2010.02.03 01:00 - the benefits of suffering

The Guardian for this meeting was Bolonath Crystal. The comments are by Bolonath Crystal.
After having discussed about joy last wednesday, today's issue was suffering.

    Bolonath Crystal: hello cal :) namaste
    Calvino Rabeni: namaste Bolonath :)
    Bolonath Crystal: i'm having a fascinating experience since yesterday: i caught a flu
    Bolonath Crystal: my first one since more than 10 years
    Calvino Rabeni: Hmmm, congratulations? Condolences?
    Bolonath Crystal: probably because i didn't practice pranayama regularly
    Calvino Rabeni: It's been a long time for me also
    Calvino Rabeni: I was wondering what it would be like
    Bolonath Crystal: it is embarrasing *g*
    Calvino Rabeni: Like, because you think maybe you didn't take care?
    Bolonath Crystal: usually pranayama protects me very well
    --BELL--
    Bolonath Crystal: but sometimes i need to suffer to be motivated

'Exclude nothing from your acceptance practice'

    Calvino Rabeni: I was concerned about this last week.
    Bolonath Crystal: freedom from suffering is something for people who are able to do the right things without suffering ;) it seems, i still need suffering from time to time
    Calvino Rabeni: If one does the wrong things, eventually it builds enough suffering to cause an alert
    Bolonath Crystal: yes, that's the sense of it
    Bolonath Crystal: so i try to be grateful for the flu
    Calvino Rabeni: moment by moment as an experience, or by the logic of "this will eventually benefit me"?
    Bolonath Crystal: the latter
    Calvino Rabeni: It is interesting right now talking to you about this
    Calvino Rabeni: I think, the former way works better, at least for me
    Calvino Rabeni: It is causing my energy to change, just considering it with you
    Bolonath Crystal: hm, yes, maybe. but it is difficult to enjoy the momentary experience
    Bolonath Crystal: body attachment
    Calvino Rabeni: love your attachments, says the proverb
    Bolonath Crystal smiles
    Calvino Rabeni: Exclude nothing from your acceptance practice: train with a whole heart
    Calvino Rabeni: I've been reading a few lately :)
    Bolonath Crystal: yep. have a virus, never be alone ;)
    Calvino Rabeni: Ah yes, I contain multitudes :)
    Calvino Rabeni: Did you know, there's many more foreign cells within a human body, than ones with human DNA?
    Bolonath Crystal: wow. didn't know that
    Calvino Rabeni: You're vastly outnumbered, even within the shell of skin :)
    Calvino Rabeni: Yep, we are communities
    Bolonath Crystal: ok, i surrender *g*
    --BELL--
    Calvino Rabeni: :)
    Bolonath Crystal: i never had the idea of taking this as an acceptance training. it seems to be a very wise thing to do
    Bolonath Crystal: now i already have a number of reasons to be grateful
    Calvino Rabeni: When I'm sick, it feels healing and easier to let go of the resentment and resistance
    Calvino Rabeni: Which saves energy, although I think, a lot of the pain of illness is energy that doesn't quite no where to go
    Bolonath Crystal: yes, that's how chinese medicine looks at it, too
    Bolonath Crystal: pain is energy which doesn't flow as it ought to
    Calvino Rabeni: I haven't had the "you must fight it!" kind of illness, so I don't know if it requires a different orientation
    Calvino Rabeni: Right, that is how it often seems
    Bolonath Crystal: illness is an effect of circumstances. to become healthy again, we must change the circumstances, not fight the illness
    Bolonath Crystal: if the cause changes, effects change as well
    Calvino Rabeni: Oftimes - maybe usually ? - the relationship of the person to the circumstances is what determines the effect
    Calvino Rabeni: Relationship as cause, in part
    Calvino Rabeni: Stress for example
    Calvino Rabeni: One could call it an inappropriate response to circumstances
    Bolonath Crystal: yes, that might be true
    Bolonath Crystal: even if there are sometimes very unhealthy conditions, that can't be changed and also can't be responded to in an appropriate way
    Bolonath Crystal: in this case the body has to simply endure it, probably
    Calvino Rabeni: Health has its limits, even though we are adaptible
    Bolonath Crystal: sure
    Bolonath Crystal: even in the best case the body is still mortal
    Calvino Rabeni: Ill health is either, bad environment, or the person's adaptibility has become inflexible
    --BELL--

'To deaden suffering is also to inhibit the ability to make good choices'

    Calvino Rabeni: A healing process has what seems a paradox, in that there is pain, which can induce one to become insensitive and dull, however the sensitivity is what is required to have the "discrimination" to move the energy in the direction of healing
    Calvino Rabeni: I was trying to find a better word than "discrimination"
    Bolonath Crystal: the flow of energy is only to a small amount our personal decision
    Bolonath Crystal: that's why pranayama is helpful: the amount of energy control increases
    Calvino Rabeni: It enlivens your sensitivity, enabling better "decision"
    Calvino Rabeni: If you can shift it, then it is a decision
    Bolonath Crystal: but if we don't use this control wisely, illness will be the effect. so the suffering seems to be a tool for orientation, same as joy
    Calvino Rabeni: Many things increase that ability in some degree, breath is good
    Calvino Rabeni: its the discrimination that leads to the ability to know which way to go with it
    Calvino Rabeni: Same feeling sense, whther it is suffering or joy
    Bolonath Crystal: good to have them both :)
    Calvino Rabeni: To deaden suffering is also to inhibit the ability to make good choices
    Bolonath Crystal: wow, that's gonna be my 'sentence of the day' :)
    Calvino Rabeni: Last week I was feeling some concern about lack of suffering
    Calvino Rabeni: I had the pain, tiredness, headache, and so on, but it wasn't bothering me, I felt some kind of ananda or something
    Calvino Rabeni: I noticed my usual motivation by the suffering
    Calvino Rabeni: I wondered if I was "compartmentalizing", but it didn't feel quite like that
    Calvino Rabeni: Thought I'd need to find different way to motivate actions
    --BELL--
    Calvino Rabeni: Actions, like moving body to get good energy flow and relieve the stiffness
    Bolonath Crystal: i find such a motivation in compassion
    Bolonath Crystal: sorry, i have to leave. rl calls
    Calvino Rabeni: I know what you mean,
    Calvino Rabeni: thanks, this was a good chat, I feel better
    Calvino Rabeni: Hope you do too :)
    Bolonath Crystal: me too :) thx a lot
    Calvino Rabeni: Good, take care, get well Bolo
    Bolonath Crystal: c u nect time, cal. om shanti
    Calvino Rabeni: _/!\_