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January, 2006
I had an interesting and thought provoking conversation with someone
the other day. The question was raised, is suffering a prerequisite
of enlightenment? Is it possible to embark on a journey of awakening
without entering ‘the dark night of the soul’?
There was a point in my life that when I’d encounter someone who
seemed truly happy, I’d wonder how that happened. What secret
knowledge did they have? Why was that knowledge so elusive to me? For
a time I believed, I simply wasn’t wired for happiness.
Perhaps a poisonous residue of the original sin my religious ancestry
carried in it’s genetic code, or a predisposition to darkness, I
thought that suffering was our prime motivating force.
Thankfully, the proclivity I carry for turning over stones to examine
their rich and loamy undersides, led me, ultimately to appreciate the
joy inherent in the search itself. So yes, for me perhaps, the
journey toward awareness has involved more than one ‘dark night
of the soul’ yet seeing as I do from this new lens, I can’t
help but wonder if it is also possible to possess the pure quality of
joy all along the way.
Namaste,
Kate DeChard
January 3, 2005 |
