Suffering is a manifestation of true humanity. The meaning of suffering

“Every growth of the spirit needs to be burdened by circumstances.

There is an old legend that precious stones are born from human suffering.

This is how it is, and therefore, when I say “load Me,” I am not making a sacrifice, but I am only increasing the strength of the spirit.”

(Hierarchy, 38)

The Meaning of Suffering

What is suffering?

What causes suffering?

What does suffering lead to?

Purpose of suffering

Can anyone save us from suffering?

How to overcome suffering?

The essence of overcoming suffering?

Does suffering have meaning?

What is suffering ?

Everyone suffers - those who have done a lot of evil, and innocent children, and young people who have not yet had time to taste life. People suffer in body- from hunger, cold, disease and overwork.

Suffering at heart from slander and envy, from themselves and from others, from proximity to neighbors, they come out in the anguish of loneliness and incomprehensibility, poisoned by the bitterness of disappointment, the torment of deceived love or grief over the loss of loved ones.

How many difficult moments the consciousness of our own imperfection, as well as the imperfection of the world around us, causes us.

Causes of suffering ?

Question human suffering at all times occupied the minds of the best thinkers of mankind. Great efforts have been made to solve it.

Only knowledge of the law of Causes and Effects (Karma) and the law of Reincarnation brought clarity to this difficult problem.

We call suffering the feeling of displeasure that we experience when reality does not meet our desires. By reality we mean external circumstances such as poverty, illness, hunger, cold and our moral actions, our actions, which often contradict our highest desires.

The source of suffering usually lies in a person’s deviation from the laws of nature, both physical and spiritual. Or our desires are bad, contrary to reality, the nature of things, the nature of man. Or, conversely, apparent reality contradicts our good desires, and we thus suffer because of goodness. But this is because reality itself has been distorted by man’s evil desires.

Our actions contradict our highest desires - “I don’t do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I don’t want,” and then we experience internal suffering - torment of conscience.

Therefore, it is necessary to study the Cosmic Laws of the Universe, which reveal the true meaning of suffering.

What are these laws?

In the language of biology and sociology- these are the laws of life, the preservation of the race and species, society and personality.

In the language of ethics- these are cosmic laws - the laws of love, purity, justice and reverence for what is higher than us.

In the language of religion- these are the commandments of God.

Suffering,in most cases, is deserved consequence violations of Cosmic Laws.

So, let's list the causes of suffering:

- Ignorance or Lack of desire to learn anything.

Every grief or suffering is proof that one or another law of life has been violated.

According to the Law of Karma, we suffer as a result of our unreasonable or negative actions from past.

In addition, a person forgets about his Divine Origin and about that high mission that Christ expressed in the words: “You must become perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

One should strive for this state in all circumstances of life and in all professions, be it a priest, a millionaire or an auxiliary worker.

Every drop of suffering is the result of our own

negative thoughts, words, desires, actions and efforts in the past.

- DesiresAnd human lust or passion

A person is filled with all kinds of desires and lusts, and the largest part of them is aimed at achieving a wide variety of earthly goods. The coolest cars, huge mansions, mink coats, iPhones, cool smartphones, etc.

Excessive satisfaction of the needs of a person's physical nature can cause incurable diseases.

- Bad qualities and habits

Bad qualities and habits lead to suffering. Excessive eating and drinking, or, in other words, gluttony and drunkenness. In this case, people create suffering for themselves in the form of illnesses not only in this life, but also for the distant future.

Diseases cannot always be overcome by a person in one life, just as the totality of all negative Karma generously accumulated by him in his previous lives cannot be overcome in one life. Consequently, they can then appear in subsequent incarnations. Currently, people suffer from many diseases, the causes of which were laid down already in past centuries.

- Thirst for property

The passion for possession leads a person to countless crimes, murders and wars, deceptions. And all this in order to take possession of the benefits,

which give only a brief moment of joy.

A person must realize that he is not material goods are a permanent value, but exclusively spiritual wealth. And Christ taught:“What good is it for a man if he conquers the whole world, but destroys his own soul.”

Earthly existence is given to us Not for the purpose of accumulating material wealth,

but for the expansion and development of our consciousness.

- Attachments

Attachments are one of the main causes of human suffering!

Matter becomes a factor of suffering for the one who is attached to it. Getting rid of attachments depends on consciousness and on the attitude towards things. A beggar can also suffer because of the desire to have money.

“Learn to own without a sense of ownership,” -stated in the Teaching of Living Ethics. Whoever has been able to achieve this quality can manage wealth without being internally attached to it. No one is prohibited from acquiring property; on the contrary, everyone is encouraged to live in as normal conditions as possible.

Suffering -is a cosmic necessity for the development of human consciousness!

Only through suffering does a person develop. Only through tensionthere may be growth of the Spirit.

Only when we plunge into suffering and misfortune does the elementary desire for bliss and joy awaken in us.

A person who is spiritually underdeveloped experiences primarily physical suffering - the suffering of his body.

