Suffering Is Noble

Week  4

Suffering has gained a bad reputation in Western society. We view it as a mistake, something shameful, or a sign of powerlessness and inadequacy. Many, maybe most, people have a conscious or unconscious bias against the idea that their suffering is noble. It is ironic that this attitude prevails when just the opposite is true: Your suffering presents an opportunity for the most relevant, sophisticated, inspiring, and useful inquiry you could conduct in your life. The Buddha called the Truth of Dukkha “noble” precisely because suffering requires that which is most magnificent in you to come forth.

Dancing with Life, Chapter 4, p. 32

For your reflection: This week notice how you respond to times of suffering. Do you experience personal defeat, humiliation, a sense of inadequacy, or are you able to accept it as part of the impersonal flow of life?

from Phillip Moffitt, Dancing With Life