Releasing the Arrow
There is a Buddhist teaching found in the Sallatha Sutta, known as The Arrow. It says if an arrow hits you, you will feel pain in that part of your body where the arrow hit; and then if a second arrow comes and strikes exactly at the same spot, the pain will not be only double, it will become at least ten times more intense.
The unwelcome things that sometimes happen in life—being
rejected, losing a valuable object, failing a test, getting injured in an accident—are analogous to the first arrow. They cause some pain.
The second arrow, fired by our own selves, is our reaction, our storyline, and our anxiety. All these things magnify the suffering. Many times, the ultimate disaster we’re ruminating upon hasn’t even happened.
We may worry, for example, that we have cancer and that we’re going to die soon. We don’t know, and our fear of the unknown makes the pain grow even bigger.
The second arrow may take the form of judgment (“how could I have been so stupid?”), fear (“what if the pain doesn’t go away?”), or anger (“I hate that I’m in pain. I don’t deserve this!”). We can quickly conjure up a hell realm of negativity in our minds that multiplies the stress of the actual event, by ten times or even more.
Part of the art of suffering well is learning not to magnify our pain by getting carried away in fear, anger, and despair. We build and maintain our energy reserves to handle the big sufferings; the little sufferings we can let go… |
“[…] my act of compassion sprouted within her the beginnings of a lotus from the mud.” As a follower of Kuan Yin and someone who suffers from depression, this line really spoke to me–it really struck me. I found this post to be beautiful and reflective.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s new book, No Mud, No Louts will definitely resonate with you DW! Blessings on your journey. xoxo
Wise and useful words for me right now, as you know. It is important not to magnify one’s pain any more than to deny it. I guess there is a balance there. Acknowledge, don’t wallow. Thank you for these insights. xox
The oak ogham may come in useful for you – balance, rooted as deep as the canopy spread to the heavens… xoxo