Life is mostly unsatisfactory

What appears to motivate many people to embark upon meditation is the realization that life is basically unsatisfactory. Again, we know this at an intellectual level, because even if life is great now, we know that sooner or latter we will die, and we really do not want to go through that. If our some reason we do want to die, then it must be because life is very unsatisfactory at present. So, because we want to be happy, we want to be free from the causes of discontent. By observing and contemplating discontent, we see that dissatisfaction is an integral component of our lives, and the amount of suffering in the world is incalculable. For example, just by considering the wildlife in your garden, it becomes clear that all creatures are basically trying to kill each other or trying to avoid being killed, with a little eating and reproducing going on in between. We might[ or might not] be in a less acutely blind or desperate situation, but still we find that almost everything we do is based on some underlying element of fear: fear of not being accepted, fear of being ‘left on the shelf ’, fear of losing out, and so on. And what does fear imply? It implies that we suspect the cause of our own suffering is nearby, so we want to side-step out of its way.

We can be happy and contented for very long periods of time, but in a way, that can add to our problem. Being too comfortable makes us complacent. Why strive for anything, if it is all there at hand? That is fine if it will always be there, but we need to realize that the good times will not last forever. They may not even last into the next second, because the future is completely unpredictable. We have three choices:

· We can become completely paranoid about our situation and life in general, worrying about suffering all the time, and feel guilty about any form of pleasure and happiness that might creep into our miserable existence.

· We can turn a blind eye to all sufferings and levels of discontent while things are going well, and deal with any pain when it ’unexpectedly’ arises.

· We can do what it takes to truly understand the nature and inevitability of suffering, so that we can deal with it with equanimity.

On the surface, this whole concept seems a bit gloomy. We re going to die”; “ death is probably painful”; “ life itself is full of anguish; if not now, sooner or later it will be”. The point is, life does contain suffering. Pain and disappointment do not hurt less just because you did not see them coming. worrying about their presence and inevitability also does not help. Quite the contrary. So what can we do? We can learn to understand and accept them, and meditating on the nature of suffering is a good way forward.

Meditation does not aim to reject or anaesthetize pain, or help us escape form life. Rather, it gives us a deeper understanding so that we can accept life with grace. Certain sufferings are inevitable for all of us: grief, illness, death, separation, rejection and so on. other sufferings arise out of our narrow vision of life: our lack of wider understanding, which give rice to fear, anger, envy and other emotional states. Mindfulness of suffering is not about dwelling upon discontent, but a means to help us understand that both avoiding and grasping create suffering for us. Meditation can therefore can help us to learn about the nature of suffering and the means to reduce its impact on ourselves through the development of balance, understanding and compassion.

As an analytical contemplation on suffering, just remind yourself that everything is cyclic. Therefore, if you are suffering a painful low, it has to be balanced by euphoric high, and vice-versa. Part of problem is the contrast between a high and the low. Meditation will encourage us to dwell more in the mid-point between those extremes, which, on balance, is much more ’satisfactory’.

The ultimate goal of meditation Practice in eastern philosophical tradition is to get out of the cycle of suffering and euphoria altogether; to reach a state of ‘liberation’ from it all.

Whether or not you achieve that ideal in this life, the practice of meditation clearly leads to a deeper sense of content. You need to do it regularly to experience what this means. Also, observe those who are really doing it wholeheartedly and extensively. They generally exhibit more sustained joy and contentment than the average person.

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