Page 14 - NAMAH-Jul-2024

Namah Vol. 32, Issue 2, 15th July 2024

consider Earth as a living entity. The tiger pain stands out like a flashing alarm. We
and deer become part of the vast current of hold onto these painful memories because
life flowing through our planet. Pain and they seem to contradict our inherent nature,
suffering become part of a larger story of which we intuitively sense as one arising
evolution on earth, progressing through a from and moving towards Delight.
continuous cycle of creation and destruction.
However, from a broader perspective, this
Finally, there’s the integral perspective — a ‘negation’ of our true nature doesn’t exist. Pain
R
unified view of reality proposed by ancient Rsis becomes part of a creative dance, much like the
s
as well as modern yogis like Sri Aurobindo. work of a playwright or filmmaker who crafts
From this vantage point, everything arises a spectrum of experiences, including romance,
from Delight, is sustained by Delight and sorrow, and heroism. Indian aesthetics recognise
returns to the Delight of pure Sachidananda. this through the concept of Navarasa — the nine
h
Pain and suffering become a surface-level tastes of existence — where pain (duhkha) is one
experience within a larger reality of Oneness element in the drama of life.
and Delight.
Interestingly, even sorrow can be secretly
It’s important to remember that, while we can enjoyed when presented with the right kind of
intellectually grasp these broader perspectives, distance. We seek out movies and stories that
experiencing them directly is challenging. depict conflict and pain because that distance
However, by acknowledging these different allows us to experience the full spectrum of
perspectives, we can start to see the pain and emotions, including heroism, victory, and
suffering not just as negative forces, but as even fear. The thrill of a horror movie or a
part of a grander, unfolding process. bungee jump comes from pushing ourselves
to the edge and experiencing that intensity
The individual spectator of the drama of — fear, pain, even sorrow. The key is having
life that distance.

The issue arises when we lack that distance.
Stuck in our subjective experience, identified
with our thoughts and emotions, we lack
the perspective to witness the full drama of
life. Pain, then, feels overwhelming and all-
consuming.

Our human perspective often gets caught
in the narrow frame of ‘me’ and ‘mine’. We
see experiences happening to us, and pain
becomes a stark contrast to our usual neutral
state. Joyful moments might feel natural, but

14