On Suffering
“There is a cow with such a terrible skin disease that her skin is almost no longer there. When you bring her close to an ancient wall or old tree, all the living creatures in the bark of the tree come out, cling to the cow's body, and suck.
Sidney Nolan: 1952 Queensland drought
“When we bring her into the water, the same thing happens. Even when she is just exposed to the air, tiny insects come and suck.
“This is our situation, also.”
— words of the Buddha, from The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching* by Thich Nhat Hanh
In such a world, how does one transform suffering into the Four Immeasurable Minds:
loving-kindness?
compassion?
joy?
equanimity?