The whole of the ancient, master teachings on suffering come down to this: Suffering is the notion “This isn’t it,” and it’s variants such as, “I can’t bear this, it shouldn’t be happening,” and “I have to know how this will turn out” and “What if it gets worse?”

Freedom, waking up and fearlessness come down to the simplicity of, “Wait a minute,

The goal here is the end of suffering, and the path leading to it is the Noble Eightfold Path with its eight factors: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

1. Suffering doesn’t block awakening, it catalyzes it. Most people don’t begin their spiritual path because everything is fine. It’s suffering that cracks the surface of the self, but only when we turn toward it with open-heartedness and support does it become the doorway to transcendence. Trauma and revelation aren’t