Why Your Dog Doesn't Suffer And You Do

Please note this audio was recorded from a live video session. Suryacitta explains with beautiful metaphors and psychology just why a dog (or other animal) doesn't suffer in the same way as a human does. Animals experience pain but not psychological suffering as we do.

He also points in the direction of what we can learn and best of all shows you what you can do to alleviate psychological suffering - and it's not what you think it is.

Transcript

Sorry if you're on audio here this has been recorded yeah a picture of my four year old dog he went blind 18 months ago it's got beautiful blue eyes he went blind I remember just for a day or two there's a bit of confusion because of the lighting hello Jane because of the lighting and in the house with the frosted windows there's a few days of confusion he couldn't see very well then he had another bout and he went he's 90% blind he's clinically blind he can't see in the house but what I noticed was although he was moving differently he didn't want to bump into anything talking about if you just joined just talking about my blind dog guys it's relevant for you know ourselves what I noticed was that he wasn't suffering he sometimes he'd bump into something it broke our hearts still does he doesn't do it often thankfully he knows the house we've got cushions down all of the offerings so he didn't hurt himself what he wasn't doing he wasn't psychologically suffering and I thought that was very interesting because I sort of knew it that dogs didn't suffer psychologically like we do if you just join guys I'm talking about my blind dog and why he doesn't psychologically suffer and the reason being now this might surprise you okay the reason being he doesn't have a word for blind for having no sight for him is not blind we have a word for it and then we have a story see what he doesn't do he doesn't compare it and I put my life on this you just need to observe he doesn't observe I said right he doesn't compare with how his sight used to be we used to be better now it's worse and and he doesn't project into some imagined future where it might get worse or what's mommy and daddy gonna do with they're gonna get rid of me either yeah oh how bad is it going to get how will I fend for myself with the dogs am I going to be okay yes there's a comment here oh yes things are just different now and he adjusts he does he's just he's adjusted there's just all that's happening is what's happening there's no story around it we would have a story oh my goodness and it's understandable don't get me wrong because we have that sort of brain he suffers pain dogs suffer from pain if he bumps himself he hurts himself but he doesn't he doesn't hurt himself like we do it's interesting yeah oh who put that bag there you know because it's something in the way something unusual just walk into it in the house if he gets excited he loves to go out bless him he runs in the fields and runs and runs and runs to take him to big fail so he can just run and to the beach but see he's not identified with mind there's no mind identification there's just very rudimentary maybe a few impulses and instincts let's say but see the human being is mind identified we are identified with mind and that's where the suffering is not the pain I'm talking about suffering there's a difference thank you for the hearts keep them coming now what we all yearn for is to be in a sense I'm gonna call it thought free or you know for this almost constant stream of thoughts going through the mind going through awareness going through our going through our head yeah it keeps us ill-atticed it keeps us kind of restless the metaphor I tend to use is that of an ocean it's like living in the world of thought it's like living it's like being on the surface of the ocean it's always moving to some degree always hello Jody welcome it's the surface of the ocean is always moving to some degree and if you're there in a little let's say in a little boat or little dinghy we're always yet we're never quite at ease it's all there's always movement that's where slight living in the mind is always movement and we are attached we are identified with that we take what goes on goes on in the head in the mind to be reality and anything can happen in there there are no rules so if the mind tells you you're stupid mind tells you something bad is gonna happen what if what if I hadn't done that 20 years ago what if I hadn't made that stupid decision 20 20 years ago you know it's like it's laughable but it's sad at the same time what if now we project into this imagined future so what we want is to instead of living on the surface of the ocean what we want is the is to live in the depth of our being there's a dimension within the human being which is which has I want to use the word depth and stability and stillness see the surface of the oceans where the power is it's where the the depths of the oceans where the power is it's where the surface gets its energy the energy the the surface not separate from the depths a wave isn't separate from the ocean but we live on the wave the mind waves and so what we want is to live in the depths where the beauty is where the stillness is where the power is where the joy is that's where the joy of life is it isn't here in the overthinking mind this is a tool living the metaphor yes a commentary from Amy thank you Amy yes and that's what we are yearning for guys we're going to have a meditation soon on this theme from this metaphor okay you know sometimes