A person who experiences spiritual and mental suffering, for example, remorse, then this is already a sign of growth of the human spirit and awakened consciousness.

What does suffering lead to??

Suffering in this world Not there is only evil: without it, man would turn into an animal. A person can overcome suffering with love and creativity, and his own suffering is alleviated when a person begins to feel compassion for another.

Suffering teaches us not to do to others what we do not want to ourselves.

Suffering is our source moral values and positive spiritual gains, it leads us to faith, love and spiritual strength. We live on this earth in order to work on the beauty of our soul, and life is a huge workshop in which the soul is prepared for a new heaven and a new earth.

Suffering leads not only to strength, but also to wisdom

Purpose of suffering

The Living Ethics states that grief and suffering are the best purifiers. They also the best way shorten the path to self-improvement.

Grief has great educational significance for a person and becomes a teacher who helps us confidently achieve the ultimateearthly purpose, namely, subjugation of the lower “I” higher and manifestationDivinity in us.

Experienced from life to life all kinds of suffering, a person gradually understands the cause of his torment and, in the end, begins to beware of repeating those actions that give rise to the causes of his torment.

Thus, suffering is, a stimulant that encourages a person to take action. Having withstood suffering, sorrow and struggle, the soul emerges from it enriched with experience and psychic energy.

And even if in the struggle with its lower nature the soul again suffers defeat, nevertheless, thanks to suffering, it gradually purifies and learns. By avoiding repeated mistakes, we are freed from suffering.

How to overcome suffering

The best method to overcome suffering - The path of the Golden Mean. This the only way, leading to a gradual reduction in suffering and, ultimately, liberation from it. Therefore the Buddha renounced both royal welfare and monastic asceticism, for both paths led to extremes and immoderation.

A person needs to learn to free himself from the slavery of his desires and passions. Only then will he arrive at a middle path capable of reducing human suffering. This path of renunciation through gradual, prudent overcoming of desires.

You should never forcibly wean yourself from something, since a relapse of passion can be stronger than the passion itself before.

Manifestations of instinct cannot be overcome through asceticism, since they are an expression vital energy, which should be gradually transformed into spiritual energy, which, however, only then will lead to desired results, When man walking By the Golden Mean.

Bad qualities and inclinations must be eliminated from the mind gradually, without coercion and without hope for immediate results.

A person must develop an understanding that the needs of the body must be subordinate to the needs of the spirit, and not vice versa!

To free yourself from suffering, you need to stop creating new causes for its occurrence.

Frivolous escape from suffering- this is when people, or rather most of people strive to drown out the bitterness of life with momentary pleasure, to forget themselves with the madness of a “feast during the plague” or dancing on the edge of death. “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”

Can anyone deliver a man from suffering?

The law of cause and effect proves that there is no way to save another person from suffering, since everyone must atone for their sins and mistakes themselves.

Avoid neither suffering nor joy! Learn to suffer without complaining!

Don't be a pessimist, despite the grief and need, but be an optimist and keep fighting!

To those who doubt the eternal Retributive Justice, the Buddha said the following:

“Once upon a time you committed the same evil that your enemy is causing you today, willingly or unwillingly. So, endure in silence. You are only atone for your own guilt."

The essence of overcoming suffering?

The essence of overcoming suffering is VtransformationlowerqualitiesVhigher.

To overcome suffering, you must develop the strength to resist temptations and weaknesses. It is necessary to learn to control yourself, control your desires, passions and abandon them.

try to transform them into good ones .

An approximate list of opposite qualities that we must transform in ourselves:

Hatred - love and forgiveness.

Heartlessness and mercilessness - compassion, kindness. Vengeance is nobility.

Envy is generosity.

Stinginess is generosity.

Egoism - altruism and love for one's neighbor.

Intolerance is tolerance.

Irritation - calmness.

Pickiness and criticism - understanding, benevolence.

Talkativeness - silence and restraint.

Does suffering have meaning?

For a person who has embarked on the path of self-improvement, it is important to know that arrogance, irritability, touchiness, curiosity are those weaknesses that cause the greatest difficulties on the path of ascension.

All listed qualities are the source of human suffering. Only their gradual, consistent transformation in virtue will help turn grief into happiness and joy. But accepting suffering is not everything. You can endure it by gritting your teeth. And you can overcome and transform suffering. It can be a stone that crushes the soul, but it can become a rock on which we stand as a solid support.

But truly, everything great enters this world through the gates of suffering.

We admire the pearl. How is she born? IN Indian Ocean The mollusk lives in a valve shell. A grain of sand gets into the shell, which irritates the body of the mollusk. Then, for the purpose of self-defense, it secretes a pearlescent liquid that envelops the grain of sand. This work has been going on for years. This is how pearls are born, the beauty of crowns and necklaces.

