Getting Over the Fear of Suffering

　　byDzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

　　We need to understand and realize just how much human beings are suffering. Then we can develop the proper motivation to free ourselves and free others from both suffering and the causes of suffering.

　　To begin with, we cannot go on living our lives as if nothing were wrong. We cannot pretend that our lives are all wonderful and good. It is true that life is often wonderful and good, but life is also filled with tremendous suffering. We conveniently try to forget how much we suffer. Suffering is experienced by all of us, all of the time, on a very unconscious level. While the conscious mind is busy, actively engaged in a distracted state—rejecting suffering, hoping to feel good and wonderful—the suffering goes unnoticed. But suffering remains strong and constant in the unconscious mind. Confused mind tries to ignore and abandon this suffering with all sorts of clever techniques.

　　Unfortunately, most of these habits and techniques are self-destructive and only create further suffering. Instead, we must try to experience and identify suffering created by outer circumstances, our own minds, or a combination of the two.

　　Mind is always busy. Mind is constantly engaged, so we never take time to experience or understand suffering. In order to understand suffering we must experience it objectively. We cannot pretend that we are perfect when we are trying to develop an objective understanding of suffering.

　　We have to get over the idea of being perfect before we can attempt to change anything in our lives. We also have to get over the immense feelings of guilt that come up when we are suffering—as if we should not be suffering, or that, by suffering, we are doing something terribly “wrong.” It is true that you are doing something “wrong” as a fundamentally ignorant sentient being. But you are not awakened. You do not have everything “under control.” That is the whole point. We get caught in tendencies—expecting to be perfect, feeling guilty that we are suffering, getting distracted—and then further ignore the depths of our suffering, its causes, and conditions.

　　The teachings cannot penetrate your mind or do anything to help you when you are caught in distraction. The whole point of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas giving teachings is to help sentient beings understand the state of samsaric mind. But the tendency toward distraction makes us close down instead of open up. We must begin by opening up to suffering instead of running away, keeping ourselves distracted, or engaging in habitual patterns. Opening up is very important, for, on the deepest level, suffering is no longer experienced as suffering.

　　There is a certain amount of fear we have toward suffering. But, if we do not get over the fear of suffering, we will continue to suffer. Then, on top of the suffering, we will also suffer fear. Nothing can change when you are frozen with fear. Before we can practice compassion, we have to get over the fear. We have to get over seeing ourselves as perfect. We have to get over feeling guilty, and running away from suffering. These tendencies are obstacles to compassion and only make suffering worse.

　　Remember that you are not “under control.” You do not have the kind of control experienced by a sane, enlightened person. You do not have control over your mind, emotions, or your experience of suffering. On top of that you have your karma. So let your self feel vulnerable and helpless. See the vulnerable condition of your mind and its habits. Feel the helplessness that all beings feel. How helpless and vulnerable we are! We are at the mercy of our past actions, actions conducted by habitual mind, negative emotions, ego, and ignorance. We have not done anything to change things…

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