In the river of life suffering is not intentional. In conscious life suffering is intentional and of great value.
To bear the manifestation of others is a big thing. The last thing for a man.

Intentional Suffering Categories

Intentional Suffering is the intentional acceptance of all suffering which is a part of all existence. To prepare us for this type of Holy Affirmation in our daily lives we are assigned special exercises, including seeking out or welcoming suffering in all its forms, especially those forms which are overlooked or moved into different categories, such as "anxiety", "fear" or "depression". It is sometimes useful as a preparation to induce self-imposed suffering but this is to be abandoned when we learn how to meet the normal lot of humanity's suffering. (Paul Beidler)

The essence of the idea of Karma-Yoga is to meet with unpleasant things equally with pleasant things. That is, in practicing Karma-Yoga, one does not seek always to avoid unpleasant things, as people ordinarily do. Life is to be met with non-identifying. When this is possible, life becomes one's teacher; in no other sense can life become a teacher, for life taken as itself is meaningless, but taken as an exercise it becomes a teacher. It is not life that is a teacher, but one's relation through non-identifying makes it become a teacher. Nothing can change being so much as this practice - namely, to take the unpleasant things in life as an exercise. (Maurice Nicoll, Commentaries, Vol. 1)

The following list of Holy Denying Sufferings and their Companions is intended to be used in conjunction with the exercises based on the Holy Equation.

These are only a suggested starting point and Seekers are encouraged to discover and add new categories and specific situations relevant to their personal situation.

• anger - agreement

• irritations - equanimity

• impatience -patience

• annoyances - placid

• fears - courage

• depression - happiness

• anxieties - resignation

• vanity - modest

• jealousy - trust

• hate - like

• lust - prudence

• envy - contentment

• pride - humility

• hunger - saiety

• pain - pleasure

• discomfort - comfort

• fatigue - energetic

• laziness - motivation

• greed - sufficiency

• avarice - sufficiency

• sorrow - joy

• grief - happiness

• self-pity - self-satisfaction

• self-loathing - self-acceptance

• smugness - equality

• resentment - impartial

• justification - responsibility

• self importance - humility

• apathy - ambition

Self-imposed sufferings

• making super efforts

• enduring pain

• enduring discomfort

• fasting

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Pondering on Intentional Suffering

• Who is Suffering?

• Why is Suffering necessary?

• Why does His Endlessness Suffer?

• How can I alleviate the Suffering of His Endlessness?

• What is my most disliked Suffering?

• What Sufferings do I habitually indulge in?

• In the practice of tolerance, is one's enemy the best teacher?

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