Buddha was once asked: “Why does suffering occur?” He responded with a story: “A hunter in the forest fell struck by an arrow. Did he or those around him at that moment begin to ask where the arrow came from, or what it was made of? Of course not. But first of all, they tried to remove the arrow.” So we too are mortally wounded by the arrow of suffering; and the most important thing is to remove the arrow.

It is necessary to know the cause of suffering in order to avoid it next time, we need to know the purpose of our trials, because this strengthens the spirit, makes it steadfast in enduring pain. After all, the heaviest suffering is its aimlessness.

May suffering be blessed

what magnificent steps of ascent!

From the proposed presentation, in interesting form learn about the meaning of suffering

Let's smile! :)

Ecology of life. Psychology: People are accustomed to making every negative event central - the news on TV and radio is saturated with this...

Formula of Suffering + Exit Technique

Suffering has its roots in the distant past.

To suffer is the right thing to do, it is honorable to suffer. Suffering fills the voids in life, supposedly ennobles the soul and makes the world brighter. There is a lot of suffering in literature, cinema, and art. It is bright and interesting for yourself and for those around you.

And when is a person happy and content? “Don’t tell me, otherwise they will jinx it and envy you” - then this turns out to be not so interesting and honorable???

People are accustomed to making every negative event (perception) central - the news on TV and radio is saturated with this; in every single life, a person also more carefully feels a bad event and inflates it, and takes the good for granted.

SIMPLE FORMULA FOR SUFFERING:

formula of suffering = pain + time of experience

The pain itself from the event is short-term, and it is associated with attachments, expectations, self-deception, in rare cases- With real events(death, disaster). If a serious painful event actually occurred, then this requires the right way out, and more often than not, many who are accustomed to suffering over trifles turn into serious ones. difficult moments life is just pulling itself together. This Once again proves that in trifles they tend to spin themselves up to complete disaster.

Remember your childhood: you wanted ice cream but your mother didn’t buy it - it’s painful and insulting, five minutes have passed and you’ve already forgotten about it and are having fun playing with the children.

And in adulthood: a girl fell in love - but he doesn’t behave like that, pain (!), expectations not meeting, the girl spins a whole tragedy in her head, instead of just communicating with others and being distracted by her own affairs.

Pain is associated with attachments. Every time a person loses something, gives something away, he may experience pain. BUT it is not a fact that this pain is worth making suffering.

• We take it and experience joy.
• We give, we lose - we experience pain.

A person in adulthood does not agree, resists, spins his pain to the level of suffering. In his brain he creates a very long and painful continuation of this pain. If you compare it with a physical wound, he picks at the scratch with a screwdriver, often rusty and takes a long time!

In fact, we do not make suffering out of every pain: physiological pain is short-term, cured and forgotten.

If YOU resist the movement of life, you are used to immersing yourself, picking at your wound, then you grow SUFFERING, and there is no place for joy and life.

The second version of the formula for suffering, more complex:

Formula of suffering = life strategy + habitual perception of the mind + habitual emotional reaction+suffering body

life strategy - Victim,

perception by the mind - what horror and further promotion,

habitual emotional reaction - does not meet my expectations, it means bad,

body - drooping shoulders.

This option, of course, requires working with a specialist on familiar settings, scenarios + developing new habits, which, of course, will require conscious and long-term work.

In these two options - both simple and complex - you can get out of this state quite quickly on your own.

It's important to learnlet go andaccept that life is changing

• 1 step- realize what pain brings me (saying goodbye to my expectations),
• Step 2- agreement and acceptance of what happened, learning from experience,
• Step 3- gratitude for what happened and permission for life to be unpredictable, but no less happy.

All this is worth doing if you decide that a life of suffering does not suit you.

If it is more convenient and habitual for you to suffer, then we are looking for secondary benefits: What do we receive from the world and people in this way:

- are we abdicating responsibility?

- do we attract attention?

- occupying our time and not doing anything constructive?

- or what is your option?

After all, many people make the CHOICE to suffer - it’s so sweet and profitable... The truth in most cases leads to sad consequences: depression, apathy, broken relationships. published

Suffering is an integral part of the life of any person. We all strive for something, make certain plans for the future, but we don’t always achieve what we want. At such moments, suffering comes, sometimes forcing you to become disappointed and give up ahead of time. Of course, not all life is spent in suffering, but everyone has some mistakes and losses.

The Essence of Suffering

Suffering is a state of frustration and extreme dissatisfaction. A person’s suffering occurs when desires that are significant to him for some reason were not realized. The essence of suffering is that the person begins to feel internal pain, from which for a long time can't get rid of it. Usually suffering is caused by some internal unsolved problem, which has several contradictions.

The essence of any human experiences comes down to a subjective feeling of loss and insurmountable obstacles. Often a person has the feeling that nothing can be improved and all that remains is to come to terms with his difficult lot.

