Human Suffering

While dealing with people during last decade or so, as an astrologer, I have realized that majority (99%) of time we have created our sufferings, problems and pains by ourselves and there is none else to blame for it. Now, it can be the case of different levels of unconsciousness which contributed in creating the suffering but one thing is common that it was our own unconscious choice which created our suffering.

As we live our lives mainly on two planes; i.e. Materialistic and Spiritualistic, we can understand what I am trying to convey on these two levels only.


Materialistic Plane –

1. Non-recognition of Self – This is one of the main cause behind our suffering. Majority of population has no idea about who they are? What they are here for? And what they should be doing in life? We accept the opinions and judgments of others. For example – In late 1990s, there was this IT Boom and almost everyone wanted to be BTech degree holder without realizing if career in IT is their inner calling or not. Then in 2000s, it was projected that MBA is must for survival in jobs and we have seen that whole herd moved into MBA College. Now, we are seeing it again where everyone is trying to sell-off AI tools to us and majority is thinking that without learning AI Tools basic survival of humanity is difficult.

Nothing wrong in education related with IT, MBA or AI but as I said, it should be your calling. When it is not your inner calling and you are trying to be someone else then it cannot go for long time. This is why; we see that so many people change their career in their 30s.

This is what is first reason behind suffering at material plane that we are trying to be someone else. We are not ready to be true to even ourselves. We are something else within and present something else in front of world.

What does it do? It splits the energy in two opposite directions. We are never complete in whatever we do. Hence, every effort becomes half-hearted and we get mediocre results. Hence, it is important to be totally present wherever we are internally because that is our reality and not the imposed/forced/projected one.


2. Choosing only one side of coin – This is also a big reason behind our suffering but I feel that majority of us are not even aware of this. So, when we make choices in life, we choose only one side of that option (which looks good to us) and we don’t even want to look at the other side. Let me explain –

Celebrities are normally seen complaining about Paparazzies but didn’t you want to become a Celebrity so that people should know about you and these photographers should follow you? What if tomorrow a celebrity couple comes out of their home and there is none to click any pic of them? Won’t they feel an emptiness in life? So, we want to become famous but we don’t want to pay the price of becoming famous.

We want millions of subscribers on social media but then we don’t want to make any negative comment about ourselves.

We want to get into relationship but we don’t want to let go of our ego in that relationship.

We want to get married but we don’t want any of the trouble which that marriage would bring.

We want to be in love but we are not ready to let-go of our convenient life for that love.

We want fire to cook food for us but we don’t want fire to burn our hands while cooking food.

As I see, this is result of immaturity we have within ourselves. We need to realize that a coin comes with its both sides. The moment I sign-up for marriage, I actually sign-up for all the good and bad that marriage may bring.

The moment I want to become an online astrologer with millions of followers then the same moment I agree that my own peace will be disturbed at any moment as anyone can message/mail/call me.
So, there are two ways of handling it –

Either don’t even take the first step forward.

Or if you take the first step forward then have the courage to go till the end of journey, no matter what it brings.

So, either I shouldn’t even try to become a huge celebrity figure or if I want to be one then I should not complain about losing my personal space.

Either I shouldn’t get married or if I get married then I shouldn’t complain about good/bad experiences it is bringing. I should know that it was my choice and I signed-up for it.


3. Criterions of life – One major reason behind suffering is that we set our criterions of living life. We try to make life compartmentalize; i.e. by 25, I should complete my education. By 30, I should get married. By 35, I should have kids. By 40, I should have a house and car.

Now, if you see then we only create these sand-castles in our mind and when we don’t see them happening then we blame everyone and everything around us except self. But truth is that you created these sand-castles. Existence never promised you these events at these ages. So, in a way, you only created the reasons or base around your own sufferings.

So, we can say that if we don’t become stubborn around fulfilling our self-made criterions for living life and live life as it comes then we can reduce our sufferings.


Spiritualistic Plane –

1. Understanding God as an Individual – As I see, understanding or misunderstanding God as an Individual has caused lots of troubles for humanity because once we accept God as person then we project all the traits and characteristics of person on God. This is where we see people talking in this language;

Why God is doing it? or Why God is not doing it? Or Why God has done so?

This language itself shows that we think that God is a person who is sitting somewhere and taking actions which are impacting our lives.
This is where I think that we need to understand God as conscious moving energy - https://www.astrosaxena.com/articles/SpiritualConfusions and then things can be much easier to understand.

God as an individual has its own importance but only at initial level of your devotional journey. It is when a child is growing and we have to introduce the concept of God to him then we have no other option but to introduce as an individual or deity or statue, so that an initial connection can be set between the child and God. But as child grows, it is his duty and duty of people around him to help him realize God in everything around him.

Mira’s devotional journey towards Lord Krishna can be the best way to understand what I am trying to convey here –

Mira’s devotional love towards Lord Krishna started when her mother gave him the statue of Lord Krishna.

Then came a stage where Mira left her home and lived life of a nomad singing songs of Krishna. Now, statue didn’t matter for her. She could see Krishna everywhere in existence.

