Left Hand Path's Solution To The Problem Of Suffering

[dave_]

Buddhism's main concern is decreasing suffering but at the cost of sacrificing one's desires.I believe they are successful at overcoming pain because they can self immolate etc (buddhist self immolation).LHP encourages one to live his/her desires but one cannot have fun while suffering.

So what's the LHP's solution to the problem of suffering?(Especially physical pain)

Note:Overcoming physical pain shouldn't be too hard.People got hypnotised and undergo surgeries without anesthetics.I believe pain treshold is mainly determined by mental factors.

 

[Erebus]

one cannot have fun while suffering.

Those who are into BDSM may disagree.

So what's the LHP's solution to the problem of suffering?

I don't see suffering as an inherently bad thing. It's simply another part of life that either helps us grow or breaks us down.

I also don't see why we need to or should seek to eliminate suffering in a general sense. If there's something in your own life that you aren't happy with then what can you do to change it? That's the closest thing to a solution I can think of.

 

[dave_]

Those who are into BDSM may disagree.

Yes but i don't understand masochists much.Sometimes i like pain in small doses but i don't exactly derive sexual pleasure from it though it has a dark pleasure.Perhaps i like it when i can resist it.

I also don't see why we need to or should seek to eliminate suffering in a general sense.

For me it's because i cannot live the adventurous life i want.Or when i get sick physically my life turns into a hell.Nothing gives me pleasure when i am seriously sick or in pain.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

.LHP encourages one to live his/her desires but one cannot have fun while suffering.

Without pain, without sacrifice, we never grow, we never learn, we never prosper. Nothing worth pursuing will be easy. And what are our triumphs, achievements, and milestones if we do not have tears of pain to contrast the tears of joy?

 

[EtuMalku]

The Left Hand Path deals with this in that first it is assumed that suffering is a problem that needs to be overcome. It simply is not, and in fact is something desirable to the LHP (Wisdom Through Adversity).

Nietzsche saw suffering as ‘the ultimate emancipator of spirit' when a person emerges from episodes of illness, isolation or humiliation, he is ‘as though born again, he has a new skin,' with a ‘finer taste for joyfulness.' In the The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran makes a similar point when he writes that, ‘The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.'

 

[Shadow Wolf]

For me it's because i cannot live the adventurous life i want.

Me neither. I've had dreams cut down, and paths I wasn't allowed to go down, an entire life that should have been denied and killed. You have to learn to let go and make the best with what you can. If life was perfect, it would suck. If everything were easy, nothing would be fun. You can't even get your body into shape without enduring pain. To live is to suffer. To live well is to learn how to enjoy suffering, because we cannot even know joy unless we know sorrow. We cannot know achievement, unless we have failed. It is better to try and fall and break a bone than than to never have tried at all. And without an adversary, we cannot know the sweet taste of overcoming challenges, as there would be no challenges provided to us. Unless we suffer, what ever will motivate us?

Or when i get sick physically my life turns into a hell.

It happens to us all. On my last birthday I had an earache so bad it felt like my head was going to explode. I one had stomach pains so severe it seemed like my appendix burst. I've delt with a life time of depression, and once I had a panic attack that felt like a heart attack, and one that felt like a stroke (imagine feeling half of your face going numb). That wasn't a fun time.
The LHP isn't about making excuses. It is getting knocked down a hundred times, and being ready to get up the one hundredth and first time. It is about taking charge of your life, and being your own master. It is to be above "thou shalt not" and "I can't."

 

[The Sum of Awe]

The simple solution seems to be: LHP philosophy discourages ignorance. If one's to be self guided they have to have wisdom, in the same way if a child is to ride a bike they must know how to pedal.

 

[Adramelek]

Buddhism's main concern is decreasing suffering but at the cost of sacrificing one's desires.I believe they are successful at overcoming pain because they can self immolate etc (buddhist self immolation).LHP encourages one to live his/her desires but one cannot have fun while suffering.

So what's the LHP's solution to the problem of suffering?(Especially physical pain)

Note:Overcoming physical pain shouldn't be too hard.People got hypnotised and undergo surgeries without anesthetics.I believe pain treshold is mainly determined by mental factors.

On the question of solving physical pain, if we're talking about a busted knee cap or a kidney stone. Not much you can do other than medicine and time to heal. If its terminal cancer, etc., not much you can do there either, but medicines, and fight it with all you're might. Emotional, psychological pain and suffering, is pretty much like physical pain and suffering and can be dealt with in the same way. As human beings, as physical creatures, pain and suffering is simply part of life, and like all other creatures we must endure it. "What does not kill you can make you stronger". It might seem mundane and cruel, but that's all I got on this subject.

Xeper.
/Adramelek\

 

[MacKinnon]

There are some on the LHP, who work to alleviate the suffering of others through coming to understand that suffering, and through utilising acts of compassion and education. The Arkte Element of the Temple of Set works towards reducing human inflicted suffering of animals. For an example of how the Aghori have worked reduce the stigma and suffering of those with huntington's disease among the afflicted, and the society see this book.

 

[Kemble]

Ah, great question dave. I see a lot of that bullocks "suffering is good" responses. Let's rethink it. Meaningful challenge is good. Pain isn't.

