Can Spirituality Heal Suffering?

“Suffering is an inevitable part of life” is based on nature. Every creature is born and dies. In between these two poles, creatures fight to remain alive. The physical body is exposed to danger from every side – famine, violence, accidents, aging, and death are the most prominent.

“Suffering is unnatural, growing out of sin and wrongdoing” states the opposite. Instead of considering all the natural forces that threaten us, it declares that humans suffer from the inside out, not from the outside in.

Our choices to follow wrong action come back to haunt us. Humans are the only creatures wracked by guilt and shame. We feel pain when we commit a sin like murder, whereas animals show no remorse when they exhibit violence.

Sin-based suffering is far more terrible that mere physical pain. It gives birth to anxiety and depression, which are mysterious afflictions, since these two ghosts of the mind haunt people even when they have done nothing wrong.

Just the perception of doing wrong can create intense guilt. But any creature that can commit a sin must be capable of doing the right thing. Therefore the second answer is actually optimistic.

“Suffering contains a hidden spiritual message” is very different than the other two. It says that out of suffering can come love. Love is the hidden message within all fear and pain, no matter how horrible they make you feel.

The idea that suffering contains a spiritual message goes beyond fatalism and idealism both, because the distinction between inner and outer, physical and mental is erased. Instead, we are seen as pure spirit, which has chosen to walk on the stage of the natural world in order to play out soul dramas.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).

Read more: Spirit, Deepak Chopra's Tips, love, suffering

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Eternal G.

5:55PM PDT on May 18, 2011

Who knows?

send a green star

JustaHuman H.

12:43AM PDT on Apr 15, 2011

Depends. One cannot believe in Spirituality like Norma says, otherwise it it was a religion. Spirituality means being aware that one is a spiritual being in a temporary material body. With this we can gain knowledge and understanding that can help us to decrease suffering. But spirituality also makes you part of a minority and it may happen that you feel isolated in a certain way. You are "lucky" if your partner is spiritual.

Adesola J.

4:23PM PDT on Apr 8, 2011

I Love it

Loo S.

6:00AM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

thanks for sharing

5:11AM PDT on Apr 2, 2011

Not sure if Deepak is writing about pain or suffering. Suffering is what we add to pain. To hallucinate a spiritual purpose to suffering may be an effective reframe for some but I can't say it works for me.

Debbie K.

2:41AM PDT on Apr 2, 2011

Suffering is part of life. If the world was a perfect place and no one ever suffered, would we be as happy as we are when joy overwhelms us. In order to find true happiness, you must also experience suffering. What you do with both these emotions are up to the individual. We all must pick and choose but in the end, we all walk alone.

heather g.

1:04AM PDT on Apr 2, 2011

When I think of suffering I think of so much suffering related to where people are unlucky to live - in war zones, in dire poverty, affected by climatic disasters, victims of violence, etc.
I think you would suffer less if you lent a hand to relieve real suffering to those unfortunate people....

Lynn C.

9:23PM PDT on Apr 1, 2011

Saved for later comment. Can't do it justice now.

William F.

9:17AM PDT on Apr 1, 2011

Suffering will build us a strong one but we must choose our destiny, fate and karma.

Faith B.

6:46AM PDT on Apr 1, 2011

thank you