[Sri Ramakrishna] Suffering

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Namaste,

 

http://www.hinduism.fsnet.co.uk/namoma/kathamritam/chapter_06/k06_6_De

c_1882_1st_visit.htm

 

Why so much suffering in God's creation?

 

The conversation then turned to the joy and suffering of life. Why

did God create so much suffering?

 

M: " Once Vidyasagar said in a mood of pique: 'What is the use of

calling on God? Just think of this incident: At one time Chenghiz

Khan plundered a country and imprisoned many people. The number of

prisoners rose to about a hundred thousand. The commander of his army

said to him: " Your Majesty, who will feed them? It is risky to keep

them with us. It will be equally dangerous to release them. What

shall I do? " Chenghiz Khan said: " That's true. What can be done?

Well, have them killed. " The order was accordingly give to cut them

to pieces. Now, God saw this slaughter, didn't He? But He didn't stop

it in any way. Therefore I don't need God, whether He exists or not.

I don't derive any good from Him.' "

 

MASTER: " Is it possible to understand God's action and His

motive? He creates, He preserves, and He destroys. Can we ever

understand why He destroys? I say to the Divine Mother: 'O Mother, I

do not need to understand. Please give me love for Thy Lotus Feet.'

The aim of human life is to attain bhakti. As for other things, the

Mother knows best. I have come to the garden to eat mangoes. What is

the use of my calculating the number of trees, branches, and leaves?

I only eat the mangoes; I don't need to know the number of trees and

leaves. "

 

 

Gita 2:14 -

 

maatraasparshaastu kaunteya shiitoshhNasukhaduHkhadaaH .

aagamaapaayino.anityaastaa.nstitikshasva bhaarata .. "

 

Contacts with their objects give rise to cold and heat, pleasure and

pain. They come and go, and do not last forever. These learn to

endure, O Bharata! "

 

Suffering is a necessary concomitant of a sense of duality. To go

beyond it is to achieve the advaitic state, where the term suffering

itself vanishes and the question of why along with it.

 

Buddha based his teachings on this sole question, and lived an

exemplary life to demenstrate their efficacy.

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

 

 

 

 

Ramakrishna, " Vivekananda Centre " <vivekananda@b...>

wrote:

> -

> " Brad Stephan " <brad@w...>

> " The Ramakrishna List " <ramakrishna>

> Tuesday, March 12, 2002 04:43

> [sri Ramakrishna] Re: Suffering

>

>

> > Dear jay:

> >

> > Whether the " cause " of suffering is Avidya-Maya or Karma, I

believe

> Hinduism does know its " purpose " :

> >

> > " Iron must be heated again and again and hammered a hundred times

before

> it becomes good steel. Then only it becomes fit to be made into a

sharp

> sword, and can be bent in any way you like. So man must be heated

several

> times in the furnace of tribulations and hammered with the

persecutions of

> the world before he becomes pure and humble, and fit to enter the

presence

> of God. "

> >

> > -- Sri Ramakrishna (Saying 399)

> >

> > Therefore, if our Creator had constructed us so we could not

experience

> physical and emotional suffering, would we ever have been motivated

to seek

> Him? Please comment.

> >

> > God Bless,

> > Brad

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~response~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Dear Brad

>

> This question of Suffering is a serious issue.

> 'We do not know why there is suffering.

> Ask the Divine Mother : )

>

> jay