Question: Is all suffering and pain a sign of purification?

Sri Chinmoy: No. Some suffering is a form of purification and some suffering is just a falling into ignorance. If a child wants to show his capacity to others and he intentionally touches fire, he will get burned. If you deliberately enter into the pleasure world, then the consequence is pain. This is not purification; it is stupidity. Or you will suffer if your resistance is down at the time the hostile forces attack.