Vipassana: Buddha’s Philosophy to Live a Happier Life
By: Akshad Singi
Tags: Philosophy, Happiness, Advice, Life Lessons, Life

How to Deal With Suffering: Observation

Indifference leads to a life with less suffering. That said, we’re not Buddha. We can’t learn to practice a life of total indifference so easily. We’re not enlightened. Not yet, anyway. As long as we have attachments in life, misery — like a shadow — will follow us. However, if we insist on creating cravings and aversions in life, we must also learn to deal with suffering.

Everyone faces unwanted situations in life. At which point, an individual loses their balance of mind and starts generating negativity which leads to misery. Such a situation leads to the generation of mental impurities such as hatred, anger, anxiety, fear, etc.

A standard solution offered to such a problem is to divert your attention elsewhere. But, by diverting your attention, you will only suppress your impurities and not get rid of them. They’ll always find a way to manifest again. Vipassana offers a solution: don’t run away from the impurity, face it. Observe whatever impurity arises within your mind and don’t let it overpower you.

By observing one does not suppress it, nor does one give it a free license to express itself in harmful vocal or physical action. Between these two extremities lies in the middle path: mere observation. When one starts to observe it, the negativity loses its strength and passes away without overpowering the mind.

That said, it’s very difficult to observe abstract impurities of the mind. However, whenever any impurity arises in our mind, we breathe a little bit faster. Our respiration is the physical projection of our mind. Therefore, whenever any impurity or defilement arises in our minds, we must observe our respiration.

By observing a defilement in its physical aspect, one allows it to arise and pass away without causing any harm.

Your anxiety, hatred, fear and anger are all short-lived. When such an impurity arises in your mind, instead of letting it manifest through your actions, observe your breath and wait for the impurity to die.

You’ll realize that when you observe your impurity by observing your breath, you strip it of its power to let it control your mind. You’ll also discover that within just a few seconds or minutes, it will die out. In short, outwait the impurity that takes birth in your mind.

Like everything else in the world, your suffering is impermanent. And those few moments of self-observation when any impurity arises will act as a shock absorber between the external stimulus and your response.

When you observe your breath, instead of throwing the seeds of suffering on fertile soil, you throw them on a rock. The seeds simply won’t grow into trees of suffering.

I’ve started practising this in my own life. I usually complement this practice with another thought that has helped me a lot. What I’ve done is, I’ve trained my inner angel to whisper these four words in my ear whenever such an impurity arises in my mind — This too shall pass.

When I get anxious about the future, I tell myself — This too shall pass.

When I’m in a tough situation, I tell myself — This too shall pass.

Whenever I get angry at anyone else, I tell myself — This too shall pass.

And I focus on my breath and wait patiently for the impurity to die. Because amongst all the uncertainties of life, there lies one very fortunate certainty — the impurity will die. So, instead of surrendering to your impurity, all you have to do is wait.