At this Easter time which is celebrated by Christian traditions all over the world, we wish to speak about suffering and resurrection. But let us begin with the Buddhist tradition. One of the first things every student of Buddhism learns is that life is characterized by suffering. While this may sound dire, it simply means that nothing on earth brings continuous or lasting satisfaction. The contemporary master, Sadhguru, illustrates it this way: If you want to go to university, but your application is denied, then you are not satisfied. You may judge yourself and fear for your prospects. Thus, you suffer. If you are admitted to the university, you must work hard under stressful conditions and forego other things you wish to do, such as earn money. Thus, you are still unsatisfied, and again you suffer.
Suffering Breeds Compassion
The suffering of dissatisfaction manifests as a feeling of incompleteness that every single human endures. Even those among you who seem to have everything—those you admire for their talent, intellect, or ability to make large amounts of money—all experience pain, fear, confusion, shame, regret, longing, self-doubt, and sadness. Even the most enlightened ones among you suffer. The Master Jesus suffered greatly at the end of his human life, which a large portion of humanity still commemorates each year in Easter pageants.
Think about a time when you were aware that you were suffering. What was it you wanted from others at that time? Most would say they wanted kindness, patience, and understanding—all elements of compassion. The word ‘compassion’ means ‘to suffer together’. Thus, in your moment of suffering, what you most want is to feel you are not alone. You desire connection with others and empathy. This is why many Christians identify so strongly with Jesus’s crucifixion.
Resurrection Energy Transcends Suffering
A very powerful energy is also celebrated at this time of year—the energy of resurrection. In the story of Easter, Jesus was resurrected three days after being crucified. To resurrect someone or something is to imbue them with new life. Thus, from the larger Spiritual perspective—not necessarily the one taught in churches—the whole point of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection was to demonstrate humanity’s ability to transcend the most profound suffering, and even death. Jesus is known to have said, “All that I do you will also do, and even greater things will you do.” By his words and actions, he showed that even physical resurrection is possible. Most of humanity does not believe this, but more are starting to consider it.
Your awakening to energies previously ascribed only to the masters is a very happy circumstance from our point of view. You have been kept in the dark for far too long. Spirit never intends for doctrines of limitation and organizations of control to be built around the lives of the masters. Spirit intends for their lives to demonstrate that each and every human is a magnificent being with the tremendous power of co-creation in your hands. Spirit wants you to understand, to embody, and to demonstrate by your words and actions that you have the same abilities as the masters, without qualification.
Humanity has had a difficult time accepting this because you have been programmed by misguided interpretations of the masters’ words and actions. Your doctrines have placed them on pedestals to be worshiped with awe, penitence, and even fear. Friends, it’s time to end this limited understanding of who you truly are and what you are capable of. Jesus would not have encouraged you to do all that he did if it were not possible. Centuries of programming have convinced you that you are limited, but you truly are limited only by your beliefs.
Accessing the Energy of Resurrection
Take a moment to consider what you really want to create or accomplish in your life. And become aware of how you feel about that desire or goal. Do you have a sense of positive expectation about it? Do you look forward to its manifestation with hope and certainty? Or do you feel more of a longing for what you do not have? Do you feel fear that you might never achieve it? Do you feel anger toward others you believe are standing in your way? Do you feel regret over past choices that you believe have held you back? In other words, are you joyfully anticipating that which you desire to create, or are you suffering?
If it’s the latter, then you have an opportunity to demonstrate the energy of resurrection. Consider once again that enlightened ones have transcended even death. (Controversial though it may be, Jesus was not the first or the only one to have done so.) What, then, makes you doubt you are capable of manifesting anything you choose to create? Did Jesus not also say, “If you have the faith of the mustard seed, you would say to that mountain, ‘be thou removed’, and the mountain would be gone.”? What keeps you from experiencing life in this way apart from your lack of faith that it is so? What excuses do you make that reinforce a narrow view of what’s possible? Do you say things like, “I am too old. I am too sick. I am too poor. I don’t have the skills. I don’t have the time. I don’t have the relationships. I don’t have the confidence.”? Such statements all represent a form of death—the death of your belief in your unlimited potential. It is struck down by your own limiting beliefs. And by professing those beliefs, you may also help to strike down the hopes and dreams of others.
