Is Awakening the End of Suffering?
- Sukhdev Virdee
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
Many seekers chase awakening
because they believe it will finally put an end to all suffering.
No more sadness.
No more fear.
No more doubt.
Just bliss, peace, perfection.
This idea is understandable…
but not entirely true.
Awakening doesn’t end suffering.
It ends the believer in suffering.
The body may still feel pain.
Emotions may still arise.
Thoughts may still appear.
But the one who used to claim them—
the one who wrapped them in story—
is no longer at the center.
And that changes everything.
The Seeker Wants Relief — The Self Brings Truth
Let’s be honest.
Most people come to spirituality because they’re tired of suffering.
They want freedom from life.
But awakening is not freedom from life—
it is freedom within life.
It’s not a ticket to endless joy.
It’s a return to what’s real,
regardless of whether it feels good or not.
Awakening doesn’t give you control over life.
It removes the illusion that there was ever a “you” controlling it.
That’s not always comforting at first.
But it is true.
And Truth, in the end, is the only thing that truly liberates.
Pain May Arise — But It’s No Longer Personal
Before awakening, suffering feels intimate.
You think:
“Why is this happening to me?”
“What did I do wrong?”
“How can I fix it?”
Every emotion becomes a story.
Every discomfort becomes an identity.
After awakening, the same sensations may arise—
but they pass through empty space.
Anger may come, but it doesn’t stick.
Grief may move, but it’s allowed to complete itself.
The pain doesn’t define you anymore.
Because the “you” it used to cling to…
is seen to be empty.
This is not indifference.
It’s intimacy without ownership.
The Real Suffering Ends: The Mental Noise
Here’s what does end with awakening:
The constant commentary.
The exhausting self-judgment.
The need to fix, improve, or become something.
The belief that this moment isn’t enough.
That inner war—
that subtle resistance to “what is”—
begins to dissolve.
And in its place?
Stillness.
Openness.
Simplicity.
You stop negotiating with Reality.
You start resting as it.
This is not about avoiding pain.
It’s about no longer fearing it.
You’re No Longer a Victim of Experience
Before awakening, life happens to you.
After awakening, life happens within you.
The shift is subtle but profound.
You are no longer the character on the screen—
you are the light behind it.
Even when there’s turbulence,
the screen doesn’t complain.
Even when the movie turns dark,
the light is untouched.
Awakening doesn’t give you a perfect script.
It shows you that the script was never real to begin with.
And with that, a deep ease enters.
Not because everything is pleasant,
but because nothing holds you hostage anymore.
No More Running — Even From Suffering
The most radical freedom is this:
You stop trying to escape anything.
Not even sadness.
Not even confusion.
Not even the echo of the old egoic patterns.
You sit with what is.
Not to fix it.
Not to heal it.
But to simply be with it.
And in that being,
a quiet alchemy happens.
What once felt heavy, dissolves.
What once felt sticky, releases.
Not because you forced it—
but because you stopped turning away.
This is the real end of suffering.
Not the absence of pain,
but the absence of resistance.
🌿 The End of Suffering Is the End of “Me”
The 5 Illusions That Keep You from Awakening – And The One Truth That Sets You Free.
One of those illusions is that “awakening will fix your life.” Let’s gently see through that together.
If you’re ready to meet suffering with clarity instead of resistance, let’s walk this sacred path side by side.
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