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Perspective

You can run but you can’t hide

Mira Prabhu

Abstract
When we take the unreal for the real we suffer. We fail to see that beneath our suffering is pure gold. The only way
to break the cycle of suffering is to step out of what is unreal (ego) into what is real (our Immortal Self).

Consider for a moment the many ways you awareness and radiant bliss. Millions of
have tried to escape suffering — both the false coverings hide this radiance from us,
gigantic miseries of loss, grief and death, especially since the ego is determined to live
as well as the wee pains, frustrations and on at all costs, and because we stupidly and
irritations that are part of the menu of being obstinately feed the wrong beast, rather than
born as a human on this planet. Gautama the shimmering angel who sits whispering
Buddha nailed it when he gave us his First sweetly on our shoulder. And so we continue
Noble Truth: that mundane life is suffering. to be in pain.
Thank heavens he also went on to tell us that
our own fears, desires and expectations lay As Gautama Buddha said again, suffering is
at the root of our wretchedness, and then necessary (he meant the varied pains of old
he went on to clearly and lovingly show us age, suffering and death), but misery (our
a way out. persisting in increasing our sadness and
confusion by wrong thought, speech and
I was stunned some time ago to hear that the action) is an option.
anti-depressant industry is one of the biggest
money-spinners in our world. And yet I was Alcohol, drugs, sex, violence, workaholism,
not really surprised, because I have seen from greed — all these are destructive and bottomless
my own experience, and that of others, that addictions that temporarily delude us into
most of us have no clue about reality and thinking we are sitting on top of the dung heap
are therefore befogged with gloom and of samsara and having a right blast… yes,
bewilderment. Our true nature, incredible as that’s how many of us hide from the naked
it may seem when we are depressed, lonely truth that, as humans, we are fragile and
and sad, is nothing less than pure life, infinite limited, and that our mind, no matter how

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