SS. Decentering. Cognitive defusion

 A

Sometimes, the blinding power of an experience is too strong

and we remember to practice the teaching after a great deal of unconscious suffering has already happened.

That is okay.

We do not control when and how frequently the remembrance to practice comes about.

The important thing is,

when you do come to remember,

practice wholeheartedly.

Apply to your current situation what you have gathered from studying the teachings.

Give it your all.



The second important thing is to notice this:

The sufferer comes and goes.

At one point in time, you really thought you were that sufferer

and you were suffering deeply.

Now that state has gone.

So this mental state cannot be you.

You are not that which suffers.

You are the witness of the state of suffering coming and going.

Next time it arises, remember that.

And already, something within you will be more allowing and present to even the experience of suffering.

An opening will occur which will allow you to more clearly notice

that which is always present

and never suffers.

With you in practice,

A

This passage points to two shifts that often happen gradually rather than all at once.

The first is practical:

You may forget what you’ve learned when pain is intense. Old patterns take over. Awareness returns later. The text says that delay is not failure — what matters is the moment remembrance returns. In that moment, practice sincerely with whatever understanding you currently have.

The second shift is existential:

It asks you to notice that suffering is experienced, but it is not constant. A painful identity can feel absolute while it is happening — “I am this suffering.” Yet later, the state changes, fades, or disappears. Because it comes and goes, the passage suggests it cannot be the deepest essence of what you are.

Instead, it points toward the idea of a witnessing awareness:
the part of experience that notices joy, grief, fear, peace, confusion, and clarity all arising and passing.

The line “You are the witness of the state of suffering coming and going” echoes teachings found in traditions like:

• Advaita Vedanta
• Buddhism (especially mindfulness traditions)
• certain forms of Christian contemplation
• modern nondual teachings

Psychologically, this can resemble what therapists call “decentering” or “cognitive defusion” — recognizing:

• “I am experiencing suffering”
  instead of
• “I am suffering itself.”

That small shift can create space, softness, and less identification with the pain.

The passage is also careful not to deny suffering. It doesn’t say pain is unreal. It says:

• suffering states arise,
• are witnessed,
• and pass,
  while awareness itself remains.

Its core invitation is:
when suffering returns, remember to stay present enough to observe it rather than become entirely consumed by it.