I am a believer that we should and can find a way to live with no or minimal suffering. How can we do that?

The best experiences I have known have involved truly letting go of all expectations, and flowing with the moment. The mind that flows does not experience suffering, but rather experiences peace and joy. One analogy I use to explain the difference between pain and suffering is vaccinations. This is not about the COVID vaccination discussion (fortunately!) but rather, the difference between the way most younger children respond to a shot, and the way most adults respond to a shot.

Many children cry or resist when they are receiving a vaccination, but by adulthood most people simply receive a vaccination without a fuss. They are still feeling the same sensation of pain when receiving a shot, but are no longer suffering due to that pain. The difference is a change in attitude, due to increased understanding as an adult.

Similarly, when we can let go of needing a certain fixed way of experiencing life that matches an idea of comfort or safety, we can experience all of it with a peaceful and joyful mind. That same mind allows us to experience warmth and welcoming for other people, even if they do not match some specific standards of behavior. Nature also becomes full of life when the mind is open to the moment.

William Blake, the natural Zen poet and artist, expressed this mental positioning, and how it feels, when he wrote:

He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise

Be free of pre-set notions of good and bad, right and wrong, but allow your innate kindness flow to self and other, and life becomes much less of an effort—and you can take action with a clear mind. When I penetrate to my more fundamental mind, each moment is full of meaning, beauty, and exhiliration. There is no room for suffering!

There are specific ways of freeing one’s mind from anxiety and depression, and feeling more of the flow of life. A key is allowing expression of one’s innate kindness into everyday life, but there is more that can be said.

I will continue to speak about this topic in a variety of contexts, and hope it is helpful to you. May you experience happiness every day of this year, and for years to come.