Analogue 64

Analogue 64 

The Mysteries of Suffering

How then does Yeshua give rest to everyone? First of all, he brings sorrow and grief to no one whether great or small, or whether it be a believer or an unbeliever. Rather he gives rest to those who reside among the Good. Some indeed are privileged to bring rest to those who are virtuous, but there are those who do well and yet cannot of themselves give repose to anyone since their goodness was not accomplished by an act of will. There are those who are in pain, but again he is not oppressing them. There are times when grief does come to the virtuous, not because he oppresses them, but because their own flaws and calamities have overwhelmed them. It is natural, then, to give joy to those who are good, yet some must endure terrible grief.

SYNOPSIS

• Focus is upon the mysteries of suffering while on earth and the desire for its banishment.
• An exploration of the causes of suffering — earthly, personal and collective. 
• The desire for rest in the Good is a perfect description of bliss. 
• The possibility of bringing rest, ease and a respite from pain requires a virtuous act of will.
• There is suffering and pain along the horizontal axis, but rest is possible along both horizontal and vertical axes. 
• We are here in this horizontal world to experience suffering which has largely been caused by human action. 
• There is a difference between natural goodness and that which is forged from the human will. 
• Living on earth often means to endure terrible grief. 

Video link to the You Tube recording

COMMENTARY

The Problem of Suffering

One of the most perplexing concerns of the human condition is that of suffering. Traditionally and theologically this problem has been called theodicy. It can be summarized by this question: If God is truly good, why does suffering even exist? The fact of human suffering is intensified and made problematic by the very existence of God. Succinctly said, an all-loving God wouldn’t want anyone to experience evil or unnecessary suffering. Also, an all-knowing God would possess the knowledge to anticipate it, and an all-powerful God would have the means to prevent it. So then, why does it exist? According to this argument, if our definitions of God are correct, then something has gone horribly wrong in this world, or alternatively there is no God at all, which solves the problem instantly since suffering just is. It is a part of existence whether we like it or not. Our only task then is to endure or change it. 

In this Gospel, the opposite of suffering is said to be a state of rest (perhaps described as ease or respite from suffering). This is where our text and this analogue steps into the domain of this ancient discourse, attempting to explain aspects of this knotty problem. The assumption being made is that everyone and everything will eventually be free from suffering—they will come to be at peace, finding their rest as inhabitants within God. This is also called the doctrine of the ultimate reconciliation of all things, or apocatastasis—the teaching that in God nothing will be lost, but all will be saved or restored to fullness and perfect peace. This teaching is expressed and embraced by this Gospel as one of its fundamental tenets. It raises serious questions, however, about the method of obtaining such a condition of rest. How does the Anointed Once accomplishes it? 

Causes of Suffering

The first thing that Philip asserts is that Yeshua (and by extension, the divine Reality itself) is not the cause of such suffering. Neither is Yeshua the avenger or judge, bringing punishment or retribution on anyone either inside or outside the community of faithful beings. Instead, he is the bringer of rest, not the inflicter of suffering, judgment or pain. This appears to fly in the face of many later conclusions made concerning the Christ as wielding the sword of Judgment (as pantocrator). His chief role is as a healer, the result of Yeshua’s special gifts of inner virtue. Shared with his followers, this gift also makes them capable of bringing rest and healing to others. Some do not have this capacity, while others do. The capacity itself appears to have to do with the creation of inner qualities that were created through their own cooperative action with the divine. Two wills (the human and the divine), that are in cooperation and coordination with one another, create new inner conditions related to goodness, a virtue that is capable of bringing rest (the loss of suffering). Implicitly, at least, virtue itself is not imposed from without but created from within as a result of divine-human solidarity and cooperation. 

Some, it seems, suffer pain not brought on by any act of their own. Others, however, do experience the karmic law of cause and effect, contributing to their own pain due to previous actions. Suffering, therefore exists for many reasons, only some of which are spelled out here, but the text acknowledges the terrible grief and pain that humans experience regardless of the cause. Suffering appears to be in the very make up of this world. Yet, God (or at least Yeshua), is seen not to be the cause of any of it, only the bringer of rest and of the Good. Eventually it is our lot to know this rest.  

Yeshua does not work for the detriment or condemnation of anyone, but only for their betterment and their good.

The Response of the Will

The introduction of the word “will” suggests that the author believes that human will and decision-making is a positive contributor to the creation of goodness (or the Good), but is also a significant contributor to evil in this world. The human will exists in the middle of it all, though it has often been described as the sole cause of evil and suffering. It is easy to describe how this might be so, but it can be demonstrated that human will is not the ultimate cause either of suffering or evil. The world of impermanence itself brings change, natural disaster, and disruptions to the balances of things, In duality all take a toll, inflicting deep pain upon humankind and earth’s creatures. The problem of theodicy is not resolved in this passage, though certain aspects of it are directly addressed according to the viewpoint of this Gospel. 