we're so attached to thoughts that we don't want to give them up if you're in an argument with somebody and that's what Ram said to you just be aware of your thoughts and come into this you know in a dimension of being in your body what would you say to them you wouldn't yeah yeah so you know because we want to be right you know you might have gone out the room for an hour and you know I mean you still the argument's still going on not with the other person but in your head that's where the argument's going on and she said how dare she and who does he think he is and after now we go back in and another thing I wanted to say give it up give it all it's just leads to misery the in mind identified leads to misery the more identified we are with mind the more misery we will experience because it's just it's a storyteller story yeah and it tends to be negative a busy mind tends to focus on the negative opinions and judgments and stories scenarios what ifs what ifs the brilliant are they oh the the mind is a tool guys it's like it's like a it's like a hammer or a pen you know you know you use it for a particular it's like using a pen you write a letter and you finish your sincerely Deborah or Fred then the pen you click off the pen you put it down to rest so that the mind is it's made you use for something to work working something through or planning and then it's a the idea is it goes to rest till the next time you need it not completely like the pen it goes to rest but it won't it's like the pen you finish with your sincerely Deborah Fred and you just carry up carries on writing rubbish and writing writing writing writing writing it's exhausting thanks for the hearts by the way keep them going and so the mind doesn't rest after it's you've used it for a particular purpose that's that's it that's what it's designed for to be used for a particular purpose functional thinking practical creative whatever but it's unsatisfactory when we live there forever pull into the world of mind the virtual world I call it virtual reality yeah because it creates this other world that's not really happening let me tell you something then we're going to meditate in a few minutes most people are more interested in what's not happening than in what is actually happening what is actually happening is feelings of the body hearing seeing interacting with people whatever that's really that's really happening eating drinking walking what's not happening is the is the reality that's going on in the head it's only happening in the imagination and so the suffering that comes from that comes from is only imagined but it feels real that's such a such a thing to see if you start to see that and that's the purpose of all my sessions every session I give here on insight timer in our meditation space or wherever on retreat it's always around this seeing this I just say it in different ways and coming to rest in the body in presence in this dimension of being this aliveness that's here and this is where you start to appreciate the beauty and the wonder of life like a newborn just a bundle of beautiful energy and that's what we yearn for that's what we want by the way guys if you haven't already do please follow my profile just trying to get the follows I love to share this and you can make the odd donation sometime that'd be appreciated but please follow the profile and share what you find useful if you would put some audios on on the profile that's all I ask for sharing this I mean this is enough in itself really because it's just so satisfying because I know the difference it makes you're welcome amit so how do we do this how do we set about identifying less with mind and more with just beingness as it was just resting in beings it's not even identification thank you Shana yes it is so simple Shana once you start to see it say I don't to speak to your mind too much your mind will overcomplicate it I'm speaking to your beingness boom boom you know we teach people to teach mindfulness meditation and we have three pillars of excellent mindfulness teaching just going into a point by Shana here who says I love your simple approach the first pillar of good teachings keep it simple don't complicate it go straight there one second pillar is keep it elegant beautiful why shouldn't your teaching have an element of beauty not everybody would find it beautiful see to be elegant you have to leave something out so you leave out the complex leave out the unnecessary and the third is keep it practical sure don't just talk about ending thought show people how to do it yeah be practical simple elegant practical first time the title brought me in thank you Stephanie lovely so I'm just dogs have pain they don't suffer psychologically like humans do we have pain and we suffer psychologically psychological suffering can fall dramatically dramatically and replaced by the joy of life so let's sit quietly you might want to close your eyes for this one this meditation take a deep breath and I want you to just feel the alliance of the body there's an inner dimension to the body in Buddhism we call it the subtle body we should call it presence or aliveness just feel that it doesn't have a particular shape or size or colour it's just here this sense of heiness aliveness this is the beginning of touching the depths of the ocean just the beginning just feel that and I want you to ask just ask a question the question is what's this now feel into it and feel into this presence this aliveness what's this don't think about it the body will carry