Pain Is Inevitable, Suffering Is Not.

We Have To Learn To Be Kind To Ourselves. In The Long Run Avoiding Unpleasantness Is A Very Unkind Thing To Do To Yourself.

The Principal Cause Of Suffering Is Craving. Once Craving Is Eliminated, Much Suffering Will Be Eliminated. Still More Suffering Will Be Eliminated Once Ignorance Is Eliminated. Both Craving And Ignorance Are Equally Powerful Defilements That Cause Suffering.

Buddhism Advises You Not To Implant Feelings That You Don’t Really Have Or Avoid Feelings That You Do Have. If You Are Miserable You Are Miserable; That Is The Reality, That Is What Is Happening, So Confront That. Look It Square In The Eye Without Flinching. When You Are Having A Bad Time, Examine That Experience, Observe It Mindfully, Study The Phenomenon And Learn Its Mechanics. The Way Out Of A Trap Is To Study The Trap Itself, Learn How It Is Built. You Do This By Taking The Thing Apart Piece By Piece. The Trap Can’t Trap You If It Has Been Taken To Pieces. The Result Is Freedom.

Prayer And Contemplation Are Both Exercises In Concentration. The Normal Deluge Of Conscious Thought Is Restricted And The Mind Is Brought To One Conscious Area Of Operation. The Results Are Those You Find In Any Concentrative Practice: Deep Calm, A Physiological Slowing Of The Metabolism And A Sense Of Peace And Wellbeing

No Matter How Hard You Pursue Pleasure And Success, There Are Times When You Fail. No Matter How Fast You Flee, There Are Times When Pain Catches Up With You.