The matter of suffering
In Buddhism, regarding the matter of suffering,
if the mind wants to ask why, be wary of it;
if it tries to give you an answer, be wary of it.
Concerning suffering,
if someone tries to give you an answer, be wary of it;
if you attempt to ask others for an answer, be wary of it.
Be cautious of the mind seeking and jumping into the nest of “why” to comfort itself and support itself.
Finding a rational reason for suffering does not make the suffering disappear.
When suffering occurs, seeking why is merely looking for a story to comfort oneself;
and all the stories of why cannot truly bring you peace.
It is better to be aware of the mind’s tricks and rest in the present world, allowing it to arise and cease naturally.
When suffering arises,
do not analyze, do not entangle, do not evade,
just see its appearance, changes, and resolution as they are.
Suffering is just suffering,
it has its own vitality,
whether it exists for five seconds, five minutes, five days or five years,
like a small life form, it has its own lifespan.
When suffering arises,
let it grow by itself, let it cease by itself,
do not excessively interfere with its existence;
it really has little to do with you,
it’s you who forcefully connect yourself with it.
Suffering only occurs within your body and your heart,
but it does not belong to you.
You have no right to interfere with it,
interfering with its outcome
often leads you to create it, deepen it, and give it more energy to continue existing.
To respect everything,
also means respecting suffering.
Respecting suffering allows it to reasonably follow its path,
which is the best way for minimizing your own pain from suffering.
A compassionate person
also includes being compassionate towards their own inner pain.
When you are compassionate towards your inner pain,
your inner pain will also be compassionate towards you,
thus reconciling yourself with suffering,
gaining compassion from suffering—suffering transforms itself into compassion for you.
Respecting suffering means living in harmony with it;
when it arrives, do not blame it, do not drive it away, do not probe into it;
respect it as one would respect a distant guest.
When you respect the devil, the devil becomes Buddha;
he will offer his gifts he carries.
Come now, observe suffering,
like the earth observes its rivers;
come now, observe suffering,
like the sky observes its lightning.
Observe in this way
the lightning and rivers occurring in your inner sky and inner earth.
Suffering can transform into light;
water that causes floods can also nourish all things;
what suffering means to you
depends on how you treat that suffering.
Your wisdom and actions determine your true life.
by Taiwan Fearless Tathāgata Great Perfection Zen Meditation Center