On the Living Buddhas who Walk amongst Us

 

Say you were approached by a teacher, or an angel, or an agent, or a deity or any other sort of metaphysical authority you acknowledge, and were offered a share of someone else's suffering.

I would imagine many people would turn such an offer down right there and then. After all, we all have enough on our plates, right?

Still, Some people may ask, if they could take on the suffering of someone they love.

The answer however, would be no. You will suffer for a stranger.

Some may want to know if the person whose suffering they will receive, will know that they are suffering in their place. If that person would be grateful to them, and maybe even compensate them in some way for suffering instead of her or him.

The answer again would be no. They will not know you, and they will not know that someone else has taken a share of their suffering.

A stubborn few might inquire further if at least other people, the greater society, would somehow recognize their altruistic deed, and reward, or at least commend them for their selfless acts.

The answer yet again would be the same. No.
No one would know what you did, in fact, even you won't know what part of your suffering is yours and what part you took over from someone else.

At this point, I suspect that the large majority of sound minded people, save for a few eccentrics perhaps, would politely decline the proposition.


Now let's say that we were not given a choice at all, and the situation described above was the simple reality of the human condition.
That is to say, we, all of us, suffer for others, and others suffer for us.

Would you find this reality frustrating? or would you be able to find a small comfort in it?

Would you say: why o universe is this happening to me? or would you say: thank you for making this happen to me, and not someone else?


Thanks for reading.