The Mathematics of Agony

Our earthly life’s agony is mainly caused by our own suffering and the pain that our physical body has been subjected to. According to Bhikku Bodhi,

“Pain is inevitable and suffering is optional”.

Hence, from the two statements above, we can say that:

Agony = Suffering + Pain              [1]

Bhikku added that,

"Pain and suffering are not the same thing. Pain is a physical sensation; suffering is how we choose to experience it.”

Thus,

Pain is the unpleasant physical sensation associated with actual or potential damage to our body. While,

Suffering is defined as the basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. It can be emotional and/or mental suffering. The intensity may vary depending on how an individual views a specific situation that causes him/her to suffer. An optimist may suffer less than a pessimist.

However, what causes suffering is our ego. The higher the ego, the higher the intensity of one’s suffering. Hence, suffering is directly proportional to ego:

Suffering  ∝ Ego                              [2]

Removing the proportionality symbol will provide us the constant, k:

Suffering = k(Ego)                           [3]

Our true nature or our true self remains all throughout, that is the constant, k. It is pure. It is the Divinity within us which is always shrouded by our Ego.

From equation [3] we can observe that if ego ceases to exist, there will be no suffering.

Suffering = k (0)

Suffering = 0

And if we become ego-less, our true self (k) expands to infinity,

Suffering = k (Ego)

k = Suffering / Ego

k = Suffering / 0

k = ∞

It is then when we have completely dissolved our ego that we will be able to re-discover our True and Divine Self.

Going back to equation [1] and incorporating equation [3]

Agony = Suffering + Pain              [1]

Agony = k(Ego) + Pain                    [4]

Therefore, our agony is a function of our own ego. Though pain is a reality, we can limit our agony by slowly conquering the ego that hinders us from remembering who we truly are.

“The Buddha compares being afflicted with bodily pain to being struck by an arrow. Adding mental pain (aversion, displeasure, depression, or self-pity) to physical pain is like being hit by a second arrow. The wise person stops with the first arrow.”

Namaste.