Suffering

def: The belief that I need things to be different than they are.

Anytime I believe that, it hurts.

Until I believe that, I am at peace.

No situation, no person, no sensation can bring about my suffering. Only my belief in the fleeting thought that I need things to be different than they are can do that. It’s not the situation, person or sensation that causes my suffering, it’s this belief that IS my suffering.

Which means the situation is immaterial. If I do NOT believe I need things to be different than they are, then what is can be exactly as it is and I experience no suffering.

So if I want to free myself from suffering, my only hope is to get quiet and question the stressful thought, “I need things to be different than they are” whenever it arises.

This does not mean I don’t want things to be different, and it doesn’t mean I don’t act to change things, I just do so knowing that, aside from what I’m thinking and believing, I am, and always will be, perfectly okay right here and right now.

Which means there is no such thing as a need that is not currently being met, only my own painful arguments with reality.

When I recognize this truth, I return to my true nature. My vision clears. I can be fully present, I can experience the gift in what’s happening, my actions are freed from the shackles of negativity and hopelessness, and I can move freely and effectively in the world.