Cloudscape

Neither resist nor cling to either sadness nor joy, for both will become both harmful when and only when we do so. Know when either comes among the other, for then it is time to become mindful of it; if you ignore it, it will eventually seize control over you. Instead, we should just let them be what they are when they come, and love them as part of our experience with neither fear nor craving.

Our emotions are a compass for what we should do; we should therefore listen to that compass. We must know when we feel negative energy that it is time to rest, and we must know when we feel positive energy that it is time to work. If we do not do so in time, the transition will become painful.

This is especially important to people who are bipolar. Bipolar people are in pain because out of craving they cling to their (hypo)mania so long that when they finally face their depression, it is painful. Eventually, when they've accepted their negative energies, the depression then assumes the form of a deep peace. Out of fear, they then cling to the tranquility of their depression so long that it eventually becomes painful again when they face their hypomania. When they've then accepted their positive energies, their hypomania then assumes the form of a deep happiness. Then, the cycle begins anew. In fact, neither depression nor (hypo)mania have to be painful, as they are just periods of inactivity and activity, respectively. Only the transition can be painful if it is resisted.

All of us have such a cycle, although for the average human, it is less significant. Because of this, the bipolar cycle can be a useful model to understand the average human's emotional cycles as well.