The approach can be a little esoteric but I have found emotional and physical pain can be best dealt with through an understanding that what one does isn't one's identity. Like using your PC, you aren't your bodymind although it is "you" in the sense of familiarity and utility. That doesn't make feeling pain go away. It does, however, make emotional baggage shed off you (e.g. instead of feeling like a failure for flunking a test and wallowing in low self-esteem, you realize that your study methods, thinking patterns, or time management are what failed and you can change them).

To deal with the perception of pain, you can diffuse and immerse your perceptions into your environment where pain becomes a smaller part of the totality of what you are experiencing. In physiological terms, the broadening produces more alpha brain wave synchrony. Get good enough at it and even if you accidentally smash your finger with a hammer, you can still answer someone's question with composure.

Hope that was along the lines of what you were asking!

 

[AnnaCzereda]

LHP encourages one to live his/her desires but one cannot have fun while suffering.

So what's the LHP's solution to the problem of suffering?(Especially physical pain)

Neither Satanism nor LHP in general is really about living your desires. Even the LaVeyan type of Satanism, as embraced by the CoS, though generally materialistic, isn't just about having fun. The aim of the LHP is self-development and becoming god-like and there is no progress without adversity. Only by struggling against life ordeals can you become stronger and achieve wisdom/enlightenment.

I remember an anecdote told us by our instructor during some course organized for teachers in the school I worked. One guy saw a butterfly fighting with its cocoon. Thinking it suffers terribly, not being able to get out, he took pity on it and freed the butterfly from its cocoon. It was a disaster for the butterfly, because its metamorphosis wasn't finished and it lacked the ability to fly. The butterfly spent its life crawling like a worm. I was really impressed by the story. It's very simple but wise, nevertheless.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Ah, great question dave. I see a lot of that bullocks "suffering is good" responses. Let's rethink it. Meaningful challenge is good. Pain isn't. .

When you first learn to play just about any instruments, your fingers will ache. When you begin a new exercise regiment, your body will be sore if you're doing it right. If you work with knives and wires, even as a hobby, you're going to get poked, jabbed, cut, and you will bleed. Play with fire, and you will get burnt. Even very spicy foods cause pain, but they are good to eat. Why deny yourself the things that teach and drive us?

 

[dave_]

I tried to face pain to become more resistant.In the past i gave myself pain in little doses and it worked.Also it was hard for me to watch the execution videos stuff like that but i forced myself to watch those.Probably facing what i am afraid of worked , my pain treshold increased (or perhaps it was meditation , having a more peaciful mindset).According to this approach (facing pain) i have to try it more.

The approach can be a little esoteric but I have found emotional and physical pain can be best dealt with through an understanding that what one does isn't one's identity. Like using your PC, you aren't your bodymind although it is "you" in the sense of familiarity and utility. That doesn't make feeling pain go away. It does, however, make emotional baggage shed off you (e.g. instead of feeling like a failure for flunking a test and wallowing in low self-esteem, you realize that your study methods, thinking patterns, or time management are what failed and you can change them).

To deal with the perception of pain, you can diffuse and immerse your perceptions into your environment where pain becomes a smaller part of the totality of what you are experiencing. In physiological terms, the broadening produces more alpha brain wave synchrony.

I hope this works for me.I guess i have to try for some time to find out.

 

[dave_]

But then again can't magick be used for this purpose?Yes i mean magically becoming resistant to pain Like emotional pain physical pain is a very subjective feeling.

 

[Adramelek]

But then again can't magick be used for this purpose?Yes i mean magically becoming resistant to pain Like emotional pain physical pain is a very subjective feeling.

Yes, long meditations during magical workings has worked for me in relieving both physical and psychological pain. Its all mind power, concentration of will in these instances.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I remember a quote a found in high school, though I don't remember who said it and I don't remember the wording exactly enough to find it. But it goes something like: if you are in pain, rejoice, for it means you are still among the living.

 

[Adramelek]

I remember a quote a found in high school, though I don't remember who said it and I don't remember the wording exactly enough to find it. But it goes something like: if you are in pain, rejoice, for it means you are still among the living.

Yes, pain and suffering can state loudly that you are still alive.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Yes, pain and suffering can state loudly that you are still alive.

This one day in high school gym, we were playing dodge ball, I was running as fast as I could, I got pushed by someone pretty hard, so I ran even faster so I wouldn't fall down and have my skin smeared across the gym floor, but when I looked up from that extra burst of speed, I was quickly coming up to the wall. I tried to spin myself around to take it on my back, but I couldn't get spun around and my face slammed into the ventilation grate (it left a pretty good dent too, and it left me soaked in my own blood). Because I didn't feel any pain at first, maybe for at least a few seconds, in my head I was freaking out abit and wondering if I died because I knew what I just went through should have really hurt. And then as I fell to the ground after staggering backwards a couple steps, the pain hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

[Kemble]

Shadow Wolf and Adramelek--
Pain is the body's way of telling you something is wrong. I just hope that no one here seek out pain to "feel alive."

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Shadow Wolf and Adramelek--
Pain is the body's way of telling you something is wrong. I just hope that no one here seek out pain to "feel alive."

That is the text book and a strictly physiological definition of pain. Pain can also be sexual, it can be a rush, it may just be unavoidable and the result of doing something right. Whenever I get a piercing I get a rush of adrenalin, and some of them have even sexually aroused me.