Suffering is Optional

Remember, people suffer only because they think things ought to be different from what they are.
~Paramahansa Yogananda

Non-attachment is the mental practice which frees us from the pain caused by the cycle of likes and dislikes that trouble the mind. Our meditation practice gives us the freedom to let thoughts fall away which we do not find useful because they strongly attract or repulse us. This is not to say that we condone or ignore negative occurrences. We simply do not let our mental field be colored by them. The resulting equanimity gives us the freedom to take right action whatever circumstances we face. Acceptance of reality is a bit like our final exam on the path of meditation.