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Expert: - 11/12/2009


Question
Hi, I've asked this of Buddhist before but the asnwer is a little beyond me. I'm in constant physical pain, I've studied the 4 noble truths and realize life is suffering and I've come across the idea of patient endurance.  How can I apply that in practical terms to my situation? Thanks for answering, anything you say can be helpful, Marc

Answer

Senses
Dear Marc,

It may be the last thing you want to do, but try focusing on the pain itself. Examine it, observe it as it changes in intensity, become the pain if you will. This practice has helped me tremendously in the past with eye opening results. I do not know of any specific practices directed towards pain. Most teachers would probably say something similar..."just be with it, watch it" . Pain can be used as a good platform for meditation practice but requires a great deal of endurance and patience with sometimes very rewarding results.

There are actually many Buddhist teachers that suffer from chronic pain. Darlene Cohen is one of them. I personally haven't read much of her website, but it has a lot of articles about it. The Website is here: http://www.darlenecohen.net/welcome/way.html

Living with pain, not with suffering - Bhikkhu Bodhi also writes this out of personal experience, you might check it out. Website here - http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,4168,0,0,1,0

"Instead of running away from pain, try embracing it. Be the pain."
- Palzang

I hope this helps Marc, do not hesitate to ask any further questions. I wish you well in your practice.

Yours in Dhamma
JC Ball
http://www.knowbuddhism.info/2009/11/buddhism-and-pain.html

    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThanks for taking the time and effort to answer. Marc


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Buddhis8 - BuddhismIS.com

Expertise

James Chen Ball is the founder of the Buddhism IS Community Forum and Know Buddhism Blog. His primary focus is promoting Meditation practise through his websites and establishing an active Buddhist social community on the Internet. James' approach to Buddhism is intuitive and you will rarely find him referring to Sutras or similar ancient Buddhist texts but rather his words come from experience and a natural grasp of Buddhism. A long-time lay practitioner and student of Buddhism who has lived and studied as a lay monastic in all of the three major traditions of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan/Vajrayana) practicing alongside Bhikku's and studying under Monks such as Ajahn Sumedho and H.E Lopon Tenzin Jigme Rinpoche III. I am happy to receive any question you have on the vast topic of Buddhism and will endeavor to give you a clear and honest answer where possible.

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I am a long-time lay practitioner and student of Buddhism for over 14 years. I have lived as a lay monastic in many monasteries around the world studying and practicing alongside the Sangha.

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Buddhism IS Forum (http://buddhismis.com) Tzu Chi Foundation, Taiwan. Amaravati Monastery, UK.

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http://buddhismis.com http://knowbuddhism.info

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Founder of the Buddhism IS Community Forum http://www.buddhismis.com

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