Is suffering real or a figment of a limited mind?
I used to think that suffering was a fact of life that all human beings were cursed with from birth. As a result of my work with my mentors Peter and Ann over the years my perspective has radically changed. My life’s experience has led me to conclude that challenges and misfortunes that result in suffering are actually divine gifts of awareness in disguise. The difficulties that result in suffering do not randomly happen to me thus causing me to suffer. They’re actually attracted to me as a result of a limited self-image and accompanying disturbed state of mind that I have unconsciously allowed to roar out of control within me. When I grant this limited mind the authority to guide my life, my thoughts, emotions, spoken words and behaviors all carry the vibration of limitation and resistance, which I experience and erroneously identify as misfortune and suffering.
As a result of testing Peter’s ideas gradually over time, I have been awakening another awareness that dwells within me. I refer to this as my essential noticing presence. This aspect of me never experiences states of disturbance, resistance or suffering. It simply observes what is and blesses its perfection. As I become more conscious of this state of being, I am realizing that all forms of disturbance are here to awaken me to the fact that my subconscious limited self-image has again seized control of my life. Through rigorous practice I am developing the capacity to appreciate perpetrators of suffering that appear in my path because they awaken me to the disturbed subconscious state of mind I was in. The act of appreciation naturally re-centers me in my noticing presence, where no suffering exists and where I can now refocus myself on what I am creating.
The more I practice this, the more I realize that suffering is only possible when my limited self image and its accompanying disturbed state of mind are directing my thinking. When I fall into the trap of identifying with this disturbed self-image, my limited picture of myself becomes deeply disturbed and suffers, while my essential noticing presence patiently waits to see if this round of resistance will serve the purpose of waking me up. If it does, my noticing presence is grateful and if it doesn’t, my noticing presence is also grateful.
Although my life is filled with just as many challenges as ever, I find that I am gradually responding to them more and more consciously. I have recently formed a new affirmation to strengthen my newly chosen way of responding to challenges. It goes like this, “I delight in what is without exception!” I have been singing this affirmation to myself several hundred times per day. As this idea roots itself in my subconscious, I’m holding myself more and more accountable to bring it to life in the face of the challenges that arise. Magically my old “limited reaction” that resulted in suffering is giving way to a new “creative response” that I experience as gratitude. I am now concluding that suffering is one of many forms of disturbance that my limited mindset uses to keep itself fed and in control of my life. As my conscious, essential noticing presence takes its rightful place in the driver’s seat of my destiny, disturbance and suffering cease as a powerful experience of wonder, awe and appreciation replace it.
Jim M Anderson, Samurai of Self-Development
Jim, what a great blog!! With much love and respect, Anita