The meaning of suffering

If you think about why people suffer, the answer is not so easy to find. This question most often remains unclear. Many people see the meaning of emotional experiences in helping themselves to change, to rethink important events of the past. However, few people consciously choose suffering for themselves as a path of spiritual transformation. Mostly just deep religious people prefer to suffer in order to purify their thoughts and feelings. They see the meaning of suffering in freeing themselves from oppressive experiences and additional temptations to commit a bad act. An ordinary person rarely even thinks about the meaning of suffering and even less often prefers to consciously oppress himself. The very essence of suffering has a different meaning for them: it is associated with injustice and resentment.

Causes of suffering

It is worth noting that suffering does not arise on its own, without visible reasons. What would be the point for a person to torture himself in vain? Suffering comes into our lives when certain circumstances take place, that is, a specific meaning arises.

Unjustified expectations

There are often times in life when something goes wrong, not consistent with our inner beliefs and expectations. This happens because other people do not always know and understand what is required of them. In addition, each person puts his own meaning into the events that occur. Meaning is what moves a person, leads him forward, makes him develop. Accordingly, everyone has their own meaning of life. If we begin to make claims against to a loved one who has chosen creativity rather than family as his meaning, a conflict will inevitably arise in the relationship.

Unjustified expectations give rise to all kinds of suffering. The person begins to feel that they have forgotten about him or have deliberately ignored him in order to show how little he matters in a particular situation. Sometimes people don’t even realize that it is absurd to be offended by a relative or acquaintance, because he has completely different values ​​and priorities.

Betrayal and resentment

They are formed under the influence of unjustified expectations. Let’s say a person wanted to get a certain result from interacting with someone, but didn’t get it. The result is a negative mood and a feeling of resentment. It seems that our opponent betrayed us and destroyed our existing plans, although in reality he may not even realize that you expected something completely different from him. The feeling of resentment in itself is quite destructive: it does not give a person the opportunity to look for meaning in what happened, but immediately turns him against his opponent. This is how suffering arises, which is characterized by a lack of mood, frequent tears, general disorder emotional background.

Focus on the ideal

Most quick way to experience suffering is to create for oneself a certain perfect image and try to adjust reality to it. Disappointment in in this case comes very quickly, bringing with it a lack of desire to act further. Mental pain often blocks any attempts to find significant meaning in current events. Focusing on the ideal prevents the individual from making plans, enjoying life, and invariably leads to suffering.

Forms of suffering

The form of suffering is the way it is expressed. People can express their feelings in different ways. Moreover, some unconsciously choose for themselves active form manifestations, while others are passive. Forms of suffering are divided into two large groups.

Open form

This form allows the individual to reduce his suffering to some extent and focus on his own feelings. This happens due to the fact that she does not ignore her emotions, does not suppress them, but actively expresses them. Open form much healthier. In this case, the person will make efforts to achieve justice, to defend own interests. He will not yield to his opponent, and will not engage in self-deception. An open form allows you to quickly cope with the situation, work through existing fears and other feelings.

Hidden form

Some people have great difficulty expressing their feelings. In this case, we can talk about a hidden form of suffering. The hidden form is expressed in the fact that a person cannot act openly when it comes to feelings, and therefore suffers even more. The hidden form implies that the person keeps everything to himself and does not share his experiences with others. This form cannot have a positive effect on health: they are destroyed nerve cells, tension and dissatisfaction with relationships accumulates. A hidden form of suffering is always dangerous for personal development, since it does not allow a person to be himself.

Thus, every suffering has its own causes, meaning and way of manifestation. In some ways, sometimes it is even useful to rethink events that happened in the past, to reassess values. This is necessary in order to let go of grievances, fears, sorrows and move on with life.

Olga asks
Answered by Viktor Belousov, 04.11.2015

Olga asks:“No matter how much and what I read, I cannot understand why suffering cleanses the soul. With suffering, people can even become embittered, and I know such people. Only Love can cleanse the soul. , I think so. But I would like to understand why it is written anyway about how suffering cleanses the soul. Thank you."

Peace to you, Olga!

There are no such words in the Bible. Accordingly, you need to understand - who exactly thinks so that suffering cleanses the soul .

Suffering - it exists in the life of every person. But the attitude towards suffering and the consequences are different. The understanding of the “norm”, a certain average acceptable way of life, may also differ.

Found the following: " According to Orthodox teaching, to achieve salvation it is enough to endure with thanksgiving the involuntary sorrows that come upon a person, but monastics, in order to achieve greater levels of Christian perfection, impose voluntary sorrows on themselves. These sorrows: painful fasting, vigil, prayer, humility, virginity, etc. The theological basis of such behavior is the opposition of the old, carnal, man to the spiritual (). Accordingly, by mortifying the flesh and enslaving it to the spirit, one can achieve higher spiritual states, which is the goal of monasticism."(Wikipedia)

“A Christian, more than anyone else, feels the impermanence and insignificance of the temporary and perishable. His soul involuntarily yearns to where the eternal Truth lives. Carrying his cross, he knows that it is not in vain that he endures adversity and persecution, sorrow and deprivation... If the blows become more frequent, a sort of unceasing thunder is heard, he knows that it is here that all the tenderness of Divine love is revealed.

