Questions from brooke
"If I completely purge my old fears/pains, can new ones still come in? If yes, will that always be the case?"
It is possible that new fears and emotional pain may arise at any point. It's a matter of how we are interacting with what is going on around us. However, it is likely that if one has completely purged the fear and pain they have accumulated in the past, then they are better able to see what has led to suffering. When we understand what creates suffering, we are less likely to recreate it.
All we can do is work with what we currently have accumulated. We can't know with certainty what future events will arise. However, we can trust that if we can resolve our current challenges then we will be much greater prepared for any external events that emerge in the future. Most fear and pain relates to attachment to what happens around us. When we come to understand that our inner peace isn't dependent upon everything "going our way" then attachment lessens, and suffering is reduced.
Both Western cognitive psychology and many Eastern philosophies have recognized that it is not events in life that create fear and pain but our interpretation of these events. It is understandable that we want everything to go our way, since evolution has ingrained within us the desire to conquer external circumstances to increase our likelihood of survival. Spiritual work leads to replacing the desire to micromanage situations with the ability to allow, and trust that what is unfolding is perfect (even if it isn't our preference, it often leads to growth). Some belief systems are about manifesting/creating life exactly as you like it. I believe that these are a set up for suffering since the universe gives us what we need for our growth...not what we want. We get to make choices, and we get to choose how we respond to events, but we don't get to control other people, or experience everything we want. It is impossible to have a world where everyone wins the lottery, but it is possible to have a world in which people learn to surrender to what is happening.
"Will I ever reach a point (in this body) where fear and/or pain are no longer part of the human experience?"
Although physical pain, of course, is always a possibility as long as we have a typical nervous system, there are those who transcend fear and pain. It is rare, at this time, but it is possible. I've heard both Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra talk about how they don't suffer anymore. This is because they are fully immersed in a belief system that allows for clarity no matter what arises around them. Tolle has mentioned that his voice raised in an "angry tone" when he saw people mistreating an animal, but I believe he didn't experience the kind of suffering that is usually associated with anger. It is more likely that it was a "purposive behavior" designed (unconsciously, perhaps) to protect the animal he witnessed.
There is nothing biologically special about those who have become enlightened. Like everyone, they were born with a mind, and usually exposed to great unconsciousness in their environment. But with a continual commitment to choosing a clear perspective over a reactive response, their brain becomes rewired until clarity is the automatic response. Deepak Chopra recently stated on the show Conan that when it comes to your brain, whatever fires, wires. His point was that when we have repeated thoughts, this creates a wiring of our neurons which lead to certain reactions. However, the brain is flexible and can be rewired. A person who responds to external events with a belief that they are a victim of life can change their thoughts, change their beliefs, until they respond with greater understanding of the deeper purpose of why things are happening as they are.
As an aside, sometimes the desire for an extreme state such as "no suffering" can increase our present suffering through the ego's trap of comparison. In other words, by being attached to reaching a place where we no longer suffer at all, this (like any attachment) makes us feel as though our present life isn't enough. We can transcend this trap by accepting everything, including where we are at right now (even though we sense things could be better in terms of our circumstances or our personal evolution).
Peace,
Chris
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"If I completely purge my old fears/pains, can new ones still come in? If yes, will that always be the case?"
It is possible that new fears and emotional pain may arise at any point. It's a matter of how we are interacting with what is going on around us. However, it is likely that if one has completely purged the fear and pain they have accumulated in the past, then they are better able to see what has led to suffering. When we understand what creates suffering, we are less likely to recreate it.
All we can do is work with what we currently have accumulated. We can't know with certainty what future events will arise. However, we can trust that if we can resolve our current challenges then we will be much greater prepared for any external events that emerge in the future. Most fear and pain relates to attachment to what happens around us. When we come to understand that our inner peace isn't dependent upon everything "going our way" then attachment lessens, and suffering is reduced.
Both Western cognitive psychology and many Eastern philosophies have recognized that it is not events in life that create fear and pain but our interpretation of these events. It is understandable that we want everything to go our way, since evolution has ingrained within us the desire to conquer external circumstances to increase our likelihood of survival. Spiritual work leads to replacing the desire to micromanage situations with the ability to allow, and trust that what is unfolding is perfect (even if it isn't our preference, it often leads to growth). Some belief systems are about manifesting/creating life exactly as you like it. I believe that these are a set up for suffering since the universe gives us what we need for our growth...not what we want. We get to make choices, and we get to choose how we respond to events, but we don't get to control other people, or experience everything we want. It is impossible to have a world where everyone wins the lottery, but it is possible to have a world in which people learn to surrender to what is happening.
"Will I ever reach a point (in this body) where fear and/or pain are no longer part of the human experience?"
Although physical pain, of course, is always a possibility as long as we have a typical nervous system, there are those who transcend fear and pain. It is rare, at this time, but it is possible. I've heard both Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra talk about how they don't suffer anymore. This is because they are fully immersed in a belief system that allows for clarity no matter what arises around them. Tolle has mentioned that his voice raised in an "angry tone" when he saw people mistreating an animal, but I believe he didn't experience the kind of suffering that is usually associated with anger. It is more likely that it was a "purposive behavior" designed (unconsciously, perhaps) to protect the animal he witnessed.
There is nothing biologically special about those who have become enlightened. Like everyone, they were born with a mind, and usually exposed to great unconsciousness in their environment. But with a continual commitment to choosing a clear perspective over a reactive response, their brain becomes rewired until clarity is the automatic response. Deepak Chopra recently stated on the show Conan that when it comes to your brain, whatever fires, wires. His point was that when we have repeated thoughts, this creates a wiring of our neurons which lead to certain reactions. However, the brain is flexible and can be rewired. A person who responds to external events with a belief that they are a victim of life can change their thoughts, change their beliefs, until they respond with greater understanding of the deeper purpose of why things are happening as they are.
As an aside, sometimes the desire for an extreme state such as "no suffering" can increase our present suffering through the ego's trap of comparison. In other words, by being attached to reaching a place where we no longer suffer at all, this (like any attachment) makes us feel as though our present life isn't enough. We can transcend this trap by accepting everything, including where we are at right now (even though we sense things could be better in terms of our circumstances or our personal evolution).
Peace,
Chris
Get 5 Free Minutes ~ Live Psychic and Tarot Readings
Get 10 Minutes for $1.99 ~ Live Psychic and Tarot Readers
This blogger is supported by ethical reading sites which offer live online psychic readings, tarot readers and astrology.
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