Dhamma Talks - Pain :: Buddhapadipa Thai Temple

‘Pain’ is something which any human being cannot escape in life. No matter who they are; a king, a queen, a man, a woman, a monk, a nun etc. they cannot escape from pain. Sometimes in life, we are sick and have pain. Pain is like a time bomb which can explode at any time. “Why do we have pain?”, I am asked. I usually answer, “Because we have mind and matter”. “Why’s that?” I explain, “We have a head, so we have a headache. We have tooth, so we have a toothache and we have mind, so we have a mind-ache, or mental illness”. “Aha it is true”.

“Can we overcome pain?” I answer, “Yes, it is just for a while, and it will come back to us again and again”. “Why’s that?” “Because we still have mind and matter”, I answer. It comes to the same point. It is dependently originated. The thing that we can do, is to learn to put it down and live with it. To put it down is always the last answer. It is not all the time that we can put it down. It is easy to say, but it is very hard to do. One night, a western monk, who was staying in the forest temple which was far away from the town, had a toothache. When he was told to put it down, he tried to do that. He could not do it, as the pain was still there. He could not meditate to stop the pain. The thought arose, “Walking meditation may help relieve the pain”, but he could not do walking meditation, because of the pain, he did running meditation. When he had tried many ways, but in vain, he just sat down and stayed with the pain, as nothing could be done. The night passed by very slowly for him. At dawn, the pain still remained, but it was not as much as in the night. The pain diminished, the relief increased. He understood that the pain came and went - impermanence.

Anxiety is one of the causes of more pain; it stimulates the pain. ‘Nothing can be done with pain’, we just put it down and relax, and pain will decrease. One thing we should bear in mind is, ‘pain is not death’, we are still alive. Pain is very trivial if we compare it to death. Pain is common to everyone; this is a characteristic of existence. There is a recitation, or noting, in Vipassana meditation, for when any emotion or sensation occurs. The meditators just recite or note the phenomenon, such as that there is pain, they recite or note ‘pain, pain, pain’. This recitation reminds us that pain is just pain, we have nothing to do with it. Pain is not ours, it doesn’t belong to us. It arises and finishes of its own accord. When we know that it doesn’t belong to us, we can put it down. Why must we hold on to it? The sense of putting it down will relieve us from the complete pain. It is sure that we cannot get rid of pain completely, as we still have mind and matter. We have to accept it. To accept it brings a feeling of freedom. Instead of complaining or having anxiety about it, we accept it; this is a great relief.

“Can we get rid of pain completely?” Yes, we can if we can become fully enlightened, the ultimate goal of Buddhism. “How can we do this?” There is a guide, there is guidance and liberation, and there is a path leading to the cessation of pain, do it. “For how much longer must I proceed before attaining it?” The answer is that it depends on our strength and determination, as illustrated by this story* ‘TWO MORE DAYS TO MOUNT WU-T'AI’;

Long ago, in T'ang China, there was an old monk going on a pilgrimage to Mount Wu-t'ai, the abode of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Aged and weak, he was treading the long dusty road alone, seeking alms along the way. After many long months, one morning, he gazed upward and saw the majestic mountain in the distance. By the roadside, there was an old woman working the field. "Please tell me," he asked, "how much longer I must proceed before reaching Mount Wu-t'ai?" The woman just looked at him, uttered a guttural sound and returned to her hoeing. He repeated the question a second and third time, but still there was no answer.

Thinking that the woman must be deaf, he decided to push on. After he had taken a few dozen steps, he heard the woman call out to him, "Two more days, it will take you two more days." Somewhat annoyed, the monk responded, "I thought you were deaf. Why didn't you answer my question earlier?" The woman replied, "You asked the question while you were standing put, Master. I had to see how fast your pace was, how determined your walk!"

We are in the same position as the old monk in this story. As we practise the Dhamma, seeking to help ourselves and others, we sometimes wonder why no one comes to our assistance. However, others may simply be trying to assess us, to gauge our strength and determination. This process can take five years, twenty years, or even a lifetime. Therefore, seekers of the Way, do not be discouraged, but forge ahead! The old monk took a few dozen steps for the gauge. How much longer must we proceed before reaching the ultimate goal, the end of pain?

*Editor: na