...A highly educated and respectable man had two beautiful daughters, sixteen and nineteen years old. He was proud of his father's pride, feeling that he had been reborn as a child. But unexpectedly the youngest was struck down by typhus; the eldest got infected from her and followed... For a whole week the father did not leave solitude... He came out a different person. It was his luck that he was a convinced Christian. He realized that these blows were the caress of Divine love. His view of earthly life became different. When he died and ascended from this life, his two beautiful daughters met him, transfigured by the radiance of heavenly glory. God separated them for a moment to unite them in the bliss of eternal light.

Thus, the Christian cross shines brighter and brighter amid the trials of life. Precious stones and emeralds increasingly adorn the crown on the head of one who humbly bears his suffering. From these sufferings flow light and beauty, purity and airiness, which lift the soul to God.

Purified and elevated by suffering, the soul expands in love. Suffering gives life and multiplies the flame of spiritual strength. “Our heart is enlarged” (11), says the holy Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthian Christians. "You, suffering, produce true people", says the poet. We see the greatest and most significant reason for suffering: it expands the soul and multiplies love. I almost said that suffering again creates the soul, puts beauty into it deep feelings, touching, greatness. Neither genius, nor glory, nor virtue without suffering can give a person true greatness. That is why all holy heroes, geniuses, all great souls were students of suffering. Laurel wreath always rested only on the tormented brow. The soul never reveals its powers in more touching and true beauty than in the face of suffering, when it forgets itself for the sake of its neighbor. This is the highest beauty and grandeur. One thinker said: “Do you know what the angels envy us for? Nothing except that we humans can suffer for the sake of God, but they never suffered for Him.”

The greatness and beauty of the soul are arranged in stages, according to the strength of suffering. At the top are those who have the flame of virtue and suffering burning on their brows, below are those who suffer less and are more frivolous, and even lower you meet those who are already laughing. The height of suffering puts on the soul the beauty of seriousness as the companion of great people. The face, like the heart, becomes more beautiful and spiritual."

IN different cultures and there are nations different attitude to suffering . It is interesting to look into the sociocultural layer. I will give quotes from the abstract of the dissertation "Crying as a phenomenon of Russian culture" Konyreva I.V. The dissertation itself was defended in 2003 inKomsomolsk-on-Amur.The text is not well written in simple language, but this is interesting for understanding the roots of this concept:

"The specificity of the mentality of Russian culture is determined by natural and geographical features, the originality geopolitical situation and religious dualism. In Russian culture, a significant spiritual synthesis of the Greek-Byzantine faith and Slavic paganism took place. Therefore, the unique synthesis of Christian and pagan elements significantly influenced the formation of two principles of Russian culture: laughter and mourning. The dominance of one or the other in the cultural-historical process determines the type of worldview, value-semantic paradigms and the specifics of behavioral models.

The “emphatically dual” (N.A. Khrenov) era of the Middle Ages, which we studied, was the most significant in the process of forming the deplorable basis of the Russian mentality and culture. IN Orthodox faith the idea of ​​universal sin and depravity dominates earthly world. A true believer must strive with all his heart and thoughts to a world of purity and goodness, to a place where there is no evil and suffering, to a world that gives deliverance. The most important deliverance is deliverance from the painful, sometimes tragic division of soul and flesh. Byzantine mystical teaching had a significant influence on the process of formation of the Russian “irrational” and “sensitive” (I.V. Kondakov) Orthodox mentality. The moral and psychological foundations of hesychasm were laid in Orthodox culture"tearful" traditions. According to their teaching, crying was perceived as a way of pouring out deep sadness, as an opportunity to open the soul to God himself, as a tearful confession about one’s sins. The principles of spiritual freedom and irrational worldview laid down by the followers of hesychasm - “non-acquisitive” - largely determined the psychological depth of experiences, the silent “cleansing of the heart” with tears, which contributed to the formation of the deplorable foundation of Russian culture.

The phenomenon of dual faith in Old Russian culture determined the specificity of the “dissonant” worldview based on a thrill disharmony and imperfection of the earthly world. This determined the existence of such anthropological constants in Russian culture as “existential sadness”, a tendency towards suffering and compassion. The specific mental and psychological state of melancholy, born of a feeling of abandonment by God, the unrealizability of the ideal of the “ought”, is conceptualized in the dissertation work as a transformed form of crying.

During periods of historical instability, laughter, along with crying, becomes an expression public sentiment and behavior. However, the eschatological essence of Russian culture does not allow us to interpret the laughter of crisis eras as cheerful; it is, rather, “lamentable” (“laughter through tears”). This semantic transformation of laughter is reflected in foolishness, in the creativity of wandering blind singers and, partly, buffoons. Buffoonish laughter crisis period was joyless: its nature is satirical, not comic. “Bipolarity” (G.P. Fedotov) of the Russian mental™ largely determines the “two-layeredness” of Russian laughter associated with the idea of ​​fatalism. Eastern elements (fatalism, resignation) of the Russian mentality permeate laughter with a tragic feeling. So, laughter culture Ancient Rus' paradoxically absorbs the deplorable beginning.

