35. Other Aspects of Human Sufferings
Longchen Nyingtik Meditation 35
The Beginning
Take refuge and arouse bodhichitta.
The Main Part
Meditate that besides the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death, humans are also subject to the four branch sufferings.
Suffering of encountering what one does not want : Even though you don’t want it, you have to associate with the people you dislike; face it when the things that you worry about unavoidably happen; suffer from pains and bad luck that you originally try to avoid. When it happens, your mind is deeply disturbed and distressed.
Suffering of s eparatin g from loved ones : When you are separated from loved ones due to death or distance, recalling their look and voice, as well as the good times together, you are tormented by sadness and longing.
S uffering of not getting what one wants : The wonderful things in life—fame, status, and wealth, etc.—are always elusive. For instance, someone dreams of looking gorgeous, but things go contrary to his or her wishes; others crave money, but promising opportunities always pass them by; many desire to be smarter, but they become less intelligent instead, causing them to beat their own heads in anguish. These are the so-called sufferings of not getting what one wants.
S uffering of the flourishing of the five aggregates : The direct make up of our being—the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness—are in fact the source, the basis, and the housing of our sufferings; their nature is nothing but suffering. For example, when you are pricked by a sharp thorn, your body, the “form aggregate,” as the object of being wounded, is the basis of suffering; then your “feeling aggregate” senses the touch of being pricked; and the “perception aggregate” further apprehends the unpleasant feeling of being pricked, if the touch or feeling continues; through the “formation aggregate” you habitually experience the mental state of being hurt again and again; and it is the “consciousness aggregate” that understands that the thorn is painful and causes you to suffer.
As long as your existence comprises these five psycho-physical aggregates, you are bound to experience all kinds of suffering in its entirety within your own aggregates.
Therefore, resolve: To find deliverance from these sufferings, I must obtain the untainted wisdom of sublime beings.
The Ending
Dedicate all the merit of your practice to all sentient beings.
