Epiphany

Earlier this week, I had a friend voice to me "Why do I want to get rid of my pain and suffering?  Its through that which I grow and become a better person".  This really got me wondering.  Is it true that we need our suffering in life to teach us lessons?  Have I not come out stronger from all the times I was down and depressed? 

Last night, while attending my Sangha, my teacher Michael espressed something which brought forth a bit of an epiphany.  I looked back on my life and remembered all those times in my life when I was truly suffering.  Was it truly necessary for me to go through those experiences to understand the true natue of reality?  Could I have come through it with the same outcome, maybe even a better one, with a balanced mind? 

It is our human fault that we create more suffering onto our painful experiences.  We label them and then add stories.  Through the Five Skhandas we increase our attachments and aversions to the world.  This is what the Buddha taught; Suffering and the End of Suffering.