on breathing that's part of it now because we're at mind identified you will notice at some point that you're lost in thought just quietly say to yourself that's thinking identify it allow your attention to drop back into the depths of the ocean and that's the question once again what's this or what does this feel like don't think about it feel into it at first it doesn't appear to be much but of the weeks months years it deepens it's rich you may notice the pull the gravitational pull of the mind it's okay for now that's it nothing else to do what's this that question directs your attention into now into this that's using the mind wisely that's it rest there it includes the hearing includes the senses you might sense just a little relief oh it's just to be in the body might be a struggle it's okay we're so mind oriented thought oriented that's it feel the aliveness around the face tingling away the hands the torso of the body when you get lost in thought that's fine that's thinking or that's a thought you've identified it very smooth firm gentle back into presence this is really what meditation is being in the body in the dwelling and presence in the aliveness that inner dimension and noticing the thinking starving it of its food its fuel which is your attention carrying with your eyes closed if you wish just going to say a few words to round up so that's why I say a dog doesn't suffer psychologically because it's not mind oriented it's instinct oriented it's not even oriented it just works on instinct in a way that in a way that we've lost touch with because we live in this virtual world of the mind and suffering this might sound strange guys now realize it I'm even loath to say it because it sounds a bit pain is real you know tummy ache you know you bang your toe or you have a headache that's real but the vast majority of our suffering is my just created by mind a lot of it imagined into being and you see this for yourself you don't need me to tell you you can see it for yourself right now and this is this is so direct and subtle to what I'm going to share with you now it's often goes above other people's head I'm pointing to I'd like you to suffer now without thinking or imagining in any way go ahead try to suffer I'll try to be anxious for example make it more specific go ahead it's impossible I see it's seeds has just arrived oh just a few lovely icons up emojis whatever do you see what I'm pointing to that's why your dog doesn't suffer psychologically because it doesn't think in the way we think it doesn't it doesn't think I'll just take off they don't think what my college thinking my project onto them project lots onto other people don't we when you start to see that their own thinking is creating the suffering it's an absolute blessing see if the mind is if you were creating your suffering then you can stop it can be stopped if other people are causing you to suffer then you don't fall I don't mean they don't have an impact okay I will need to you know do something about things that's why I say the majority of your suffering is mine created created by the imagination pain isn't but the less identified with mind we are the more we rest in beingness the being is beingness is joyfulness it's the joy of life like the depths of the ocean rich beauty powerful still there's a question here from Chris would you would love to see and meet your beloved dog I know I was going to have him here but the little devil went for a walk but this is a sorry if you're on audio this has been recorded but he's the little one here this is him the older one there we had to put to sleep he got beautiful blue eyes and he went blind there's no loss of joy that's the point there's no loss of joy I can walk into a room I can be with him walk out get a cup of tea come back in and he must have come in and what what happens hello daddy his tail wags I can just walk over to him his tail wags it's gorgeous no loss of joy come on come on okay guys we're there finished I'm not here next Tuesday's as I'm normally Tuesday 1 30 UK time thank you Sharon love it she said challenges I love your wisdom and laughter thank you I'm repeating the guys because I'm recording this audio you brought me your next Wednesday at the same time okay and I think I'm talking about the wise fool that's one of my favorites I love the wise fool happy equinox day oh yeah okay yeah yeah thank you Kathy thank you for coming guys and do this practice come back during the day come back to beingness identify mind come back to your body I see some of you next Wednesday bye bye thank you thank you Stephanie thank you Shani yes do please follow me guys if you would thank you and sharing thing that's useful bye bye

Reviews

I had trouble hearing a.lot of the content. Fortunately the beginning of the talk about your dog going blind was clear so I got the gist of what this was about. I could instantly relate it to an incident that happened in the community where I live . That part was quite helpful and I thank you for that teaching. I do have hearing aids with noise cancelling feature.

Yes, I agree with your observations. I love your sessions

Thank you so much For making a recording about your blind dog. That story is so helpful.. my mind seems to have the great forgetter and listening to this over and over again is good. 💛🌻🧡💛🌻🧡💛🌻🧡💛🌻🧡💛

Thank you for recording this live session! I LOVE IT! 🥰

Thanks for posting this recording, I missed it last Wednesday because I was too busy thinking and in my mind! Blessings, see you next Wednesday 🙏🐾