Our Collective Suffering
Everyone experiences life in their own way, with their unique set of challenges and emotional turmoil. Yet, there are commonalities in how we relate to our pain. In response to challenging circumstances, we feel a spectrum of emotions - sadness, fear, stress, or anger. Often times, we also acquire various mental burdens - trauma, emotional blocks, self-denying beliefs or self-limiting behaviours. They not only make our present moment difficult to bear, but also affect how we respond to the next set of challenges that arise.
In this way, one may find oneself stuck in a cyclical downward spiral - suffering leading to more suffering, vulnerability leading to more vulnerability. While the content of everyone's suffering is unique, the dynamics of how it arises, magnifies or dissipates, is the same for everyone. It is this shared nature of our experience that makes a path to healing possible for all. Each of us can break out of the loop of suffering and find inner peace. The first step is to discover our Infinite Self.
“Handling our suffering is an art. If we know how to suffer, we suffer much less, and we’re no longer afraid of being overwhelmed by the suffering inside.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
A Path to Healing
We are born with an infinitely abundant resource of healing within us. This is our Infinite Self.
Our capacity to transcend suffering emerges from our connection with our true essence, which exists within all of us, like an open, limitless sky. However, like dark clouds, mental burdens and emotional turmoil prevent us from connecting with our Infinite Self.
If we can calm our internal storms, we can harness the healing power of Infinite Self and artfully handle our pain and suffering. We can learn to embrace difficulties with grace, while maintaining the balance of our mind. We can even transmute our suffering into some of our greatest gifts. This is true freedom.
Through authentic inner exploration and self-awareness, this freedom is accessible to all, no matter who we are or what past burdens we carry.