In the Medieval era, crying manifested itself not only at the level of a behavioral model, but was also embodied in cultural texts: ritual, literary, pictorial, and musical. We consider crying as a motive characteristic of many works of art Ancient Rus', and as a genre formed under the influence folklore traditions and thanks to Byzantine (hesychast) influence.

The predominance of the “feminine” principle in the Russian mentality, which actualizes irrationality, fatalism, humility, a tendency towards sacrifice, suffering and compassion, also defines “lamentability” as the rooted basis of the Russian mentality.

For comparisons we can read the understanding of suffering and spiritual growth from another culture - Jewish. We are also talking about the fact that we can learn something from suffering, but the view is slightly different - suffering is a given of existence, but is not considered the main tool for spiritual enlightenment:

There are questions that a person asks throughout his life. Why is there so much suffering in the world? What do we do when we experience mental or physical suffering? Why does G-d allow righteous people to suffer excessive pain?

In the most difficult moments of despair, we must not forget that it is deep faith that gives us the strength to somehow come to terms with our pain and resist it. In a world without G-d, pain and suffering are absolutely in vain. But in a world governed by G-d, pain, even if it does not leave us, can be accepted as a means of learning about life. It pushes us to search for answers, to clarify our relationship with G-d, to gain further life experience.

This is a test that brings pain with it. Will you allow it to weaken you or will you see it as a catalyst for more deep dive about yourself and your beliefs? Will you let the emotions that overwhelm you distort your inner sense of truth, or will you recognize pain as a crucible from which you can emerge stronger than before?

One of the big questions we need to answer is not only why we sometimes experience great pain, but also what we can learn from it.

If you view life as an existence limited to a certain space and current time, the immediacy of material existence, you will certainly be frightened by everything that threatens it. And this, naturally, will upset you. If, along with physical reality you see a larger picture of spiritual reality, pain turns out to be just one component of this reality. Suffering, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, has its limits, while life is endless. And, importantly, it turns out to be a field for your long-term participation in it. In this regard, you should recognize the positive energy that your suffering generates. Just as a few drops of precious oil can be extracted only by crushing olives, through suffering we can come to reconsider the meaning of life, to a fuller commitment to our spiritual development.

At first glance, the purpose of our life comes down to achieving material well-being that provides short-term happiness. In the end we become convinced that this is a frivolous and meaningless goal. The true, high goal is to test one’s strength to improve the material world. Life is a test of your strength, your ability to do good And evil, the ability to choose between one and the other. Without this ability, life would lose independence and therefore meaning.

Pain and suffering are the results of this independence, as well as the duality of body and soul. By creating harmony between them, moving from a physical, one-dimensional life to a spiritual, two-dimensional life, you begin to transform your pain into learning experiences and positive energy.

Perestroika life perspective cannot be easily implemented. It requires strict discipline and concentration on study, prayer and good deeds. At the same time, a system of more high values, which is a worthy response to suffering. Even if the suffering is not relieved, it will be a short-term symptom of a long-term cause that you can now consider.

The challenge is to discover how pain can become a blessing in disguise and how to overcome pain and restore harmony between body and soul. Think of the inevitable disappointment that precedes creative growth, or the pain a woman experiences during childbirth. No matter how great the suffering, it is ultimately absorbed by the kindness it helps to create.

Groping our way, stumbling through life, we ask ourselves a number of questions. Will we ever find true happiness, peace within ourselves, will we be able to fill our lives with meaning? Or has fear and uncertainty settled in her forever? Will virtue and warmth prevail in this world? And if not, how can we justify to ourselves and our children the need to follow moral and ethical principles? Really, human nature strives for a higher goal, but what's the point of working so hard to be spiritual if it doesn't get you anywhere?

The answer to these questions is only one word - deliverance, symbolizing the light at the end of the tunnel of our lives. Deliverance is G-d's conversation with us that the reason He created the world will ultimately be realized - goodness will rule and our life can be filled with meaning. Deliverance is an integral part of and G-d's plan, and human life. Without deliverance, she would remain meaningless, like a never-ending tunnel in the dark, with little awareness of an alternative and no hope of ever seeing the light.

But what does deliverance mean, what do we need to get rid of? We need relief from the danger of being caught in the net of darkness. material world, which complicates our search for the meaning of life, makes it sluggish and aimless, fills it with doubts and fear.

G-d has endowed us with a Divine spark, which, if fanned, will allow us to illuminate everything around us and move forward confidently.

Deliverance is not an event that occurs at the end of our life on earth. This is a growing process that begins with our appearance in the world. Every good deed raises us one step, brings us closer to the completion of this process.

We understand that the world is not ideal at all, but we are looking for the ideal. We see suffering and difficulties around us, but we dream of peace and prosperity.

