What is the right attitude to have towards suffering?

[Magnanimous]

So I was thinking about how Leo said that escaping suffering totally is impossible, and that trying to escape it would make you suffer because of your hate for suffering.

But then I had the thought "if I took suffering with a different attitude, couldn't I lessen it?"

Such as having the attitude that "suffering isn't necessary," so suffering would automatically minimize. I don't think it would go away completely with that, except with tons of practice, but it's a start.

So yea, what's the right attitude to have towards it?

[Leo Gura]

But suffering is necessary for serious learning. So by holding suffering as unnecessary you will suffer twice as hard because you will hold your suffering as meaningless.

The best thing is to appreciate why suffering exists. It isn't some frivolous thing to just ignore or treat lightly.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Leo Gura

[UnbornTao]

Confront, understand, and transcend.

It exists because it serves a purpose for you. What is it doing? Why suffer? And why suffer needlessly?

You can become aware of self-imposed suffering and do away with it once it is grasped in one's experience as an activity you're doing.

I'd say that a bunch of it is unnecessary and can be transcended.

Edited April 10, 2023 by UnbornTao

[puporing]

maybe that is just going to be the case as long as there are minds living on a "house of cards" as opposed to Truth. it's a possibility worth considering.

[ZenSwift]

On 09/04/2023 at 11:57 PM, Leo Gura said:

But suffering is necessary for serious learning. So by holding suffering as unnecessary you will suffer twice as hard because you will hold your suffering as meaningless.

The best thing is to appreciate why suffering exists. It isn't some frivolous thing to just ignore or treat lightly.

Very solid. 

[Raze]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ElQ9y5qQ0

[Buck Edwards]

Suffering is a huge source of learning. At least for me it has been this way. Whether suffering is necessary or not is debatable. You might need some. Too much suffering can change the human psyche in ways which science hasn't been able to figure out yet. Although suffering has a lot of intrinsic value as it is, it often costs a huge waste of time that could have been potentially used to cultivate other abilities. 

There should be some room for suffering but not the whole room. Don't underestimate the power of suffering. But not wanting suffering is natural and you must work towards that. Eliminate any suffering in your limit, at the same time don't lose the opportunity to learn from it. 

 

[Yimpa]

12 hours ago, Enlightement said:

Too much suffering can change the human psyche in ways which science hasn't been able to figure out yet.

And we can be open to that not inherently being a bad thing. 

[Buck Edwards]

4 hours ago, Yimpa said:

And we can be open to that not inherently being a bad thing. 

That's debatable. 

[Yimpa]

10 hours ago, Enlightement said:

That's debatable. 

As is anything