How does your "religion" deal with life's pain?

[TBRS1]

I think that most religious and/or spiritual belief systems acknowledge that at least parts of life are unpleasant.

If you have a religion or spiritual belief system, how does it deal with life's unpleasant parts?


For my part, I'm a Buddhist.

The basic fundamentals of Buddhism are the "4 Noble Truths," and "The Eightfold Path."

The first noble truth is that life is dukkha (usually translated as "suffering," but a better translation is "frequently dissatisfying," or "full of unpleasantness").

The second truth names the cause for this: trying to hang on to things that can't last, or " the illusion of permanent things."

The third truth prescribes a cure for dukkha: learn how to let things go, stop clinging to things.

The fourth truth points to The Eightfold Path - a group of 8 interlinked practices, both moral and contemplative, that help one learn to "let go."

Buddhism is wholly and completely about learning how to "let go." "Nirvana" is the name for the state of "letting go."

 

[jsilver256]

Christianity is a continuous journey of dying to oneself and suffering, so no traditional enlightenment to be found except to keep enduring. I appreciate the honesty though.

 

[Judge]

I have no specific "religion" as such. I have God, and don't seek the fellowship of mortals who really have no influence on the sanctity of my eternal soul. That's between God and I. Not the Smiths, Joneses or clergy at the highest levels.

That it isn't about God protecting us on this temporary plane of existence. It's that God oversees the plan each soul outlines before reincarnating and coming here. That the primary method of enlightenment requires us to take mortal form, which is alien to our existence as eternal souls. That we can only experience real learning through temporary mortality. Where we are supposed to experience both very bad and very good things, depending on the lesson we seek. And that on occasion, if our mortal existence strays a bit too far away from what is cosmically intended, that God *might* intervene. And that such intervention does not necessarily mean being averted from death or suffering.

The key point to keep perspective of, being that as eternal souls, whatever happens to us as a mortal on this temporary plane of existence is merely a platform to learn from both profoundly good and bad experiences. In a manner in which is impossible to experience on our primary plane of existence.

Given all that to consider, no matter how much pain and despair my mortal soul experiences, I try not to lose perspective of two things:

1) It's only temporary and a critical aspect of evolving as an eternal soul.
2) Once you're back on your primary plane of existence, there is no pain associated with the worst of one's recollection of mortal existence. No pain emotionally or physically. Only memories to profit and evolve from as an eternal soul.

Which is ultimately why "bad things happen to good people". Not because God has abandoned anyone, but rather that God sees to whatever mortal existence is crafted as an eternal soul, and plays out as an intentional spiritual journey while reincarnated as a mortal soul.

I can't stop the pain from coming as a mortal soul, but I take comfort in knowing it's only temporary in "a big picture of eternity" as the eternal soul I actually am. The "trick" if any being to remind yourself not of your mortality, but your immortality on our primary plane of existence.

To take life with the bad and the good. Balance in the universe. Yin and Yang.

 

[Rachie]

I am a non demontional Christian. I can attend church where I think it resonates with me. I am lucky to live less than 5 minutes away from my church I attend now. I attend an Anglican church. Just today though I was in my childhood Catholic church for mass, the beauty of being non demontional.
I agree with a lot of what has been written. I won't repeat those.
I will say though that the Bible states that God will not give you more than what you can handle in life, and if so will create a way out of that situation. Sometimes you can find yourselves in situations and you have to ask yourself, did God create this situation for me?

Of course for a Christian believer salivation true freedom comes after physical death.
With my Catholic upbringing and leanings ones suffering also can be offered up to God to save others to unite with the Passion of Christ.

 

[Cryptid]

"Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." -- Job 5:7 (NIV)

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, 'If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." -- 1st Peter 4:12-19 (NIV)

It all comes down to this: "Pain is inevitable; misery is optional."

 

[DrBadStrings]

I'm not religious but would say Buddhist thinking has been an influence on my life. The ideas of mindfulness and that pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. All comes back to psychological framing. How you frame the event largely determines the perceived reality. Pain included. Physical pain you can't really reframe, but you can also not dwell on it. But the mental pains in life is where I draw from the Buddhists of just letting most of that go, well trying to anyways. I feel like at 42 I'm finally beginning to really understand that point, "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional".

