“It is in the suffering consciously borne, the breaking apart of the outer shell to reveal the true names of God, that the divine hologram becomes most powerfully manifest. We know this in our hearts, and when we fail to make this motion, no pleasure, safety, or riches heaped high can give us meaning. All that we do and are and ultimately understand in this life unfold in the light of this core soul gesture. The code word for it is surrender.”
–Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, p. 60
Living in samsara is, as the Eastern concepts have it, a state of unsatisfactoriness and suffering. No amount of “improving” of the specifics of samsara — tastier food, more entertaining films, or finding the perfect mate — can cure the suffering inherent in it. Awakening from one’s illusions. Learning to know basic reality unconfused with interpretation, is necessary, if not sufficient, for providing a stable and reliable basis for happiness, real happiness.