The Three Types of Sufferings and the Path to Liberation

Every human being born into this world inevitably undergoes three types of suffering: materialistic, physical, and mental. Though these sufferings appear to arise from different sources, the true sufferer behind all of them is the mind. No one, however wealthy, powerful, or learned, can escape them. Sufferings are not punishments; they are the realities of human existence and opportunities for spiritual evolution.

Materialistic Suffering

Materialistic suffering arises from the external world, from possessions, desires, relationships, ambitions, failures, and attachments. Human beings live in constant comparison and competition, desiring more and fearing loss. When one’s expectations are not met, the mind suffers. Even when they are met, fear of losing them creates suffering again.

When the mind identifies itself with material things and relationships, it becomes restless and suffers from expectations, disappointments, and insecurities. This suffering continues as long as the human being believes happiness lies in external achievements. Thus, materialistic suffering is endless as long as the mind is bound to worldly desires and attachments.

Physical Suffering

The body, being perishable, is subject to pain, disease, and ageing. From birth till death, the body undergoes pain, disease, ageing, and decay. No medicine or comfort can make a human being immortal or pain-free forever.

But even here, the body by itself does not suffer; it merely undergoes changes. It is the mind that identifies with the body and claims its pain as “my pain.” The moment the mind detaches from the body and realises its true separateness, even bodily pain loses its intensity. Therefore, physical suffering too is sustained only by the mind’s identification with the body.

Everybody who takes birth must perish one day, and every soul that identifies with the body must experience the pain of this impermanence. This is the law of nature: birth, growth, decay, and death, the unavoidable cycle of physical existence.

Thus, the first two sufferings are common to all human beings, whether good or bad, rich or poor, believer or non-believer. But these are not obstacles to liberation; rather, they are reminders that nothing in this material or bodily life can give permanent peace.

Mental Suffering

Mental suffering is the most subtle and most powerful form. It arises from the thoughts, emotions, and memories created by the mind itself. Anger, jealousy, hatred, fear, and sorrow. All of these originate from the restless mind. A disturbed mind sees disturbance everywhere; a peaceful mind sees peace even in suffering. Thus, it is the condition of the mind that decides one’s happiness or sorrow.

When a seeker turns towards spirituality and begins to travel the path of liberation, a third and more subtle kind of suffering begins, the suffering of the mind. This suffering is not caused by any external event or bodily pain. It is purely internal, arising from the cleansing of the subconscious mind, where countless impressions (samskaras) from past births are stored.

The subconscious mind is like a hidden chamber of memory containing the residues of all experiences, anger, jealousy, lust, fear, hatred, and attachment accumulated over many lifetimes. When the Master’s energy begins to purify the seeker through Silentation and remembrance, these hidden impurities start surfacing in the conscious mind as restlessness, irritation, or mental pain.

At this stage, the seeker may not understand why he is suffering mentally without any reason. But in truth, it is the process of purification. The mind is being washed clean, layer by layer, until nothing remains.

This stage demands great positivity, patience, and surrender. Only a positive person, who does not resist or complain, can bear this invisible inner suffering. Negativity, doubt, or fear at this stage can slow down the purification. Therefore, the Master instructs the seeker to accept all sufferings without complaint, to remain positive, and to keep constant remembrance of the Master.

The Mind – The Root of All Suffering

When we analyse deeply, we realise that the mind alone is the cause of all three forms of suffering. It creates desires that lead to material pain, it identifies with the body and experiences physical pain, and it generates its own turmoil as mental pain. Therefore, the only way to end suffering is not by changing the outer world, but by dissolving the mind itself.

This dissolution of the mind is called Mano Nasha — the annihilation of the mind.

The Role of the Master and Silentation

During this mental cleansing, the Master’s presence and remembrance play a vital role. When the seeker sits in Silentation with the remembrance of the Master, the Master’s divine energy enters the seeker’s mind, helping to burn the impurities of the subconscious.

This energy transmission is not visible to the eyes but felt in the depth of stillness. The Master is not removing the suffering, but transforming it. He converts the pain of the subconscious cleansing into peace by making the seeker empty, free from past impressions, thoughts, and reactions.

This is why the seeker must sit beside the Master regularly, to receive this purifying energy and to strengthen the capacity to bear the inner transformation.

When the mind dissolves, suffering ends — and silence reveals the Self.

Mano Nasha – The Path to Liberation

Mano Nasha is not the destruction of the brain or loss of mental function; it is the complete dissolution of the false identity created by the mind. The mind is nothing but a continuous flow of thoughts. When thoughts cease, the mind ceases. What remains is pure awareness — the Self, which is eternal, peaceful, and divine.

When Mano Nasha is achieved:

• One becomes free from all bondage (Bandhana) with the material world.

• Desires and attachments lose their hold, as there is no “I” to claim them.

• Suffering, which depends on identification with the mind, completely disappears.

• The seeker attains Liberation (Moksha), the state of pure existence, bliss, and silence.

The Liberation Edge

When the subconscious mind has been sufficiently cleansed, the seeker reaches what is called the Liberation Edge — a point where the mind becomes very subtle and silent.

At this edge, the seeker no longer reacts to worldly situations or bodily discomforts. He observes everything in stillness, as if the whole world is moving, but he remains unmoved.

This is the stage where the final purification of the subconscious mind begins. It can bring about an intense inner churning, the last traces of samskaras rising to the surface for dissolution. This period is delicate and intense, but after it, the seeker enters into total peace, the state of Chivam, the infinite Stillness.

Realisation of the Self

Through Mano Nasha, one attains the ultimate knowledge, “Who am I?” This is the experience of Self-Realisation (Atma Sakshatkara) or Enlightenment. It is the realisation that the individual self (Jivatma) and the Supreme Self (Paramatma) are not different.

One discovers that God is not outside but within, in the form of Stillness, Silence, and Space. As long as the mind exists, this truth remains hidden. When the mind dissolves, the divine reveals itself naturally. This is the state of Chivam, the pure, infinite condition of the mind transformed into God’s state of Nothingness.

Liberation

Liberation is not the end of life; it is the end of the mind’s disturbances. When all sufferings — material, bodily, and mental have fulfilled their purpose and dissolved, the seeker experiences the real state of Nothingness.

In that state, there is no doer, no experiencer, no duality. The seeker becomes one with the infinite space, the real God condition. That is Liberation, the ultimate transformation where suffering ends forever because there is no one left to suffer. The human has merged into the divine. The mind has transformed into Chivam, the pure and infinite Stillness.

Conclusion

Hence, liberation is not achieved by escaping the world but by dissolving the mind that clings to it. Silentation practice is designed to quieten the mind, and it leads towards dissolution. When the mind becomes still, the Self shines by itself.

Mano Nasha is Liberation itself. Where the mind ends, God begins.