Lama Choedak

"The secret of forgetting our own suffering is thinking of the suffering of others. As soon as we turn our minds to thinking of the suffering of others, our own suffering becomes a powerful reminder of what we can do to relieve the situation, of how we can turn a difficult situation into something very empowering. Our own suffering is so powerful that we can feel the sufferings of others with greater compassion than they know how to create themselves. Instead of fatiguing us, our own suffering gives us the courage to bear our difficulties. In the midst of our difficulties we realise the purpose of our own suffering: to endure our difficulties and to enable us to make a difference to others who are suffering also, by understanding the true meaning of suffering. But much of the time our mind falls very short of this level of understanding and we do not see the benefit of our difficulties, as we are trying to avoid them."

Healing Relationships: Buddhist insights for enduring happiness
by Lama Choedak Yuthok
Lothian Books, Melbourne, 2005
Page 208