Simple Recipe for Overcoming Suffering | Eckhart's Life Practices

TL;DR

Overcoming suffering begins by accepting each moment as if you had chosen it, because resisting what is already here adds mind-created conflict. Eckhart distinguishes between problems generated by identification with the egoic mind and outside challenges such as loss, illness, accidents, and aging. Positive thinking may shift your attitude, but it cannot remove every obstacle. Read on to see how acceptance and conscious awareness change your relationship with hardship.

Transcript

and every human suffers every life form suffers because life is hard and challenging and precarious for every life form from the moment life comes into being life is challenging and precarious for humans for animals for plants every life form encounters obstacles in its attempt to grow and expand and it continuously encounters obstacles to its expa... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥺 Life is inherently challenging and precarious for all living beings, leading to suffering in various forms.
• 🤯 Obstacles can come from conflicts created by our own minds, causing unnecessary suffering and challenges in personal growth.
• ❓ External obstacles, such as accidents or illness, can also contribute to suffering, whether or not we have consciously created them.
• 🥺 Accepting each moment as if it were chosen and approaching obstacles with acceptance and presence can lead to personal growth and freedom from suffering.
• 🤔 Positive thinking can be helpful in shifting attitudes, but it does not eliminate obstacles from our lives.
• 🤯 Overcoming suffering involves transcending egoic identification with the mind and embracing conscious awareness.
• 🤕 Aging and the challenges that come with it can be seen as potential sources of suffering, but they can also be opportunities for growth and acceptance.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Eckhart’s simple recipe for overcoming suffering?

Accept each moment as if you had chosen it. Whether you actually caused the situation does not matter; accepting what is already present shifts your attitude and can help the obstacle dissolve more quickly.

Q: Why does every life form encounter suffering and obstacles?

Life is challenging and precarious for humans, animals, plants, and every other life form. Each encounters obstacles while attempting to grow, expand, and flourish.

Q: Can positive thinking eliminate obstacles and suffering?

No. Positive thinking can be extremely helpful and produce shifts within you, but it does not prevent life from bringing obstacles and challenges.

Q: How does the mind create unnecessary suffering?

The mind creates conflicts and problems that are often unnecessary. When a person completely identifies with the egoic mind, manageable challenges can be transformed into much bigger problems.

Q: How can mind-created suffering lead to awakening?

A person may experience the consequences of unconscious identification with the mind until the suffering becomes unbearable. Eckhart describes reaching that point after years of suffering and realizing that the unhappy, mind-created self he could no longer live with was an illusion.

Q: How should you respond to obstacles that seem to come from outside?

Outside obstacles can include accidents, illness, loss, relationship problems, or the death of someone close. Rather than debating whether you created them, Eckhart recommends accepting the present moment as if you had chosen it.

Q: Why accept a painful situation as if you chose it?

The situation is already here, regardless of whether you caused or wanted it. Accepting it as if you chose it changes your whole attitude and reduces the additional conflict created by resistance.

Q: Do aging and physical decline have to become suffering?

The body eventually grows older and can become fragile, problematic, or burdensome despite exercise, nutrition, or efforts to prolong life. Eckhart says these challenges do not have to turn into suffering when you accept each moment and go with the isness of things.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Life is inherently challenging and precarious for all living beings, causing suffering in various forms.

• Obstacles to growth and well-being can come from both internal factors, such as conflicts created by the mind, and external factors, like accidents or illness.

• Accepting each moment as if it were chosen and approaching obstacles with acceptance and presence can lead to personal growth and freedom from suffering.