Pleasure and Pain
Sri Mahaprabu explains in amazing depth, what Pleasure and Pain are. Do they have any existence? Who feels them? What is the result? He shows how these two phenomena keep us oscillating throughout our lives, never allowing us to be on steady ground. And as always, he points us to the solution. How to come out of this.
Who undergoes all this suffering? Has Existence suffered because of the body? No. Has the body suffered because of Existence? The body has very minimal suffering and it is taken care of by Existence. That is why aches and pains don’t last long. No, neither Existence nor the body suffers really. It is the GR in between (GR refers to Ego. Put your initials here.) And what use is GR? The body itself belongs to Existence which takes care of it. So what is GR there for? Nothing.
Pain
Take a cut or a wound. Is the pain felt by the muscles? No. So the body itself does not feel pain. What is Pain? Pain is something that is defined by an entity which is related to the body. Let us say that at 9 PM you have a cut on your leg. You don’t take any medication. Just let it be. There is pain, but who feels it? Not the body, because at midnight in deep sleep the same pain should be felt if it is the body that feels pain. Who are all there in deep sleep? Existence, the Body along with the Cut. Yet none of them give any information or complaint about pain. But on waking, the pain is felt. By whom? Pain is felt by the Ego alone. Let us see how.
Y shouldn’t have pain since he doesn’t have the cut. Then is the pain true? No! Pain is false. The cut is somewhere else! It is like someone slapped your neighbor but your cheek swells up each time. What brings Pain, is a record of it. That’s all. Meaning, an impression is formed that if the eyes see such a cut, if it is bleeding, etc, then it should hurt. So Pain is a mental record, not a true phenomenon.
Pleasure
Pleasure also works exactly the same way. The entity that feels the pleasure (Y) is not where the object was experienced (X or Z). Pleasure is not in the sweet. This is Maya. By constant repetition to ourselves and our children that if it is like this it is pain, if it is like that it is pleasure, we have made an innocent child deluded by pain and pleasure. The whole life is trapped in these 2 records. Pleasure makes you feel like you hit the sky. Pain makes you feel like you are in a hole. And the worst part is that when you are down with pain, you want to go high up with pleasure, and not be level. This is Maya. And pleasure in turn always ends where? In Pain! As a result, you are never on the ground, steady, unoscillating. You are going up and down, up and down.
How to escape from Pain and Pleasure
You have to come out of the Pain and Pleasure trap. When they rise, Vizhippu Unarvu (Awareness feeling) must rise. An Awareness machine must be running inside you constantly. For starters only for a short while, but keep increasing it. It has the capacity to go on for 24 hours. Only then a full understanding will happen. The rise of Pleasure and Pain will disappear, and you will be free.
When do you suffer? Only when Vizhippu Unarvu is absent. For example, there are many levels of pain, Less, Medium, High etc. but they are all just mental records. Still when you are in pain, it is too late to have the Awareness. It won’t happen. Pain will stamp you out. Similarly Pleasure will come suddenly. You will miss the inner Guru and therefore miss the outer Guru also.
So, have a very clear understanding that Pain and Pleasure are both false; Only the record of them is true, So we don’t need to delete Pain and Pleasure, just delete the record! The record alone is true. Actually there is no existence of Pain or Pleasure. But you don’t know when these 2 will arise and at what level they are in you. You can’t plan for it. You will keep coming back to Body, Food, TV, Sex, Headache, Guilt, etc. You will be stuck in Y (Ego). You are here to cross Y to get to Z.
Develop a strong attitude
Therefore be in Surrender with the Guru. Especially when there is pain that is created by a situation with the Guru, the disciple looks to leave, to quit. That is where Surrender has to work, along with Vizhippu Unarvu (Awareness). Just like a couple that fights sometimes but the wife who decides to stick with the husband despite these fights, in the end will be successful.
So, from now on have the attitude, that “I will be in true Surrender with the Guru.” Just like the children who Surrender to their parents. Develop the strong attitude that if pleasure comes or pain comes, I will be with the Master so he can have the opportunity to work on me. Sometimes it will be good, sometimes not. That is real Surrender. That will give you the strength to stay strong when Y arises. Otherwise you can’t cross Y. You will be pulled to X, the Body level. And that will pull you to W, the World.
GR: So when Pleasure thought arises what exactly should I do?
Mahaprabu: So, remind yourself, from now on you are the property of Mahaprabu, as you have accepted it. Remind yourself there is no such thing as Pleasure, it is just a mental record. Immediately go into Awareness i.e. we are in Y, and need to move to Z. This way you don’t give Pleasure a foothold. Our aim is to dive deep into Z. Not stay in Y, or worse go to X or W. Be on guard especially with pleasure. Since with pain you have a motivation to come out, as no one likes pain. You’ll tell yourself ‘there is no such thing as pain’ and try to come out. But with pleasure you will get caught, and where does it drop you? In Pain!
Surrender keeps you close to the Guru. Then there will be moments when Pain and Pleasure are not there. Only then the Guru works. Other times there are high waves. How can he send the boat when there is a Tsunami! When there is no Tide, there will be a Ride from the Guru’s side, to Abide … in the Self.