My guru recently sent me an email that expanded on his earlier teaching about suffering. In his first message, he explained how most suffering comes from only a few things—what he called THE SHIT—and how modern life makes these easy to handle. That teaching ended with the idea that Nirvana, the state of peace the Buddha described, is already here for anyone willing to step into it.But this time, he added something new: Nirvana is peaceful, but it’s also boring.Most people think Nirvana is the final destination, the perfect state where everything is right. And it is perfect—calm, restful, pleasant. But my guru explained that it is also unchanging. There is no drama, no friction, no challenges. You can rest in Nirvana, but you can’t grow there. Growth, he said, comes only through stress and challenge. Without it, you stagnate. Too much comfort dulls you. Too much suffering breaks you. The secret is to move between the two.He gave me an analogy from sports. Athletes grow not just by pushing hard but also by resting. Rest is part of the workout. The effort strains the muscle. The rest rebuilds it stronger. Life works the same way. You need challenges to grow and peace to recover. The skill is knowing when to lean into suffering and when to step back into peace.My guru also explained why people get stuck. Some chase suffering endlessly, thinking that struggle is the only way to live. They burn out. Others cling to comfort, avoiding all pain, and they stop developing. The art of life is to know when to switch—when to rest in Nirvana and when to step back into the world’s stress.He also wrote about how steering your life takes focus. He compared it to walking a path. If you want to get somewhere, you have to keep telling yourself where you’re going. You can’t drift aimlessly. You have to set intentions, take the next step, then the next. Without focus, life pulls you in random directions. Getting back on track is possible, but it takes time and patience. Being deliberate can feel boring, but it’s the only way to end up where you want.At the same time, he admitted that unpredictability has its place. Sometimes it’s fun to let life surprise you. There’s joy in discovery. But if you’re tired of chaos and want a specific outcome, you have to take the wheel. You have to guide yourself step by step.The heart of his message was this: Nirvana is not meant to be a permanent escape. It’s home base. It’s where you recover, reflect, and recharge. Then, when you’re ready, you step back into life, face challenges, and allow a little suffering to help you grow. When that suffering stops serving you, you return to Nirvana to rest.This rhythm—peace, challenge, peace again—is like breathing. Too much of one or the other throws you off balance. The point is not to avoid suffering or cling to peace, but to use both wisely. Each has its purpose. Peace restores you. Suffering strengthens you. Together, they make life rich and meaningful.My guru’s final words stuck with me: Life isn’t about staying in Nirvana forever. It’s about knowing when to go there and when to leave. Peace gives you rest. Suffering gives you strength. Moving between the two is what makes you whole.

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