The Wise Path — Beyond Thinking
Suffering is a Way to think — Pain is part of existence, suffering is optional — The Painbody — Identification with thoughts — The Wise Path
Suffering is a Way to think
Our way of thinking determines our feelings, and these determine the life we live. If we change our way of thinking, reality will change.
Suffering is the misinterpretation of reality. It is a way of thinking, not a reality in itself.
We live in the mistaken belief that our thoughts are reality, and when feelings arise that confirm and reinforce this belief, it becomes our reality. This is the vicious circle of identification with thoughts.
Pain is part of existence, suffering is optional
Pain is part of life, suffering is optional. Suffering is pain that is tied to a negative story and then mistakenly believed to be true. When a loved one dies, we feel pain. That’s okay and part of detachment. But usually, we don’t experience the pain as it is; we connect it to a negative story. Why does he have to die? That’s not fair. I am lost. Life has lost its beauty. Nothing makes sense anymore. The list is endless.
It’s okay to have these kinds of thoughts. They are part of our cultural conditioning, not necessary but understandable. It becomes problematic when the grief exceeds the natural level, and then our hearts begin to harden. We shut ourselves off from the beauty of life.
The Painbody
The ‘painbody’ emerges and begins to influence our lives, and what this means is visible everywhere. Probably most illnesses are caused by the painbody and wars are difficult to fight without it. On a small scale, it is muscle tension or simply a low level of aliveness. It consumes huge amounts of energy, which we then lack to do what we are meant to do.
Books can and have been written about the painbody. The entire therapeutic industry is based on it.
Identification with thoughts
The key to the process of recognizing pain as it is and taking away the power of suffering is non-identification with thoughts. When our identity is no longer based on thoughts, and we begin to identify with life itself, we experience a profound transformation without having to go through the long and painful process of healing the wounds of the past.
The restructuring of our way of thinking and the direct experience of the present moment make the transformation of human consciousness possible in the first place. In this way, the conscious connection with life is established. The experience that we are not the identity of the personal self, but life itself, is the trigger.
The Wise Path
Life is the cosmic intelligence in form and movement. The essence of this intelligence is always present; it is our innermost nature; it is what we really are.
This is the only thing that is real. Living in this awareness is the wise path. It is the understanding of what is real.
It is up to us to make the decision to live consciously or to continue to live a life full of limitations and suffering. We are the creators of our reality, and any excuse why we cannot live a conscious and peaceful life is a denial of the creative force at work within us.
The wise path is neither a spiritual practice nor a personal development technique, but a practical and direct way to manifest wisdom in our lives, and it transcends any belief, philosophy, or religious dogma.
This path is about bringing spiritual knowledge into the heart and feeling the wisdom. Intellectual knowledge alone is not enough, we have to experience it. It is about practicing, practicing, and letting it happen.