What is suffering?
- Suffering arises from resistance
- It’s the tension that comes when we struggle against what’s actually happening.
- It’s what we feel when we try to force life to be different from how it is.
- Suffering is fueled by belief in separation
- When we see ourselves as apart from life, as isolated individuals fighting external circumstances, suffering deepens.
- It thrives on the idea that there’s a “me” who must protect or defend against “others” or “events.”
- Suffering is rooted in mental stories
- It’s not the raw pain of a stubbed toe, but the mental narrative about what that pain means—how unfair or endless it might feel.
- It’s the gap that arises when our thoughts and expectations clash with direct, immediate experience.
- Suffering dissolves as we return to present-moment awareness
- When we let go of the mental drama and simply stay with what’s here, suffering has less ground to stand on.
- Recognizing that life unfolds within awareness—without a rigid “me” and “it”—helps release the inner struggle.
