This isn't what I thought it would be.

[mandyjw]

1 hour ago, now is forever said:

can you see the difference between a piercing being stung because of the will to suffer and a piercing being stung as an expression of healing?

does it sting your heart every time you see one? why?

a piercing is not always a symbol for suffering and pain - on the contrary it can be exactly the opposite. the initiating pain of the body can be a relief for the soul and an expression not of chaining but of breaking chains. the same goes for tattoos. (if it’s not thoughtlessly done)

the pain you see on the person might be only a trace of the past.

That's an interesting thought, I'm definitely bothered more by some than others. Piercings is just one example, it can be so many different ways I can sense suffering in someone, whether physical or emotional. I've tried and still believe in the practice of tonglen meditation. But I can only do it so long or I start to pass out, especially if it's a family member I'm with who is injured or in pain. I pass out whenever I get injured even slightly. I'm sure it is ego or past pain that's not worked through. 

[mandyjw]

6 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@mandyjw No, there is no second half. There is no darkness. There is only light.

The darkness is not of the world, it is the projection of your not-yet-fully-illuminated ego-mind.

Ego-mind is still judging and still assigning negative meaning.

You have not tamed the ox yet. It is bucking you off. Which is why it seems there is light and dark.

All judgments of good and bad are delusion. That is what must be transcended. It will take a lot of work to transcend it.

Thank you.