The same thing happens in the collective and global level. At all times, people have given their knowledge, mind and heart in order to make life easier for humanity. New political and economic systems, industry and entrepreneurship have developed, and significant attention is paid to education. And all this has as its goal the improvement of the world and society. People still have hope for a better future.

So we are all waiting for deliverance. There is no need to be afraid of this word. Deliverance is not necessarily religious or spiritual concept. It means freedom.

("To life, full of meaning"Menachem Mendel Schneerson)

What does the Bible say about suffering, purification and love? What leads to spiritual growth?

Love for God and everything connected with God - as an action:

2 I will love you, O Lord, my strength!

8 Lord! I have loved the habitation of Your house and the dwelling place of Your glory.

97 How I love Your law! I think about it all day.

Accepting God's love for us:

1 At dawn the king of Israel will perish! When Israel was young, I loved him and called My son out of Egypt.

6 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God: the Lord your God has chosen you to be His own people above all the nations that are on the earth.

7 It was not because you were more numerous than all the nations that the Lord accepted you and chose you, for you are the fewest in number among all the nations,

8 But because the Lord loves you, and to keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and freed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Hearing God's Word:

17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord;

5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

7 And teach them to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up;

8 And thou shalt bind them as a sign upon thy hand, and let them be as a blindfold over thy eyes,

9 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Our response to reproof and punishment:

4 You have not yet fought to the point of blood, striving against sin,

5 and have forgotten the consolation that is offered to you as sons: my son! do not despise the Lord’s punishment, and do not lose heart when He reproaches you.

6 For the Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives.

7 If you suffer chastisement, God treats you as sons. For is there any son whom his father does not punish?

8 But if you remain without the punishment that is common to all, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Moreover, [if] we, being punished by our carnal parents, feared them, should we not much more submit ourselves to the Father of spirits in order to live?

10 They punished us according to their will for a few days; and He is for our benefit, so that we may have a share in His holiness.

11 Every chastisement at the present time seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; but afterwards he brings to those who are taught the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

12 Therefore strengthen your weak hands and weakened knees

13 And walk straight with your feet, so that what is lame may not be turned aside, but rather be made straight.

All this works together. Some may focus on suffering, some on service, some on love. But one is impossible without the other. In any case, we are faced with suffering and we need to react, adapt. We face the needs of others in order to help (or not help) and this is also a matter of growth. Through various circumstances and faith, we experience God's love and ourselves begin to experience this love for the Lord - and this is the fundamental motive.

God's blessings,

Read more on the topic “Morality of choice, ethics”:

29 Oct

Today I lost my temper and asked with swear words, turning to God, what is His help? (Sergey) Sergey asks: Hello! My very elderly mother, and I myself am not young, suffers from headaches and does not always understand the meaning of what I explain to her. Medicines practically do not help. Today I lost my temper and asked with swear words... 18

29 Apr

Good afternoon, Vladimir! In this case, I see that it was inappropriate, Judas realized what he was doing and what guarantees there were. He committed suicide and words of reproach addressed to him, I doubt that would have led to a change in decision, but only...

Subject of proof according to civil case is a set of legal facts (legal composition) that form the basis of the claim. In a claim for compensation moral damage This is a guilty, and in cases defined by law, innocent commission by the defendant of an unlawful act, as a result of which the plaintiff suffered moral (or physical) suffering. Procedural legislation also requires the parties to prove the circumstances they refer to. Thus, the plaintiff must independently prove the fact of harm caused to him. Analysis judicial practice gives grounds to assert that in the vast majority of claims with claims for compensation for moral damage, the amount claimed as such is, as a rule, not supported by anything. In order to avoid contradictions with the requirement of Art.

What is moral suffering?

Suffering is a feeling emotional condition a person in the form of negative experiences that arise under the influence of events that traumatize his psyche and health, deeply affecting him personality structures, mood, well-being and other values. The emotional profile of suffering is considered one of the complex ones, since suffering itself is separate, in pure form, is observed extremely rarely.

Suffering is usually accompanied by fear, mental tension, post-traumatic stressful conditions, anger, impulsiveness, affect, feelings of guilt, shame, and other negative mental and emotional states. The most common connection is between suffering and fear, suffering and stress (frustration).
Thus, a threat, real or imaginary (intimidation), to commit a crime against a person can cause fear.

Legal advice: what is moral damage and moral suffering?

SUMMARY SIMILAR ARTICLES The concept of mental (Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and moral (Civil Code of the Russian Federation) suffering. It has long been noted that man is not only a rational being, but also, no less, a suffering being.

Info

As our great Russian poet noted, “to suffer is a mortal’s lot.” By the way people endure everyday adversity, how they behave under stress, display an individual style of response, and experience various unfavorable factors, including criminal ones, we judge the suffering they experience and assess their state of mind.

It is no coincidence that the legislator whole line legal norms of criminal and civil legislation introduced such concepts as “mental suffering” (Article 117 of the Criminal Code), “moral suffering” (Article 151, 1101 of the Civil Code).

