RIGHT VIEW
Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering
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When people have met with
suffering and become victims of suffering, they come to me and ask me
about the noble truth of suffering. Being asked, I explain to them the
noble truth of suffering. (MN 77) What is suffering? (MN 9)
Mental pain is suffering. Mental pain, mental discomfort, painful, uncomfortable feeling born of mental contact. (MN 9)
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Under normal
circumstances it is okay to make excursions into the realm of mental
pain, as long as you are reinforced with the power of mindful
equanimity. (Do not do this, however, if you are suffering from serious
trauma.) When sitting just be aware, “I am sitting.” When walking just
be aware, “I am walking.” And when experiencing mental pain simply be
aware, “I am experiencing mental pain.” Equanimity makes suffering
bearable.
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Losing someone
you love really hurts. Feel the mental pain of that loss without
elaborating a story around it. Feel the pain and nothing else. Being
emotionally injured by someone really hurts. Feel in your body how that
hurt manifests: tightness in the chest? Heat? Pain hurts, but it is
ultimately just a passing sensation. Equanimity allows us to open to
pain without being overwhelmed by suffering.
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Tomorrow: Cultivating Lovingkindness
One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
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