Teaching #28: The Good of Suffering
Your life’s difficulties are there for you to bear as best you are able. In practicing being with life just as it is, you still prefer that your suffering end and you act on that preference whenever possible. But most crucially you do not demand that your difficulties go away. Instead, you consciously and voluntarily carry your suffering, and in your acceptance of it you find meaning, what Ajahn Sumedho calls “the good of suffering.”
Chapter 7, Pg72
For your reflection: Notice the times when you resist accepting what’s difficult in your life. Contrast these with the times when you genuinely accept what’s difficult. In which of these situations do you feel more grounded and at peace with yourself? This week, notice one situation in which you are resisting accepting what’s difficult and see if you can switch to fully accepting it.