Teaching #4: Suffering is Noble
Suffering has gained a bad reputation. We view it as a mistake, something shameful, or a sign of powerlessness and inadequacy. Many, maybe most, people have a conscious or unconscious bias against the idea that their suffering is noble. It is ironic that this attitude prevails when just the opposite is true: Your suffering presents an opportunity for the most relevant, sophisticated, inspiring, and useful inquiry you could conduct in your life. The Buddha called the Truth of Dukkha “noble” precisely because suffering requires that which is most magnificent in you to come forth.
Chapter 4, Pg 32
For your reflection: This week please notice how you respond to times of suffering. Do you experience personal defeat, humiliation, a sense of inadequacy, or are you able to accept it as part of the impersonal flow of life?