Is understanding pain and sorrow necessary for understanding happiness in an enl

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   BHaysposted 11 years ago

   Is understanding pain and sorrow necessary for understanding happiness in an enlightened spirit?
   
   As part of the human experience we encounter a gambit of emotions and experiences,many of which can be unpleasant,even to the point of seeming unbearable.Is the experience of these unpleasant occurrences a foundation on which we learn to understand and appreciate the opposite,which in turn is a mechanism to which leads us to understanding the divine.

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   Jewelsposted 11 years ago

   I wish my current path was not one of pain and sorrow in order to reach an enlightened spirit.  It is not however, necessary to endure these experiences in order to understand happiness and retain an enlightened spirit.  For many people who are enduring difficulties, it often takes a person who can empathize and has experienced similar for the sufferer to overcome.
   
   We live in a polarity and you will hear that in order to know light we must see the opposite which is darkness.  I think it's subjective - some people spend the majority of their life experiencing heavy emotions and difficult situations.  Others have an easier path (or so it seems).
   
   If you can endure and overcome then the darkness is no longer dark.  It takes a certain depth inside a person to do this and when it is done you are a force.  You can hold more (including love), your breadth of experience is wider.  In spiritual practices, it's not suffering that will take you to experience the Divine, it's persistence and being cosmically stubborn, and the courage to open.

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      BHaysposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Quite a thought provoking answer,thank you Jewels.

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   MakJoSiposted 11 years ago

   Not really, try observing a baby, they cry or smile or laught without even knowing about the opposite. We can react to things right away without even having to "test" the opposite out. That is human nature. If you show a baby some scary photos, they cry. If you show them some sweets, they are happy. What makes you feel is your organs and brain that reacts. Chinese medic theory explained it all cleary as well. You don't need to get yourself in trouble before you can be a lawful person in the society. Right? um...

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      BHaysposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks MakJoSi,interesting answer.I'm not familiar with Chinese medic theory -have to look into that.

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