How to alleviate past pain and suffering
Life can be hard, there’s no question about that.
Throughout life, we experience various emotions on a daily basis and the one I think that holds individuals back is fear. This can be fear of the unknown, looking into the past or letting fear control your daily life and your mind.
I have to admit, fear and suffering are current emotions I am experiencing, but there is a way to alleviate these strong emotions and it’s all within yourself. It always has been.
I’m currently taking a course on Insight Timer, a popular meditation app, called “Paving Your Pathway to Peace” by Annemaree Rowley and there are numerous lessons I learned from the first day. The first is the Buddhist concept called Dukkha, which is the truth of suffering. These are the four noble truths and what follows Dukkha is the origin of suffering (Samudāya), cessation of suffering (Nirodha) and the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga).
According to BBC UK, Buddha taught these four noble truths for healing.
“The Buddha is often compared to a physician. In the first two Noble Truths he diagnosed the problem (suffering) and identified its cause. The third Noble Truth is the realisation that there is a cure.”
No matter what the case is, Dukkha is a natural part of life. I always say: expect the unexpected and be ready for what comes your way. One situation does not define who you are and it is not a “life sentence” as Rowley described in her teachings, but rather it is something that you can learn from to move forward.
One way to move forward is to embrace stillness. Let what comes to your mind come to your mind. In doing so, do not embrace those thoughts, but rather give them compassion and let them go.
By embracing stillness you allow yourself to let go of suffering situations to focus on yourself and be who you are meant to be. In other words, you are not giving your mind the power to add onto the suffering and carry it with you throughout your life.
Let it go. I know it sounds hard now and, believe me, it is, but you can’t let that stop you from being who you are. You have a life to live. Instead of focusing on what causes you to suffer, focus on the world around you because it’s beautiful.
Also train your mind that your soul and your mind are in this fight together; they are allies through this process. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s within you.
Breathe and trust yourself, and it will make all the difference.
