“About Pleasure and Suffering” – Kahlil Gibran and Abheda Yoga

The brilliant poet Kahlil Gibran, in his “The Prophet”
synthesized a fascinating wisdom, which, with the help of Abheda Yoga, we manage to decipher in a splendor of practical understandings of life.

We find in DEX

“PLEASURES, pleasures, s.f. 1. The action of liking and its result; affective, fundamental state, determined by the satisfaction of tendencies, vital requirements; feeling or feeling of contentment, of joy, caused by something that satisfies our taste or desire. Desire, will, mood, taste.”

PAINS, pains, s.f. 1. Physical suffering endured by someone. 2. Fig. Moral suffering; sorrow, sorrow. ”

For example, we may also enjoy a compliment or praise from a person.

But at what level in us does something specify itself to be pain or pleasure?
We notice that depending on the time and place in which we live, on the education and culture acquired, on the perspective in which we look at something or other, we have the impression that something gives us pleasure or suffering.

Well, this inner reaction is at the level of the ego, and beyond it, what seems negative or positive at the level of the ego does not affect us at all.

The pleasure-pain reaction is at the ego level.

If we mention joy-sadness, it is not so easy to notice the connection with the ego, because both pleasure and joy are, anyway, limited and pale aspects of Ananda, true absolute happiness.

Very important, essential, even, is the fact that
True happiness, which is nondual, is not affected by the pleasure-pain couple at all, but this is here, for now, theoretically.
Known practically, he leaves no room for question.

Pleasure is the absence of pain, and pain is the lack of pleasure.

Both are specific experiences of living in dualism, which does not know the One, but only the pairs of opposites.

The true miracle is experienced in “the middle of the potter’s wheel”, “in the eye of the hurricane”, and true happiness, which is divine, is not related to a pair of opposites, but

It is sufficient by itself and does not depend on events in the phenomenal world.

In addition, true happiness contains within it any kind of satisfaction that could be obtained in the world of opposites, but in a complete and wholesome way.

He who knows true happiness, which is divine, no longer needs anyone or anything for Himself
(but he can manifest the needs of an ordinary man to support his body and family or the people in his care).

Very important, essential, even, is the fact that
True happiness, which is divine, is not affected by the pleasure-pain couple at all, but this is here, for now, theoretically.
Known practically, he leaves no room for question.

Leo Radutz

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Then a woman said, “Tell us about Pleasure and Pain.”
And he answered:
“Pleasure is pain without a mask
And the very fountain from which your laughter sprang was often filled with tears.

And how could it be otherwise?

The deeper your pain digs into your being, the more joy you will encompass within you.
Isn’t the cup in which wine awaits you the same one that the fire burned in the potter’s oven?
And isn’t the brass that soothes your soul the same wood tormented by the knife before?
When you are joyful, examine the depths of your heart and you will find that what fills you with joy is nothing but what pain has given you.
When you are sad, examine your heart again and you will see that tears do indeed come from what your delight once was.

Some of you say, “Pleasure is greater than pain,” and others say, “No, pain is greater than pleasure.”

But behold, I assure you that they are inseparable.

Together they arrive at your house, and when one sits down with you at the table, remember, the other in your bed has also gone to bed.
Indeed, you are in the balance, like a balance, between your joys and sorrows.
Only when you are emptied of yourself are the plates motionless and in balance.
When, however, the guardian of the treasure lifts you up to weigh his gold and silver, your joy and sorrow must rise or fall.”

from “The Prophet” – Kahlil Gibran