Is Suffering Also Not the Will of Consciousness? - 31st August 2017

Some of you might say that why is it said, especially in Advaita, that suffering stops? Is suffering also not the will of Consciousness? That's a very valid question. Why do we focus on this end of suffering? Almost 100% end of suffering is an important notion with Advaita. It is because in the design of this play, unless there is this egoic identity, unless there is the belief in this limited self, this aspect called suffering cannot happen.

Suffering means not a pure energetic appearance. You can say anger can be looked at as a pure energetic appearance. Something happens, things are there, anger comes. Now, how to make anger into resentment? Can you do it without mixing egoic beliefs with them? How to make not just anger, but resentment? How do you think an action that happened—suppose shouting happened at your children—how will you make that movement into guilt? Can you do it without mixing egoic identity, mixing the false into it? How will you make something said which helped another one in a great way—suppose you were with someone, something was said, and they really said 'Thank you, that helped me so much'—how can you hold that movement of appearances into pride? You cannot do it without mixing the 'I' concept.

So, something needs to clear all of these egoic emotions. They are like a blend. It means that you take this pure emotion, which might be sensation, which might be coming, we accept the thoughts about yourself, and then it becomes... anger becomes resentment. Appearances become pride. So, suffering is just a generic name for all of these degrading experiences. If you're experiencing any of these, I seem to be experiencing your insight about what you really are. If you pick up this individualized 'I', it becomes more and more of a trouble. And you already saw that pride, resentment, regret, remorse—any of these qualities of suffering that we spoke about—are not possible unless you accept some sensation with the individual 'I'. That is why it is seen that those who come to this discovery and more and more are letting go of the false condition, the false self, they come to the end of their suffering.

This is like saying they come to the end of guilt. Once everything always was the play of Consciousness, but we are talking about now the mechanics of the design of Consciousness itself. And it apparently seems to work in this way: unless you pick up the notion of a limited 'I', you cannot play with experiences such as pride. That is why it is said over and over again that you come to an end of suffering only in your own recognition of 'Now'.

Yes, like every notion, there is a downside to this notion also. The downside of this notion that suffering comes to an end is when it is handed over to the seeker identity, the rampant seeker identity called 'the checker guy'. I call it the checker guy, which then uses that itself, like the appearance of any sensation, and says, 'See, you're still suffering' and thereby enhancing egoic belief and therefore enhancing suffering itself in the play, you see? So, when it's handed over to the egoic self that suffering must come to an end, then it can become a terrible notion.