Something about Buddhism always bugged me. Of course it wasn’t Buddhism itself, but what I heard. What stood out and bugged me was essentially the statement made by the Buddha that, “Life is suffering.” Not only did I not believe it, I thought the whole of Buddhism revolved around that negative idea. Rather than look deeper, I resisted the thought as though I could control the Universe and keep suffering away from either myself, or those I cared about. Flash forward about 30 years. Now I not only understand a great deal more about Buddhism, I also agree that suffering can and does happen every day to scores of people all around the world. In fact, after a tragedy like what happened at the school in Connecticut, how is it possible to think for a minute that suffering isn’t real? Of course the lesson taught by the Buddha doesn’t stop there. Instead the Buddha explained that freedom and peace lies in a space beyond suffering, and that liberation is available to us all. Continue reading
I've been writing on all sorts of topics for over 25 years and have a couple of published books and hundreds of articles. But my passion today is exploring ideas and experiences that help to create a meaningful, sustainable, compassionate and rewarding life for myself and others. Beyond that, I am blessed to be healthy, content, and happily married to my best friend and soul mate--Thom! Plus, each day I'm doing my best to live life to Its fullest....and to remember, that I get to make it up! Check out my personal website for more info at: http://kathygottberg.com
