happiness through external pursuits such as getting into relationships, achieving material progress or by attaining higher status in the society (only dull headed one’s go on fooling themselves around in a make believe world).  In fact all these efforts lead to conflict, frustration and suffering. It (mind) thus makes one look in another direction – the inside.

And it is the experience of everyone who has looked within that the whole existence is in continuous celebration and becomes one with that celebration.  That is the ultimate flowering of a human being.

In fact only such a person goes in search within who has realized that this world is full of suffering (Jeevan dukh hai – first truth enunciated by Bhagwan Buddha).  Only such a person would meet a real Guru.  Suffering thus opens the way to bliss.

Welcoming you to the world of celebration.