Suffering is a universal experience
<http://www.tricycle.com/issues/2_658/dailydharma/4381-1.html>
Seeing the suffering in the world around us and in our own bodies and
minds, we begin to understand suffering not only as an individual
problem, but as a universal experience. It is one of the aspects of
being alive. The question that then comes to mind is: If compassion
arises from the awareness of suffering, why isnt the world a more
compassionate place? The problem is that often our hearts are not open
to feel the pain. We move away from it, close off, and become defended.
By closing ourselves off from suffering, however, we also close
ourselves to our own wellspring of compassion. We dont need to be
particularly saintly in order to be compassionate. Compassion is the
natural response of an open heart, but that wellspring of compassion
remains capped as long as we turn away from or deny or resist the truth
of what is there. When we deny our experience of suffering, we move away
from what is genuine to what is fabricated, deceptive, and confusing.
- Joseph Goldstein, /Seeking the Heart of Wisdom/
from /Everyday Mind,/ edited by Jean Smith, a /Tricycle/ book
