I think one is contented when one is at ease in the mind no matter what; when one does not suffer. Here suffering only means affective suffering. Of course, it is not possible to avoid physical pain. And even the affective suffering is not totally avoidable. But I would say that with spiritual development, that is, with good awareness about our existence, this suffering only takes place on the surface. It becomes rather impossible to suffer in the depth when one is well aware.
I will clarify more on what suffering I am talking about. You know, when one becomes hopeless about life, when one cries out of some loss incurred, asking ''why me, why me'', bangs one's head on the wall, when one goes into depression-like state... That is what I mean when I say getting affected in the depth. That becomes impossible with awareness. Only small variations of temper take place on surface (because we are biologically wired to have affective responses in the brain). But as soon as one turns on the awareness the ease is regained. So basically contentment is always in hand. When we are playing a video game we don't suffer deeply in the aforementioned ways, right? The reason is precisely that we know that it is not real. Similarly about this life also when you know that it is not quite the way it looks to you, how can you suffer that way?
If you ask me whether that is possible, I will say yes, because I am in that state for a sufficiently long time now. Deep affective suffering as that is really impossible. And thus, contentment is possible. Even in the presence of physical pain and/or other kinds of suffering (like failing in exams, financial loss, material desires etc) the person who is aware of the higher reality won't suffer in the depth that way.
Let me put it in a different way. A contented person means a satisfied person. Discontented is unsatisfied with the way things are. Now, when one knows that the universe isn't meant to be certain way, and that it is all random, indifferent and devoid of intrinsic meaning and all… one would realize that there's no point in being unsatisfied with the way things are. Deep dissatisfaction comes when I think that things should be "this way" but they are "that way" so I am not satisfied. Like that. But when I remove this notion that things should be some certain way only, following my realization of the higher random-and-indifferent reality, I know that being satisfied or unsatisfied has no point. I simply have no control on the universe. The reality just IS, and we have to accept it as it IS. So, dissatisfaction doesn't arise, in the depth. Hence, contentment!
I will clarify more on what suffering I am talking about. You know, when one becomes hopeless about life, when one cries out of some loss incurred, asking ''why me, why me'', bangs one's head on the wall, when one goes into depression-like state... That is what I mean when I say getting affected in the depth. That becomes impossible with awareness. Only small variations of temper take place on surface (because we are biologically wired to have affective responses in the brain). But as soon as one turns on the awareness the ease is regained. So basically contentment is always in hand. When we are playing a video game we don't suffer deeply in the aforementioned ways, right? The reason is precisely that we know that it is not real. Similarly about this life also when you know that it is not quite the way it looks to you, how can you suffer that way?
If you ask me whether that is possible, I will say yes, because I am in that state for a sufficiently long time now. Deep affective suffering as that is really impossible. And thus, contentment is possible. Even in the presence of physical pain and/or other kinds of suffering (like failing in exams, financial loss, material desires etc) the person who is aware of the higher reality won't suffer in the depth that way.
Let me put it in a different way. A contented person means a satisfied person. Discontented is unsatisfied with the way things are. Now, when one knows that the universe isn't meant to be certain way, and that it is all random, indifferent and devoid of intrinsic meaning and all… one would realize that there's no point in being unsatisfied with the way things are. Deep dissatisfaction comes when I think that things should be "this way" but they are "that way" so I am not satisfied. Like that. But when I remove this notion that things should be some certain way only, following my realization of the higher random-and-indifferent reality, I know that being satisfied or unsatisfied has no point. I simply have no control on the universe. The reality just IS, and we have to accept it as it IS. So, dissatisfaction doesn't arise, in the depth. Hence, contentment!
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