Fruit of the Contemplative Life
Fruit of the contemplative life: => Ecstatic Buddhism => : Michel November 08, 2013, 11:20:19 PM
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I was just reading Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, and there he touches on an interesting way of understanding one's suffering. He says in effect that one's suffering should be regarded as a good thing; it is the fuel that propels one to seek a way out of one's misery. Without suffering we would have no impetus to seek enlightenment. So, suffering performs a vital and important function. Let us be glad that we are in a hell plane of existence; I think we should embrace and accept our suffering, and not runaway from it by indulging in the seven deadly sins. Isn't this a remarkable way of looking at our suffering?
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Suffering is inevitable in life based on our previous karmas... so the real choice we have is what relationship we want to have with the suffering we will inevitably experience. If we are sensible, we will use it as fuel for the fire. We will take our suffering on actively, make it a sacrificial offering, & a path to heaven. Otherwise, (fruitless) suffering = hell. That is the difference between purgatory and hell: whether your suffering brings fruit, or doesn't.
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aglorincz:
Suffering is inevitable in life based on our previous karmas...
Sometimes it seems that you just can't win: “There are only two great tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” ― Oscar Wilde
But for me, discovering the Pali Canon might be a sign of good vipaka.