September’s Inspiration - Between Ignorance and Enlightenment

From: Grand Master Hsing Yun

The Intolerable Pain of Suffering

As humans, we all have feelings, and with feelings come pain. Within suffering, there is the suffering of pain, the suffering of deterioration, and the suffering of change. Pain itself is part of life—the pangs of hunger and cold, poverty and anguish. Humans suffer great pain due to the physical body. Because of the physical body, we suffer from the five aggregates. Regarding the suffering of deterioration, we suffer when our homes collapse, our savings defrauded, our reputations ruined, and our bodies age and fall ill. Then, there is the suffering of change. The world around us is not under our control. It is always changing, because it is impermanent. When faced with changes in the people around us and matters related to these fluctuations, we are often saddened by constant reminders of departed loved ones or the heartbreaking pain of lost love.

The worst source of suffering in this world comes from physical pain; if getting sick or aging is not painful, then it does not bring suffering. Since ancient times, the most inhumane kind of punishment has been the infliction of physical pain. Some parents even use corporal punishment on their children, inflicting pain to motivate them to strive harder or behave better. Some husbands hit their wives so that they will be subdued by the fear of pain. Because of physical pain, we truly know what suffering is about.

The mind and body have limits in tolerating pain; neither can endure an excessive load. Therefore, even a great hero can break down under intolerable pain and turn into a coward. In extreme pain, self-respect is hard to maintain and the meaning of life is lost! All suffering in the world comes from pain of the mind or the body. If we can train ourselves so that neither the body nor the mind will succumb to pain, then pain will no longer be a kind of suffering!

There is mental and physical suffering, and then there is temporal and spatial suffering. It is also common to experience suffering that arises from people and their affairs. When the body is imprisoned or constrained, or if one is confined in a small place and the limbs are restricted in their movements—these are also forms of suffering. In enduring physical and mental suffering, sometimes we would rather die than to bear the pain. All being said, we first need to strengthen ourselves physically, then we should fortify ourselves mentally; so that when we are faced with the pain and suffering of setbacks, we will be able to handle them. When we no longer fear pain, the endless joy of life will be ours!

This summer 9 BLIA Youth members (5 from New York, 2 from Houston and 2 from Taiwan) went to Brazil to learn something different from their life. This reflection letter is from a 16 years old girl from New York, an honest report from deep of her heart and would like to share with you.