However, rebirth is always possible through the energy of resurrection. All that is needed to resurrect any desire or dream is your steadfast faith in your unlimited ability to create your life as you would have it be. Then surrender your expectations about how it must happen, leaving the details to Spirit. Be patient, continue to act in the world as you feel compelled, and make time each day to be still and cultivate your ability to clearly understand Spirit’s guidance. Then you will know which new or additional actions are required when the time is right. If you grow impatient or find your faith lagging, take another look at our recent message, Tapping the Energy of Faith for inspiration.
Demonstrating the Energy of Resurrection
The energies of faith and resurrection are as available to you as they are to the masters who demonstrate them. Every day brings opportunities to practice resurrection by modeling patience, understanding, and kindness to others in the midst of their suffering. While this may be easy with a loved one or with someone who shares your opinions, you may find it more difficult when dealing with one whose beliefs differ from your own—especially in the realms of politics, religion, and morality. So, let us return to where we began this message: All of humanity is suffering in one form or another. It is this suffering that leads one to strike out against another—whether through physical violence, hurtful words, opportunism, or oppressive policies. Anytime somebody speaks or acts in a way that would harm, suppress, or undermine another person or group, their suffering is on full display, and they are trying to alleviate it by “proving” their correctness. Getting others to validate their point of view brings them temporary relief from the suffering of uncertainty. But it is only temporary.
If you doubt this, take a moment to reflect on a time in your own life when you behaved the same way. Every human knows what it feels like to force their point of view on someone else out of fear of being wrong. Everyone receiving this message still clings to the need to have others agree with them in some fashion. But when you achieved that agreement in the past, did it bring you lasting peace? Looking back, do you still embody all of the ideals you fought so hard to get others to agree with? Most know what it’s like to say, “I used to believe that so strongly, but now I see it another way.”
Knowing this, can you begin to receive the words and actions of others differently? Rather than becoming upset when somebody says or does something you find offensive, can you instead offer them your compassion? Can you truly feel, “They are suffering in some way, and I am also suffering in some ways. Thus, we are united in our suffering.” It may seem counterintuitive, but this act of compassionate understanding will do more to affect positive change in your world than any amount of resistance or combat. By acknowledging your shared suffering, you are also acknowledging your inherent connection in Spirit, thereby unlocking the energy of resurrection for you both.
Compassion for One is Compassion for All
You have heard many times that all are one, and all are equal in the eyes of God. If you can accept this Truth, then you can also see that any display of compassion toward another is also compassion for yourself and for the whole of humanity. And when you demonstrate compassion for another, you connect more fully with the energy of resurrection, which supports you and others in the joyful creation of your lives.
Conversely, insisting that someone else change to meet your ideals restricts the benevolent flow of resurrection energy to you. This doesn’t mean you should sit back and watch while others attempt to undermine ideals and policies you hold dear. Work for what you believe in. But working is different than fighting. True compassionate action means working for your values and ideals while continuing to affirm only the best in those who are working for something different. Remind yourself that they are also seeking relief from their suffering. Find your common ground in that most fundamental aspect of the human experience, even when you can find it nowhere else.
The challenge is to make radical compassion a daily practice. For example, when someone is rude or hateful to you, or when they attack your values, you don’t have to push back. Remember that they are suffering, and that you suffer together. Then offer them a smile or a kind word as if to say, “I truly see you, and I know that you are much bigger than your pain. Let me model it for you as the masters have modeled it for me.”
Does that sound challenging? We understand. But, again, that is why the masters walk this earth. They come to model unwavering compassion and a steadfast understanding of how magnificent humanity truly is—even to those who seem to have no clue. Jesus said as he was being crucified, “My God, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Can you offer that same forgiveness to someone who attempts to crucify your own beliefs and values? We encourage you to consider it. This is, after all, why Jesus’s crucifixion happened. And right behind it came his resurrection.
Consider these things carefully. We wish you blessings on your journey.
Image credit: Alicja