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All suffering is created by the mind, by thoughts. The mind labels sensations as 'bad' or 'wrong' or it shouldn't be happening. This is fighting what is occurring in the Now. It is bringing in narratives which are simply not even happening. The dentist example in this video.

The mind paints over the purity of the present moment with thoughts. We have the power to bring in presence to the thoughts which occur. We can choose to interact with them and accept them. Or let them pass by. We can either see and watch thoughts occurring, or we can believe and get hooked into what thoughts are being offered and allow them to cloud our sense of reality.

When we are believing our thoughts, most of the time, we are then living in an obstructed sense of reality. Listening to thoughts can drive us into a deeper sense of separation, of an individual self, and therefor enhance the suffering.

Make a commitment to be present. To be aware of what the mind is saying, and see you are not that.

When suffering is occurring, begin to ask, who is the one suffering? What decision or judgement have I made about simply 'what is'?

We seem to suffer because we identify with the mind. We are having an experience, and the mind actually labels what is happening as 'wrong' or 'bad' or 'too much'. We learn through this work to challenge and question 'who actually is the one suffering'? Tom gives the example of listening to a concert of music playing, and the mind talking and commentating over it giving its opinion. The mind wants to give its opinion of how the music is, what it should be like, as opposed to us being with the music, as it is, washing over us, unfolding in perfection. All responses we have to situations are learned and conditioned. In this work we learn to question all these learned and conditioned responses, and open up to ask, perhaps all of this is happening in perfection?