The "Joy" of Suffering

We all like to be happy, and none of us likes to suffer. Yet, is this really how we behave all the time? Observe what is going on; you might be in for a surprise!

Sometimes we are happy living our life but feel guilty about it deep down inside. Do I really deserve to live in a big house while others are homeless? Can I enjoy steamy sex while our gurus remind us that we are not our body? Can I aggressively go after what is meaningful to me and should I cut people out of my life who bother me?

The flip-side of our argument is that suffering, while not fun, can actually be morally soothing. "I am nice to people", you say to yourself, "while the cruel world takes advantage of me because Jesus wants me to." Or you say, "I stay with my spouse because our children could not handle a divorce right now." Suffering gives us a sense of innocence and makes us morally superior vis-a-vis our abusers. Suffering feeds our ego and we may be secretly proud of this identity and want to keep it. Our advice to you, if you find yourself in this role today, do something about it! God gives us this world to be happy and if something is not right, make the necessary adjustment. God wants us to be happy, period!

When you suffer you are secretly in love with an image of yourself; a hero, a martyr or a saint. Religion loves this role but, honorable as it is, it is an image different from the real you. We cannot love others unless we love ourself. And when we cannot really do anything good for ourselves, we cannot do anything good for people around us either.  Please understand that your suffering, as noble as it appears, is a complete waste for everyone.

The truth is the more joyful we are, the more love we can share with others and the more good we can bring to this world! Live a little, enjoy what you do and cut out the stuff that holds you back. God needs happy light workers to share the light!

By Christian and Su Zhen

You Are a Hero

When the Global Financial Crisis broke out in 2008, my colleague told me a funny story. He said that he must have looked a little pale when he went to work on the day Lehman Brothers went under because his wife said to him, 'Why do you look so depressed? You should feel like a soldier who finally has the opportunity to prove himself in battle!' Well, little did I know then that I would be that soldier who had to march against forces that seemed larger than life. My spiritual journey started in earnest around that time and the first few steps seemed scary. No matter where I looked, at home, at work, everywhere really, monsters seemed to pop out of dark corners. In retrospect, these monsters have always been around, but for the first time I took them all head-on. Life makes you a hero, and as each experienced Tao traveler knows, you set yourself up for it, so just do what you were born to do.

All the monsters were all smokescreens in the end. Life can turn a little theatrical on you just to force you to make a decision. Left or right - you are bombarded with endless choices until one fine day you get the hang of it. Choose love is the imperative and when in doubt, experience how the Tao makes the conclusion as plain to you as 1 2 3; but a little struggle you have to expect in the beginning just because you still have psychological baggage to throw overboard. A snake that shakes off her old skin has to wiggle a little, right?

I also was never alone. When your spiritual journey signs you up for something, giants will walk next to you as you will soon discover for yourself. Expect help just in the nick of time, even from your so-perceived enemies. You will learn along your journey that every voice matters - loud or soft, intimidating or hesitant, friendly or rude. The Tao leads you beyond good or evil. Your story will also have a meaningful ending for you just because the ending was written eons before you were born. Whatever happens will propel you to the next spiritual level. There is nothing to fear; an experienced Tao traveler is not even afraid of fear itself because it simply doesn't exist if you don't believe that it does.

Embracing Life

I remember once thinking during a colleague's retirement speech how nice it must be to have that sense of accomplishment, that feeling of leaving all the ups and downs of life behind with a feeling of security. When I mentioned that sentiment to my wife she said that perhaps I should have my eyes on the journey rather than the end of it. Fact of the matter is that this sentiment was an expression of fear - the fear of life and the unwillingness to get lost in the moment at hand no matter whether the outcome would be pleasant or not. On the day when you retire you may enjoy the perspective of having completed an important chapter of your life, but you will have a new chapter to look forward to, nothing will really change for you on that day.

If there is one spiritual advice I would have to give, it is to embrace life day in day out, no matter what it is that you are doing. There is only one way to get to the next spiritual level and that is to 'feel the fear and do it anyway' as Susan Jeffers put it so succinctly in her book. The reality that you perceive doesn't exist. The monsters that you see along the way will dissolve into air just when as you try to touch them. It is not easy to be a hero, but life will first encourage you and then force to be one. The first dragon will be hard to slay, but all the others will fly away once you arrive on the scene. Embrace life, be bold enough to face its demands and then realize that you live in a magic kingdom in which only joy, love and laughter are permitted.

When Moses Raised his Magic Rod ...

At the moment when the Egyptian soldiers were approaching and the Jews were trapped by the Red Sea, Moses raised his magic rod and commanded the sea to part. Alas, for the first time since his magic trickery had started, nothing happened. Moses felt fear creeping up in him, but he regained composure instantaneously. He took the hand of his sister and together they plunged into the sea. Behold, the waters parted.

You may say a son or daughter of God does not deserve pain or fear, and of course you are right. The problem though, you are on a transition path to a higher spiritual plane, and as you remove your personality skin there will be a few rips and tears along the way. Feel your fear and do it anyway as Susan Jeffers says in her book, there is just no alternative as your spiritual path will lead you on a collision course with your ego.

There are two types of heroes, the dare devils and the ones who need a kick in the bud to do their life's mission. Michael Jordon was the kind who always took the ball from his fellow players to shoot the buzzer-beating hoop in the final play off game. Dare devil or ordinary mortal, everyone has to overcome the fear of not delivering at the crucial moment. Unfortunately, fear is part of the game, the sooner you accept it the better.

I am in the forecasting business and most of the time I enjoy a pretty relaxing working environment. But there are these moments when your investment idea is just one step away from ridicule as well as glory. One advantage a spiritual path traveler has is to get little nudges along the way. My Tao mostly puts me in a position that equips me for pretty much everything I face. Yet, the fear to be caught on the wrong side hasn't gone away. I believe if it did I would just become arrogant and no longer look for these priceless treasures my sisters and brothers offer me along the way.

Judgment

I read the story of Gregg Braden (The Divine Matrix) who at one time had an ugly breakup with his life-partner, business partner and a "trusted friend" all at the same time. When he soul-searched what the underlying problem was he realized it was his critical attitude towards them. Once he decided to overlook and just accept their supposed faults, all three disappeared out of his life like magic.

I find this story interesting and relevant. Culturally and religiously, we are conditioned to despise certain actions. Perhaps we shouldn't. If we are in a divine play of good and evil with the goal of transcending both, we have to accept that somebody has to play the "bad guy" just to allow the good guy to shine. Do we need to applaud, from time to time, a superbly played villain? After all, they deserve Oscars in Hollywood just as much as the good guys.