Life is Suffering

I discovered Buddhism before Ashtanga Yoga. The simple messages of the Buddha appealed to me after 12 years of Catholic school and several years as a born again Christian. My mother was very committed to the church and my family were all involved at church; sister played in the band at mass and all my brothers were altar boys. Spirituality has been modelled for me in many different ways.
The first Noble Truth of Buddhism, life is suffering, hit home after being divorced at 22. But it wasn't until I hit my 30s did it really make sense to me. The simplicity of Life is Suffering states the obvious which can get your mind away from your life's drama for even one second. When the mind quiets maybe you can connect to that inner light that lives in all of us. This cannot not be forced...it just happens. And it may only last a few seconds or minutes. The the drama returns....the tragedy begins again. You get distracted by life. But a small tunnel to this inner light has remained open and a new awareness has been sparked. Now you know you are distracted and you know the little things you do to stay in the unaware state. Over time this grows if you nurture it and do practices to support it.

This scene from Eclipse can distract me and yes it is suffering.