16/10/2018
Dear Friends, The pleasure and pain!
When golden spring sun falls to the ground, beautiful patterns emerge from the v***r that ooze up from the wet surfaces. You could almost hear the hiss as the juices leap to the forest atmosphere, finally coming to its journey though the pebbles of the earth. Damp rich aroma of the earth juices invade every inch of the forest. As this misty smoke seep through the soft petals of the newborn wild flowers, the little ones seize a new life and so do I. It’s the forest’s way of saying good morning to me.
Through the branches of the beautiful forest, I was walking towards the village through the forest. I was barefoot and I felt the warm earth every step of the way. Everyday footsteps I took, I felt my foot ground against the leafy soil. It kept stretching my feet further in to the ground drenched with water from the yesterday showers. Soon I could see the brown sludge oozing its way up through the spaces between my fingers. Being barefoot, sticky warm brown sludge making its way up to the feet was not a pleasant look or a feel.
pleasure and pain
The twist: Pleasure and Pain
A moment ago, what came with a healing pleasure suddenly turned in to an unpleasant surprise. The same thing that expedited my footsteps, as I began scattered the scales of the earth, slowed my journey down as the disgust overcame my mind. What is happening? Why pleasure and pain may originate from the same object yet to produce experiences that are completely contrasting to each other?
Dear friend, there are changes to our lives just like the rain shower that extend to the forest. Drenched with dramatic events, our lives force us to go through experiences that we never expect. Some experiences bring pleasure, some will bring sorrow. What you felt as a pleasure a moment ago, change its face in a second and emerge as a cause that bring sorrow.
Money brings pleasure, the same money brings sorrow when you are poor. Appreciation brings pleasure, however despise from the same community brings you grief. Our hearts are touched so much by a certain thing, and in the next moment the same thing bring us on to our knees.
The thing you’ve strived so much to reach is the same thing that that brings you a grave suffering when it’s going to fall apart (as everything do).
Pointing Fingers
Often, when we are sad, we accuse us of what brought us sorrow. Who brought you the grief? Society? Politicians? Country? Code? Family? Or is it yourself? Whoever it may be, we always have a finger to point out and accuse to the pain we’ve suffered.
However, every time we point fingers we forget something very important. That is the same things we accuse, may have brought us pleasure number of times before. So then the big puzzle is how come the same thing could cause both pleasure and sorrow?
The true problem
Truly, the problem is not anywhere else. It’s right inside our mind. When the world turns in the way we want we become happy. When the same world does the things we dislike, anger and sorrow floods our minds. Amidst the pleasures and sorrows that our mind brings to us, like a ball bouncing between two stiff walls, we spend our lives feeding the needs and wants of our mind.
In a sense, this whole thing we do, running behind pleasures refusing anything that make us unhappy, is a fruitless exercise. It’s because the same thing that make us happy is the same thing that brings us sorrow in the next moment. Understanding the real cause of Pleasure and Pain, is in ourselves and not outside of us, is a truly remarkable insight, that’s going to make our lives much easier.
pleasure and pain
Someone who becomes thrilled as the world brings the things he/she like and become irritated as the world brings ugly to him, is worthless, empty and act of ignorance. And the person who accuse to the things which caused him irritation does even more worthless thing. It’s much like putting blame on those wet leaf litters. Are not these rain decaying scum that bring the life and beauty to the forest?
Dear Friend, may you be free from inner and outer danger, happy and free from suffering!
