We may tend to think that the universe is unfair in the way it hands out pains, but maybe it’s actually very fair. But the Buddha’s path allows you to cheat the system. You can get out.

"So remember, pain is normal. The fact that the mind is suffering around the pain is normal. There’s no question of “why me?” When pain comes, you have to remind yourself that pain comes to everybody. In fact, that’s a useful contemplation when you’re in pain. Remind yourself that everybody out there has pain to some extent or another. Some people are pain-free for the moment, but pain’s going to come. You’ve got to have compassion for everybody out there who’s got pain. That helps you realize it’s not just you. You don’t feel like you’re being singled out. Maybe you have the kamma that leads to that pain. In fact, you probably do. Now, the next question is: How can you cheat that kamma? We may tend to think that the universe is unfair in the way it hands out pains, but maybe it’s actually very fair.

But the Buddha’s path allows you to cheat the system. You can get out. This path, the noble eightfold path, as the Buddha said, is the kamma that puts an end to kamma. Not only does it stop you from creating new kamma, but it also frees you from many of the effects of past kamma. The pains may be there in the body, but the mind doesn’t have to suffer from them. And that’s what matters.

They’re like a big rock. The rock may be heavy in and of itself, but as long as you don’t pick it up, it’s not going to be heavy on you. Our problem is we’re picking up all the rocks we can see. That’s why we suffer. The Buddha’s teaching us how we can just leave them alone.

So you can see that it’s not so much that the pain is disturbing you. You’re disturbing the pain. The pain isn’t invading your territory. The pain is just there. You’re the one invading the territory. When you can see things like this, you can get out of the system. At that point, whether it’s fair or unfair doesn’t matter anymore. You’re out. That’s the skill the Buddha’s trying to teach us. And it’s a skill we can all learn."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Cheating the System"

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