Chapter 20 Chapter 2 Emotions and Pain-2

Siddhartha sat under a tree for six years before he reached Bodhgaya, or planned to trek to Magadha.For a long time, because he only ate a few grains of rice and drank a few drops of water every day, he became emaciated and emaciated.He did not bathe or trim his nails, and became a model for other spiritual seekers who shared their penance.He strictly abides by the precepts, no matter how the local shepherd boy scratches his ears with grass and blows the horn in his face, he remains unmoved.But, after years of extreme austerity, one day he realized: this is not right, this is an extreme path, this is just a trap like court ladies, peacock gardens and beaded spoons.So he decided to get up from his ascetic state and go to the nearby Nelian River (now the Pargu River) to take a bath.He even shocked his companions by accepting fresh milk from a shepherdess named Sujata.It is said that these fellow initiates abandoned Siddhartha, considering him to be a bad moral influence whose company would interfere with their practice.

We can understand why these ascetics deserted Siddhartha because he broke his vows.Human beings have been trying to find happiness not only through material possessions but also through religious means.Much of world history has centered around religion.Religion calls on the public with bright principles and codes of conduct, such as loving your neighbor, practicing generosity and life principles, sitting in meditation, fasting and offering sacrifices, etc.However, these seemingly beneficial principles can also become extreme and strict religious dogma, causing unnecessary guilt and low self-esteem in people.All too often we see devout contempt for other religions with arrogance and complete indifference, using their beliefs to justify cultural or physical genocide.Examples of such devastating beliefs abound and are too numerous to enumerate.

Human beings rely not only on organized religions, but also on worldly wisdom—or even political slogans—for happiness and relief from pain.Former US President Roosevelt once said: "If I have to choose between justice and peace, I choose justice." But whose justice is it, and all other justices are excluded. To give another example, we can understand the attractiveness of Confucian wisdom, such as respect and obedience to elders, family ugliness and national shame, and so on.These principles may be sensible, but in many cases the rules have had extremely negative consequences, such as controlling speech and suppressing dissent.For example, obsession with "saving face" and obedience to elders has led to a long history of deceit and lies, from neighbors to entire nations.

Given this historical background, it is not surprising that many Asian countries, such as China and Singapore, have entrenched hypocrisy.Leaders of many countries denounce feudalism and monarchy, preach democracy or communism, but again, these leaders are feared by their subjects and keep their crimes secret; they hold power until their last breath, or their chosen successors until.Today, the ancient feudal system has hardly changed.Law and justice are designed to maintain peace and create a harmonious society, but in many cases, the justice system favors criminals and rich people, while poor and innocent people suffer because of unfair laws.

We human beings have exhausted countless methods and tools in the pursuit of happiness and cessation of pain, far exceeding any other hobby and occupation.So we have elevators, laptops, rechargeable batteries, electric dishwashers, toasters that pop out the perfect toast, dog poop vacuums, electric nose trimmers, heated toilet seats, Novocaine, Mobile phones, Viagra, whole carpets... But inevitably, these conveniences also create an equal amount of headaches. On a larger scale, countries pursue happiness and end pain, and fight for territory, oil, space, financial markets and power.They develop pre-emptive warfare to avoid anticipated suffering.On a personal level, we also receive preventive medical care, take vitamins, see doctors for vaccinations and have blood tests and full-body CT scans.We are constantly looking for signs of suffering.And as soon as you find it, seek the cure.Every year, new technologies, remedies, and self-help books try to provide long-lasting solutions to pain and eradicate all problems.

* * * * Siddhartha was also trying to eradicate suffering.But he didn't dream of such things as instituting political reform, emigrating to another planet, or creating a new world economy; he didn't even dream of creating a religion, or developing a code of conduct that would bring peace and harmony.He explored suffering with an open mind, and through diligent meditation, Siddhartha discovered that, at its root, it is human emotions that cause suffering.In fact, emotion is pain.However, directly or indirectly, all emotions are born of selfishness, that is, they are all related to attachment to the self.Furthermore, he also discovered that emotions, though seemingly real, are not an inherent part of a person's being.They are not something we were born with, a curse or an implant imposed on us by someone or some god.Emotions arise when certain causes and conditions come together, such as when you suddenly think that someone is criticizing you, ignoring you, or depriving you of benefits.Then, the corresponding emotions will arise next, and at the moment of accepting and falling into these emotions, we lose awareness and clarity.We were "inspired".So Siddhartha found his solution - awareness.If you're serious about eradicating pain, you must develop awareness, pay attention to your emotions, and learn how to avoid getting agitated.

If you examine emotions as Siddhartha did, trying to find their origin, you will find that they are rooted in misunderstanding and therefore fundamentally wrong.Basically, all emotions are a prejudice, and in every emotion there is an element of discrimination. For example, a torch spinning at a certain speed will look like a ring of fire.Children or even some adults find this spectacle amusing and fascinating in a circus.The children do not distinguish between the fire in the hand and the torch, they think what they see is real; they are excited by the ring of fire formed by the optical illusion.Likewise, many of us are overly concerned with the appearance and comfort of our bodies.When we look at our bodies, we don't see them as separate parts like molecules, genes, blood vessels and blood.We think of the body as a whole; what is more, we presuppose that it is a real organism called the body.Convinced that bodies really exist, we first wish for a flat stomach, fine hands, a muscular figure, a tanned face, or a curvy figure.Then we became obsessed with it and invested our money in gym memberships, moisturizers, slimming teas, the South Beach Diet, yoga, sit-ups and lavender oil.

Like children attracted by fire rings, agitated, or even coughing, we have emotions about our body's appearance and state of health.When we see a ring of fire, adults usually know it's just an image and won't be encouraged.Reason tells us that the ring of fire is made of combined parts—a turning hand holding a flaming torch.Unsympathetic older brothers and sisters may arrogantly laugh at the younger brother or sister.But as adults we can see the ring of fire, so we can understand why children are so engrossed, especially if it is at night, with dancers, psychedelic music and other movements accompanying the performance, it is even more dazzling.Even us adults, even knowing the illusory nature of this, might get excited.According to Siddhartha, this understanding is the seed of compassion.