Proving moral suffering in claims for compensation for moral damage

An improper defendant is a person in respect of whom his involvement in the disputed circumstances is excluded. Since moral damage is compensated by the causer if the defendant is at fault, his replacement in this case is prerequisite to establish the truth within the process.

When replacing an improper defendant, his consent is not required. It is only necessary on the part of the plaintiff. If the plaintiff does not agree to replace the improper defendant, the court may involve this person as a second defendant.

The second defendant cannot be considered as a co-defendant, because his interest in the process is opposite to the interest of the main defendant in the case. if the debtor does not pay In the near future, it is planned to develop a bill that will make it possible to deprive the driver’s license of persons with a debt of more than 10,000 rubles.

Mental and moral suffering

The question of whether such damage is subject to personal income tax is given an extremely clear answer by Art. 217 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation: legally established compensation for harm caused to life or health is not subject to income tax individuals. Regarding the answer to the question whether compensation is taxable legal entity, then in this case it is worth proceeding from the norms of Chapter 23 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation. Income tax is paid since there are no grounds for its exclusion from total amount profit of the organization. problems of compensation for mental damage in civil law The main problem regarding obtaining compensation for such damage is proving and proving the losses incurred. If physical suffering is much easier to prove, then with mental trauma difficulties arise.
Factual data that confirms suffering must be extremely convincing to the court, otherwise there will be no hope of receiving compensation.

Moral injury

Damage is considered to be any adverse changes in existing property and non-property benefits. It is expressed in physical and mental suffering that arises due to violation of intangible rights.
Thus, its types can be considered:

• encroachment on the life and health of the victim or his relatives;
• unlawful deprivation of freedom or right;
• disclosure of family, personal or medical secrets;
• violation of the confidentiality of correspondence and messaging;
• dissemination of untrue information that discredits the honor and dignity of a person;
• violation of copyright and other personal, inalienable rights.

In general, moral harm can be divided into two large groups: that which is associated with the physical suffering of a person or his loved ones, and also that which is associated with the moral feelings of the individual.

How are moral suffering different from moral suffering?

Most often, compensation for damage in criminal law is associated with the existence of harm of the first group. Moral damage in civil law has more in common with situations that are expressed by moral suffering. succession

According to Art. 20-23 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, non-property rights are those that cannot be separated from a certain person. But in the case of compensation for moral damage, legal succession is possible.

Personal non-property rights and other intangible benefits that belonged to the deceased may be protected by third parties, including his heirs (Article 150 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). Thus, the sign of non-transferability of personal rights does not affect their protection and implementation after the death of a person.

examination When determining the amount of compensation for damage, the court takes into account such factors as the degree of physical and moral suffering victim (Article 151 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).

What are the types of moral suffering?

What do the concepts of moral harm and moral suffering mean in a legal and universal sense? Modern interpretation defines moral harm (or damage) as unfavorable changes, to which human benefits protected by law, property or non-property, are exposed, leading to moral or physical suffering. Personal non-property benefits are listed in Articles 20-23 of the Constitution and Part 1 of Article 150 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

This is life, health, freedom, personal integrity, the right of free movement, honor and dignity, good name and business reputation, personal and family secret, choice of place of residence, copyright and other intangible benefits that a person receives from birth or by law and which are inalienable and non-transferable to other persons.

Another difficulty arises when establishing the degree of guilt of the offender and the degree of moral suffering of the offender. In many ways it remains subjective opinion court, even in the presence of an expert opinion.

And there is logic in this. After all, who, except the victim himself, can really assess the degree of impact negative emotions for a person's life? is compensation possible for the future? Any harm is real and not abstract concept. It is not possible to receive compensation for possible damages expected in the future.

Attention

After all, how can you confirm damage in such a case if there are neither physical nor mental suffering, other non-property losses. Future compensation is only possible for material damage.

It is this that involves covering losses associated with lost profits in the past or future.
Thus, moral harm and harm to health are reduced to a single concept called non-property harm. How is the concept of health defined? Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

And any misconduct or inaction in relation to a citizen can deprive him of at least one of the components of such well-being. It follows from this that, in their essence, moral harm and harm to health partially coincide, since a suffering person certainly loses mental well-being.

Now consider the concept of suffering. What kind of condition is this? Suffering is an emotional state of a person caused by negative experiences, arising under the influence of events traumatic to his psyche and affecting his mood, well-being and, of course, health.

What are moral sufferings and how are they expressed?

For moral damage caused, liability may follow, the framework of which is formed court decision. A person may receive moral damage after certain events, namely:

• Deaths of loved ones;
• Inability to lead a normal life;
• Job loss;
• Disclosure of medical confidentiality;
• Slander, defaming the reputation of a citizen;
• Physical pain from injury;
• Illnesses due to experienced negative events.

Moral suffering, affecting mental and physical health personality, determine the nature of physical and moral suffering. Based on this, they can be divided into degrees:

1. Mild suffering.