The bottom line and foundational teachings of this passage are these: Yeshua does not work for the detriment or condemnation of anyone, but only for their betterment and the good. Evil and suffering do exist and humans are certainly contributors through their own willful actions. All, however, will be redeemed and, in the end, enter into Eternal Rest. The creation of virtue and inner goodness comes through a synergy of the human and divine wills working together in solidarity with one another. All of this contributes to the greater good and are used for the amelioration of suffering. Goodness overcomes evil. Rest overcomes suffering. In the end, nothing will be wasted. The perspective of this Gospel is that all will be redeemed. In the middle of time, however, we must endure suffering no matter the reasons that may be its cause. 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. How have you thought about the problem of human suffering? Have you come to any conclusions that satisfy your questions about it? What are they? How have you experienced suffering? What do you understand its cause or causes to be?
2. The word “rest” is used many times in this Gospel. As you have read and reflected on it, what does that term mean for you? Does it simply suggest the cessation of activity, or something else or some other state entirely? 
3. In the sacred traditions of India, the compound term Satchitananda is used to describe an ultimate state of human experience. Sometimes translated as being-consciousness-bliss, which may be an analogous way of talking about the state of rest for which humans are destined. You might want to do an online search into the meaning of this term. How might this Indian definition help to describe the teachings of this analogue? 
4. How would you define or describe a person who is virtuous? What does virtue look like in a human being? How does one go about becoming virtuous?
5. How is it possible to bring rest to another person through the Good or by goodness?
6. Have you ever felt coerced by religion, in particular by the Christian religion? This text says that Yeshua never did nor does he force anyone. Instead it says he beguiles us. Do you agree? What does beguile mean? How might this strange attraction work?

 

NOTES FOR FURTHER STUDY 

AND REFERENCE

1. To introduce the category of rest as a state of bliss (or to use another term from eastern traditions like nirvana),may widen the discussion about the difficulties concerning the problem of human suffering and the existence of God. Humankind is said to be moving toward an ultimate state that is free from suffering, though we are made to pass now through the vale of tears, suffering, chaos, and pain on the way to it. It may be that we have chosen to take this pathway if, in pre-eternity, a decision involving our own volition was made. If this is the case, then, coming into time, we knew in advance what our circumstances would be (specifically, perhaps, or in general), and that it would involved suffering. We are said to have accepted the challenge of suffering in order to derive a greater benefit or to achieve a higher goal as a result. Rooted perhaps in the visionary seeing of Yeshua, this understanding appears to be in line with the teachings of this Gospel, and is one that is found within many of the traditions of Perennial Wisdom as well. This does not fully solve the matter of theodicy, but it does put it in an altogether different light, widening our understanding from an exclusively this-world perspective into an eternal one. 
2. Responsibility for the problem of suffering in a universe created by a good God is often shifted to the human will. We are often described as creatures of absolutely free will—able to chose freely according our proclivities. It is because of that freedom of choice that evil is said to have entered the world. As a result of our choices, we are either blindly or willfully ignorant as creatures (notice, however, that we are also beings said to have a very limited understanding). Regardless of our limitations and because of our freedom, however, the result is that evil exists and is released into the world, and because of the exercise of our free wills, we are therefore entirely blame-worthy. In this scenario God is exempted or absolved from the burden of responsibility, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of humankind. This, however, cannot be a complete answer to the problem, for in the end, the divine Mind and its energy designed the world in such a way that this would be the case—so that these limitations would exist. The formal or original cause, then, goes all the way back to how the world was set up—to its foundational structure. It is entirely true that human will widens, deepens and strengthens the problem of suffering. There is no doubt about that, but this, however is a only secondary and not the primal cause. 
3. From these various points of view, other questions and issues arise such as, what is the fundamental nature of reality in a dualistic realm? In a world such as ours, is this perhaps an illusion or a dream-scape (a simulation of some kind existing in a constructed or illusory matrix)? When we awaken from this world through death into existence in the afterworld, will it be as if we dreamed it all, making it only relatively real, or perhaps not real at all? Could this be part of the answer and we are treating this world as absolutely (and not relatively) real. This understanding changes the perspectives and the valences that determine the reality of suffering, though perhaps not its experience? These metaphysical possibilities need to be considered as we discuss this large and logically intractable problem. Perhaps it is not logic, but the relative nature of reality itself that creates the problem in the first place. Regardless of what answers we may come to, or around which possible realities they form, this analogue treats suffering as a serious experience that shapes our lives as well as our thinking. We are inexorably involved no matter what the ultimate answers or outcomes may be. 

Notes on the Translation

• As a manifestation of the Logos, Yeshua is the referent at the beginning of this Analogue pointing back to the previous analogue.
• The word “rest” is a Greek term that denotes a state of inner repose said to correspond to the state of the Kingdom of Heaven itself.
• In the last sentence the phrase it “is natural to give joy” may indicate that it is in the nature of some individuals, but perhaps not true of others.