Pain, the Price of Freedom

Pain is preeminent in the human experience. How can we use pain in an effective and productive way to further our own evolution, turning it from a problem or a disturbance into a spiritual practice? Often, we get stuck in a way of being, in despair, not knowing how to manage our emotional life. But the very thing we are confronted with---our pain and suffering, our disturbances---is actually part of our spiritual practice. Pain challenges our need for safety, comfort, and control over our own lives. But we can find freedom through awareness. We can begin to understand that pain is just a thing in the universe, that it is a temporary experience. Our true greatness lies on the other side of the pain.