Question
I believe the mind is the power house of transferring information from the non physical world to the physical world but can you please explain to me the reasons for pain, suffering (of vulnerable – elderly, children, animals). What are the reasons for this because I need to understand so that I can make sense of it all. Is it that how we interpret suffering and how we experience it that maps out our soul and determines the next life we live. Is there such a place as heaven? Is there such a place as hell? Once we die doesn’t that place we go to get packed out and full of souls. Does heaven get cramped with souls. Please explain to me. Where do we go?
Answer:
Buddha lists the existence of suffering in the world as one of the four noble truths. He says it is caused by attachment, ignorance and anger and is removed through nirvana. That means we step out of suffering by raising consciousness to an entirely different level than the consciousness that generates suffering.
But as for why there is suffering, I am not sure there is any answer that will make sense of this from your current perspective with its concepts of justice and fairness that are rooted in the same state of consciousness that creates suffering. The same point applies to your questions of heaven and hell. You are trying apply the physical concepts of three dimensional space to a non-physical realm.
Our understanding, our reality , and our answers reflect our state of consciousness. Our heaven, hell, or earthly existence will be what our consciousness makes it. A satisfying answer about suffering will require shifiting awareness beyond its current boundaries and living a life free from suffering.
Love,
Deepak
I believe Kabballah has a nice explaination of why we must suffer.
In an interview regarding Michael Jackson, you spoke of a paper that was done in Psychosomatic Mediine, in which it was stated: ‘…that Children who have been either physically or verbally abused will go on to develop autoimmune diseases like lupus and vitiligo …’ and you further touched on the reason being along the lines of – a person not realising who was then friend or foe.
I didn’t get the complete quote and I would like to hear it again in its entirely. Could you please speak to this a little bit more or possibly give the month, title and author of this paper, that appeared in the journal? It may very well have changed my life, already. Thank you.
I understand what you are saying here because I have pondered and studied the question of why evil exists, and why people suffer for a long time. But what do you say to a person who, let’s say, is buried under eight feet of rubble in Italy, or is swept away by a tsunami in Sri Lanka? “You wouldn’t be suffering right now if you could change your perception of the eight feet of rubble?” There must be something more expressive one could say to them and their families than this. Or direct “them” to some texts that will help a person begin to shift their awareness and live a life free from suffering. It just seems that your answer is much too brief and dismissive without compassionately attempting to direct toward a path of understanding. The confusion and struggle so deeply apparent in the writer’s questions seem to become nothing more than a springboard for a general statement about changing consciousness, even condescending. This is so counter to my experience of your work – which is one of the major sources of direction in my own struggle with these questions. I would hope you could give the writer a fuller, more embracing answer. Thank you.
Dear Doctor Chopra,
I am very proud of you and for you, for bringing the prescription drug abuse suffering to the world’s attention. I pray for the highest good for all concerned. It seems to have become an
out-of-control problem in today’s society. You stood up for the truth, and I honor you.
Michael suffered so much from this abuse of certain doctors, as have so many more. Now, it will be Michael’s doctors and, probably many more celebrity doctors who hand out these kinds of drugs, to live out their karma, as these celebrities have. This is suffering. My love and prayers go out to Michael’s children and his family, and may his children always be protected and loved.
Sincerely,
Maureen Watkins
The Bible alone explains the cause and reason of human suffering.
Man is responsible for most of it for his rebellion against God. the Bible also
says that God allows some suffering so that he can be glorified. Need an
example? Look at the life of Helen Keller.
I like the quote….one “steps out of suffering by raising consciousness more than that of the level of the consciousness that created the suffering”…. That means that those who caused the sufferring in an individual (i.e., victim) can’t “see” what they have caused by their lack of consciousness, and that to heal/recover from the suffering, the sufferrer (i.e., victim) needs to realize that those who perpetrated upon him/her will never get it.. It is in this existence the sufferer is given a ‘gift’ that transcends that of remaining in the rut and feeling like a victim. To use that power…. to rise into a higher level of consciousness, it is better than forgiveness… it is a higher state of well-being. Is that it?