My last Soul Wisdom sparked a few questions about pain and suffering, the two subjects in life which are most frequently avoided.  However, since "that which you resist, persists", it behooves all of us to come to terms with these two topics.  Our resistance to pain and suffering would no longer be a magnet drawing to us exactly what we DON'T desire.

     I believe it is important to differentiate between pain and suffering.  Loosely translated, the Second Noble Truth of Buddhism says that pain is inherent in life; suffering is optional.  I believe that pain is an uncomfortable sensation which occurs in the present moment.  Pain happens in the here and now.  For example, if I have a toothache no matter what is going on in my day, I am still present to the pain in my mouth.  I may be trying to work, clean my house, have a conversation, but the pain will keep pulling me back into my body.  The feeling in my body is pain.  However, since this is an uncomfortable sensation, I resist it.  I try to pretend it isn't there and push it away some how.

     Emotional and mental pain work in the same fashion as physical pain.  If I am avoiding feeling some form of emotional pain such as grief or pushing away some kind of mental anguish, my body still keeps trying to get me to deal with it by presenting me with a limp in my throat or obsessive perseverating kinds of thoughts constantly running through my mind.  No matter what avoidance techniques I might use (eating is my favorite) as soon as I sit alone in the quiet, all that pain comes flying to the surface.

     It is my trying to resist the feeling of pain that causes problems.  My effort to ignore the pain, pretend like it's not there is actually what prolongs and causes suffering.  Suffering occurs by not being present to the moment.  All suffering comes from a thought, the initiating idea "resisting what is actually happening; a painful feeling".  It is the resistance to feeling the feeling that causes one's suffering.  If I stop trying to push away the feeling, get into the current moment and be with  Now, I will do something about the pain.  It becomes the motivator.  Suffering disappears with the acceptance of this pain and the required action to deal with it.  When I am in the current moment and feeling the  pain, I call the dentist much more rapidly.  If I feel the grief or loss regarding a relationship, I create space for a new relationship.  Your feelings are your truth.  Suffering comes from the belief that you need to resist your truth.  Unfortunately some of the time one's truth is pain.  If you can accept your pain, invariably both suffering and pain would diminish.