One would literally have to be living on a desert island to ignore the fact that growing numbers of people are suffering in these times.  As human systems break down and the Earth’s natural systems become increasingly unbalanced, the collective toll of human suffering continues to mount.  Physical loss is compounded by anxiety about the future, and by a growing sense of pessimism about material life.

Deep layers of alienation, long muted by myriad drugs and alcohol, are now surfacing and leading to acts of desperation.  A pervasive sense of despair has become especially evident in young people.  Children and adolescents are harming themselves and others in ways that were once unimaginable.  Some are clearly crying out for help; others appear to be cut off from everyone and everything. 

The wisdom teachings explain that when we identify ourselves with the things of the material world, we experience life in isolation—from one another and from the larger whole.  We see ourselves as separate from one another, like the individual seeds of the pomegranate pictured above.  We fail to recognize that we are part of a greater life.  This illusory sense of isolation and separation is the essential cause of suffering.  The “remedy”—inherent in the unfoldment of human consciousness—is the inner awakening to the essential relatedness of all of life.

The turmoil in our world appears to be accelerating the pace of this awakening.  The experience of pain and alienation is leading many individuals to search for the light of higher truth.  In the course of the spiritual quest, the process of reconnection invariably occurs—reconnection with the soul, with the source of all Life, with other human beings, and with all living creatures.  The light begins to dawn that we are an intrinsic part of a greater Life whose divine essence is love.  We are not alone.

The fact that ever rising numbers of human beings are awakening to their higher nature and are expressing soul qualities in the world is a great cause for hope in these difficult times.  The unprecedented scale of human suffering around the globe has brought forth an unprecedented outpouring of compassion.  The heart of humanity is opening and, in the light of higher awareness, we are discovering the deeper causes of suffering.  This new light of understanding is leading us forward on the path to a new era.

In the Ageless Wisdom pain serves a higher purpose.  In “The Fruits of Suffering,” a chapter of When the Soul Awakens, we wrote:

"In the wisdom teachings, suffering has a clear objective.  It is viewed as a prod to spiritual growth.  The purpose of pain is to rouse us from the illusion of our separate, form-based, ego identities and awaken the true, spiritual being within—the soul, the part of us that recognizes the essential unity of all life.  The human constitution is such that when a person is in pain, unable to function normally, he or she is prompted to look more deeply at the inner side of life."

It is possible to reap the fruits of suffering by viewing life from a higher plane of awareness—the realm of the soul.  With this in view, we have drawn a number of practices from the wisdom teachings, listed below.  Whether you are experiencing personal pain, or identifying with the pain of humanity and other kingdoms of nature, we hope that these simple practices will serve you on your path.