 

[Zain]

I have no specific "religion" as such. I have God, and don't seek the fellowship of mortals who really have no influence on the sanctity of my eternal soul. That's between God and I. Not the Smiths, Joneses or clergy at the highest levels.

That it isn't about God protecting us on this temporary plane of existence. It's that God oversees the plan each soul outlines before reincarnating and coming here. That the primary method of enlightenment requires us to take mortal form, which is alien to our existence as eternal souls. That we can only experience real learning through temporary mortality. Where we are supposed to experience both very bad and very good things, depending on the lesson we seek. And that on occasion, if our mortal existence strays a bit too far away from what is cosmically intended, that God *might* intervene. And that such intervention does not necessarily mean being averted from death or suffering.

The key point to keep perspective of, being that as eternal souls, whatever happens to us as a mortal on this temporary plane of existence is merely a platform to learn from both profoundly good and bad experiences. In a manner in which is impossible to experience on our primary plane of existence.

Given all that to consider, no matter how much pain and despair my mortal soul experiences, I try not to lose perspective of two things:

1) It's only temporary and a critical aspect of evolving as an eternal soul.
2) Once you're back on your primary plane of existence, there is no pain associated with the worst of one's recollection of mortal existence. No pain emotionally or physically. Only memories to profit and evolve from as an eternal soul.

Which is ultimately why "bad things happen to good people". Not because God has abandoned anyone, but rather that God sees to whatever mortal existence is crafted as an eternal soul, and plays out as an intentional spiritual journey while reincarnated as a mortal soul.

I can't stop the pain from coming as a mortal soul, but I take comfort in knowing it's only temporary in "a big picture of eternity" as the eternal soul I actually am. The "trick" if any being to remind yourself not of your mortality, but your immortality on our primary plane of existence.

To take life with the bad and the good. Balance in the universe. Yin and Yang.

What learning are you talking about? Is it conceivable to us?

 

[Judge]

What learning are you talking about? Is it conceivable to us?

IMO lessons to enlighten us that are individually tailored for each and every one of us as eternal souls which may be exclusively about ourselves or involve the welfare of another soul or souls.

No telling whether our "mission" here is exclusively about ourselves or perhaps a chance or brief encounter with another that might have been life-changing for them whether we are aware of it or not. Or even involving lessons that perhaps we ourselves may not be aware of as mortal souls.

Always involving reincarnation that is carefully planned before we enter this temporary plane of existence. Whether or not such thinking is "conceivable", I suppose that depends on one's ability to see themselves as eternal souls and not frail human beings with only the perspective of mortality rather than immortality.

I don't look at this as any kind of religion per se. Just an understanding of what our primary and secondary existence really is, without rituals, dogma or a need for fellowship. In essence, I simply don't see the sanctity of my soul dependent on any other mortals.

 

[Rachie]

For Christians Jesus also promised to send us a comforter, how much comfort we can expect at times I am not sure. I say this as some hyms which are not Biblical go like this.....I do not offer comfort and I do not offer wealth follow me...... can make you think at times.

I briefly looked at Buddism at university....Ahimsa right....takes me back.

 

[Uri]

Life is full of pain and disappointments and crushed dreams.

That's why I think there is no God or anything and that our existence is kind of pointless. But it's still an existence so I'm ok with that.

In my opinion only extremely ignorant or stupid people believe in God and there is absolutely no scientific evidence, not from physics, not from chemistry and not from the biological sciences that a God actually exists or has ever existed.

And believe me I am a big fan of science and I do read a lot of science and I will take my faith in science over religion any day.

I think that super-religious people are actually ignorant to the way science really works and super-religious people are actually making the world a worse place to live in because these people ignore science and scientific facts about how the world really works.

But the fact is that science contradicts religion every time so I will probably rather have my faith in science over religion in any time.

Science can be trusted, religion cannot because religion is based on ignorance and ancient superstitions and many people believe what they want to believe rather than trusting in the cold hard facts and the evidence that science provides us.

 

[lunarious]

How does your "religion" deal with life's pain?

We sell our Soul to Allah instead of the Devil. He has mighty mercy and mighty punishment, he is Just.

Edit: There's free Will. Period.

 

[lunarious]

Christianity is a continuous journey of dying to oneself and suffering, so no traditional enlightenment to be found except to keep enduring. I appreciate the honesty though.

We have the pleasure of Praying.