Then the 3rd stage came when she got merged into Krishna’s statue and became one with it.

So, understanding God as a separate individual is necessary to begin the spiritual journey but it is only beginning and not the end of the journey. Then we should be able to evolve and experience God in the energy form as whole existence and finally become one with existence.

So, if we could understand God as conscious moving/evolving energy then many of our complains towards God will automatically fall flat. Then we would know that eventually we have to guide our energy to evolved actions and work accordingly to improve our lives as there is no one else to take actions on our behalf.
This would bring responsibilities in actions and maybe that’s why; we see God as individual or doer so that we can escape from our responsibilities of actions.


2. God can only do good – I think this is the biggest misconception in spiritual world we have and this misconception is causing much of anguish. Majority of us believe that God can only do good actions and anything bad happening in this world has no connection with God. This is where they create the Devil who makes us do bad actions.

This is again the result of understanding God as a person. Once you accept God as person who does Good in life then you would have to automatically create a Devil who does Bad in life.

Now, the best way to get rid of Devil is to get rid of God as an individual. Again, understanding God as conscious moving/evolving energy would be helpful which navigates through 3 Gunas of Nature; i.e. Tamas, Rajas and Satva.

When we channelize our energy through Tamasic Guna, some destructive event takes place.

When we channelize our energy through Rajasic Guna, some creative event takes place.

When we channelize our energy through Satvic Guna, some sustaining/balancing event takes place.

So, accepting the fact that Energy named God can bring destruction too, will save us from much suffering and anguish.
In that case, we will be able to accept that if a child has taken birth then it is also doing of Energy/God and if a child dies then it is also doing of Energy/God.


3. Linear Movement Vs Circular Movement – Most of us feel that life and its growth is a linear movement. It means that if I am working as an Associate at my work place then after couple of years I should be Senior Associate and then in another couple of years I should be Team Lead or Assistant Manager etc. and this should go on eternally. Or if I have X amount of wealth right now then in next 5 years I should have 2X amount of wealth and then in another 5 years I should have 3X amount of wealth and this also should go on eternally. We feel that it should go on eternally because we feel that life and its growth is a linear movement and we also feel that a straight line has no growth.

While there is no issue in making our targets or goals in life to motivate ourselves but we cannot assert it as a condition of life that it must go on like that because everything in life has a circular movement. Planets, Galaxies & Asteroids etc. all are moving on a circular path. Weather of a place comes and goes on a circular path. All movements of nature are on a circular trajectory. Even if we think that life is a linear movement and that line is growing forever then try to draw a line on Earth and extend it up to maximum limit and you will realize that you have made a circle of whole Earth as Earth itself is round.

Likewise, in life too, when we reach a peak or pinnacle in any field, the downfall begins at that point only. The history is full of stories of Rise and Fall of people, Kingdoms and Nations. We have seen thousands of people who achieved the peak in their field of work and then the downfall began.

It is the law of nature that everything moves in a circular way. So, if you don’t want to go through the pain of downfall then the best way out is not to have ambition of achieving peak. And once you seek to achieve peak then be ready for the downfall too because it will be the natural circular trajectory after that.


4. Sense of Separation – One more and probably the biggest cause of our suffering at both planes (material vs spiritual) is our sense of separation. Due to this sense of separation, we do things for or against people. But all this feeling of separation is only within us. For existence, there is nothing like separation. The whole existence is inter-woven and entwined within. So, it cannot happen that if I disturb one thread of this inter-woven fabric due to my selfish actions then other threads won’t get disturbed and that disturbance won’t reach back to me as a ripple movement.

This is what any true Spiritual Guru always says that this whole existence is your own reflection in mirror. If you do good to someone, good comes back to you. If you do bad to someone, bad comes back to you. If you care, care comes back. If you love, love comes back. If you manipulate, manipulation comes back. If you hate, hate comes back. Whatever you received back from existence, understand that you have given only that thing.

This is where confusion occurs to us. If you have done anything evil to X person and today you are suffering from Y person then we say that I didn’t harm Y person in any way then why Y person behaved in evil way to me. This confusion is also coming from sense of separation from our side. For existence, there is no difference between you or X or Y. So, for existence, it doesn’t matter if X gives that experience to you or Y gives it to you as for existence they are one only.

Also, it is not that existence is punishing you but it is just that inter-woven fabric of existence got disturbed because of your selfish actions and it is just trying to reset that fabric again in order. For that purpose, it uses any person, situation or event as an instrument to bring back balance. The so-called “other” is nothing but a mirror through which existence reflects you back to yourself.

The moment this truth is realized, the whole idea of blaming others also collapses. Then we don’t ask “Why me?” but rather “What am I being shown?” This shift itself dissolves the sense of separation. Life stops being a series of enemies and allies and starts appearing as a vast oneness expressing itself in countless forms.

And when this understanding deepens, compassion naturally arises. Because now you see—hurting another is only hurting yourself, loving another is only loving yourself. Then actions cease to be reactions born out of separation; they become responses flowing out of awareness, harmony, and love.

So, if we see clearly then we may realize that mitigating our sufferings is largely in our own hands.

Gratitude!!!!