Suffering is defined as: “Feeling pain or distress; sustaining loss, injury, harm, or punishment”.

Suffering is a term we might think of when listening to news reports of far away places where living conditions are awful or where civil rights are routinely violated. We may think of suffering when we view another’s situation of abuse or neglect through our empathy for them. We may think that there isn’t much one person can do to make a difference in these tragedies that occur. We may try to give of ourselves to make someone’s world a better place. It is our heart that guides us to have compassion for others.

How often though, do we your own suffering? The often many ways we suffer are somewhat elusive because they can lack the drama of the news broadcasts. We are often out of touch with our true emotions. Perhaps we are too busy or we’ve buried our pain too deep to feel it anymore. How often do you feel pain or distress daily?

Are you in touch with your emotions and feelings?

The daily suffering we experience is ten-fold compared to the suffering we see externally in the world or in dramatic events. Our internal suffering is much more subtle. It is much easier to see the suffering of others or to feel that others are the cause of our own suffering. But what responsibility do we have for our suffering and what things do we do to ourselves to perpetuate this state?

Buddhism calls our human suffering, “samsara”. It acknowledges that each of us is in this state and through our growth and awareness, we are trying to free ourselves from it. What can we do to free ourselves?

Most of our intense suffering lies in our mind and the thoughts we have all day long. What we focus on and what we choose to see can directly determine our level of suffering. We have choices everyday as to how much we will suffer through life. We can choose to see each life situation as divine or in right order regardless of the situation. We could also make the choice to blame our suffering on others, hold on to our pain and not resolve what is necessary. 

Many of us have grown accustomed to a state of suffering so much that we believe it is the only way of being. We literally believe that suffering is the key to attainment of what we want in life. This type of belief is an illusion that only creates more suffering.

It is important to recognize our emotions as one of the liberators of suffering. When we can feel our feelings and acknowledge ourselves, we can release ourselves from suffering needlessly. When we cling to situations, refuse to release emotions or blame others for what is happening to us, we hurt ourselves infinitely.

The thoughts we have are also liberators of suffering. What we think can either diminish or increase our capacity to become creators in our lives. Suffering is the destroyer of peace and balance. We have a choice of what we think. We can choose to be positive or choose to be negative. We must remember that “like attracts like”, so whatever we are spending our time and energy thinking is what will come back to us. This law of cause and effect is also called Karma.

Buddhism also speaks of our karma. We spend our lives in “samsara” trying clear up the negative energy in our lives. It is our choice whether we create “good karma” or “bad karma”. We ultimately can create “good karma” by loving ourselves enough to help end our own daily suffering. Once we do this, then we can help to free others.

A quote I love is by Marianne Williamson:

 “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us… We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. (…)It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne touches on a couple key points related to human suffering. She speaks of our fears. We must acknowledge what we are afraid of and know ourselves in order to release them. She also speaks of letting our own light shine so that others are liberated or freed from it.

If we acknowledge and look at our own lives to determine where we are suffering, then we can work through whatever we must in order to alleviate it.  We can choose to hide in the darkness of our fears and wallow in the ocean of “samsara”.

When we choose to alleviate our own suffering, only then can we alleviate the suffering of others. We can change our world, we have the divine power to do so but we must start with ourselves. We must face our own suffering and heal it in order to gain our freedom from it. Our own enlightenment lies in letting go of the suffering we are accustomed to so that we can create a better tomorrow, one person at a time.

It all starts with you.

About the Author:
CJ Martes is a theorist who researches effective ways to gain access to the information stored in The Akashic Field. She is now the leading researcher and developer of Akashic Field Therapy^SM.  CJ's years of work in vibrational healing and intuitive guidance led her to discover this powerful method as a way for people to obtain a greater quality of life.  She now works with clients all over the world helping them clearing limiting subconscious beliefs and patterns. She can be contacted by visiting her website:  http://www.cjmartes.com or by calling (816) 841-4890.