Pain,
Suffering and Meditative Absorption
By Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks)
(copyright 2006 all rights reserved)
There is a distinction often drawn in Buddhism between suffering and pain, although the Magadan language at the time of the Buddha did not seem to have the sophistication to make that distinction. In the suttas one kind of suffering (dukkha) is seen as the physical experience of the traumas of life, which basically fall into at least one of four categories: birth, sickness and injury, old age, and death. In our language we call this kind of suffering “pain,” and these sources of pain are seen as something that everyone is subject to.
Saccavibhanga
Sutta (MN 141)
The Exposition of the Truths (with dukkha left un-translated)
Friends, what
is the noble truth of dukkha? Birth is dukkha. So too are decay, death, grief,
lamentation, unpleasantness, displeasure and distress. Unfulfilled desires are
also dukkha. In short the five clinging aggregates of cognition are dukkha.
In the suttas there is another kind of suffering, which is the reaction of the mind to the experience of pain. We call this emotional reaction to pain, “suffering.” The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths describes the conditions of emotional suffer thus:
the Four Noble Truths
Mahaparinibbana Sutta (DN
16.2.2)
(with dukkha left un-translated)
"Bhikkhus, it is through not realizing, through not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that this long course of birth and death has been passed through and undergone by me as well as by you. What are these four? They are the noble truth of Dukkha; the noble truth of the origin of Dukkha; the noble truth of the cessation of Dukkha; and the noble truth of the way to the cessation of Dukkha. But now, bhikkhus, that these have been realized and penetrated, cut off is the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed becoming, and there is no fresh becoming."
The implication of the Four Noble Truths is an enlightened one, who is free of the reactions and clinging of the mind, does not suffer. My experience with meditative absorption has shown that a great deal of physical pain can indeed either be reduced or eliminated through meditative absorption. For instance I used to have a great deal of arthritic pain, now I have none. I can go to the dentist and have my teeth drilled on without Novocain. I feel a little unpleasantness, but not much. And, I have had numerous injuries that the pain from them has either been mitigated or eliminated through relinquishment of aversion to the painful experience, the arising of equanimity and other benefits of meditative absorption. A few years ago I even passed kidney stones without sedatives by resorting to meditative absorption during their passage, however, there was still tremendous pain. During these events I just brought my attention to the pain event and allowed meditative absorption to mitigate as much of the pain as it will.
While enlightenment in a Buddhist
and Vedic context is defined by one who has relieved his or her suffering and
anxiety (dukkha), as well as addictive behavior, there appears to be a level of
pain that cannot be effaced by meditative absorption. The Samyutta Nikaya of the
Discourses of the Buddha reveals several examples where a recognized Arahant
disciple of the Buddha gets bit by a poisonous snake or contracts a terminal
disease and calls for the Buddha.
The Buddha comes to the sickbed of the disciple and asks if he or she is
getting better and the pain is diminishing. The disciple says "No." Unfortunately the Buddha
does not seem to offer more than the consolation of a visit. Additionally, the Discourses
of the Buddha also reveal Sidharta Gotama had numerous intestinal inflammations
which it states caused him great pain.
If we look at the gospel of Jesus
we see the passion of Jesus is a central theme in Christianity, and he
is said to have "suffered," however, if he was enlightened then by
definition he would not have suffered, although he may have had pain. A most interesting aspect of the
crucifixion of Jesus is when he is on the cross he
cries out, "Lord, Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?" Why did Jesus cry out this way? I believe it is because he found a
level of pain there on the cross that he found his meditative absorption could
not efface.
There are a number of things to
get out of these stories. One of
those is it is pretty clear that; while the Buddha and Jesus and a number of
their disciples were most probably enlightened, and apparently had some
capacity to relieve pain, suffering and anxiety through meditative absorption;
however, apparently meditative absorption will not efface all levels of pain,
otherwise Jesus would not have said, "Lord, Lord, why hast thou forsaken
me?" And, the Buddha's enlightened
disciples who were severally sick or injured would not have suffered from their
severe pain.
There does seem to be a sense of
disappointment, however, both in the Gospels of Jesus and in the suttas from
finding that meditative absorption will not efface all painful experiences. It
appears that Jesus and the Buddha’s Arahat disciples believed that all
levels of pain and suffering would be mitigated by the ecstasies of meditative
absorption. It is possible that
since the Pali language did not make the distinction between suffering and
pain, that the Buddha’s disciples may have felt that there was no
distinction to be made. And, if
so, their expectation would have been that their physical pain of snake bites,
etc, would be relieved by their entry into meditative absorption. However, the story reveals that the
most severe of pains are not relieved by meditative absorption.
Pain verses Suffering
Thus we should dispense with the myth that jhana can efface all levels of pain, because no matter how good one’s jhana is, there is a level of pain that jhana cannot help one with. The Greek king Milinda (Menander) of Bactria ruled in Northwestern India around the 2nd cent. B.C.E. Milinda was instructed in Buddhism by the Buddhist monk, Nagasena, who answered questions put to him by Milinda. These questions were recorded in the 'Milindapanha'. In this sequence of questions and answers the issue of pain verses suffering was discussed as follows:
Do the Enlightened Feel Pain?
The king said: He who will not be reborn (one who is enlightened) Nâgasena, does he still feel any painful sensation?
The Elder replied: Some he feels and some not'
Which are they?
He may feel bodily pain, O king; but mental pain he would not'
How would that be so?
Because the causes, proximate or remote, of bodily pain still continue, he would be liable to it. But the causes, proximate or remote, of mental agony having ceased, he could not feel it. For it has been said by the Blessed One: One kind of pain he suffers, bodily pain: but not mental.
There is a special case of suffering and pain that occurs
during the dark night of the soul. It is a phase of
hypersensitivity that arises just prior to the charismatic phase, which occurs
in the transition between the 2nd and 3rd jhanas. At this time one can have accentuated joint pain or other
pains that, in my experience can be nearly crippling.
During this experience the contemplative feels as if he or she can feel all of the pain of the world. I have had this experience at a 10-day Vipassana retreat in July of 1990 or 91. At that retreat it seemed like I felt the pain of the world, but it was very physical, and it felt like my skin was on fire. In fact during the whole retreat I felt like I was a burn victim. I nearly went screaming mad, then.
Typically people have a psychotic break at the time of the dark night of the soul, but if they can meet that pain with equanimity, which for me was like being burned at the stake, then one will arrive at a very deep level of jhana, most typically entering into the fourth stage of meditative absorption. In the fourth jhana, one dispenses with both pleasure and pain, and arrives at authentic equanimity.
Eventually I gave into the unpleasant sensations of the dark night of the soul, which transformed them into very pleasant sensations. They still persist with me even today as I write this essay. That is in part why I say I am in jhana (ecstasy) 24/7 because I have these pleasant charismatic sensations all of the time, whether I am in meditation or just walking down the street. I have found by welcoming the sensations of meditative absorption, the unpleasant sensations of the Dark Night of the Soul are transformed from unpleasant to very pleasant sensations, and I believe that is why they are called ecstasy. Also, if some physical ailment or injury befalls this body, then I simply bring my attention away from the sensations of physical pain and to the charismatic sensations, and for the most part I find I am relieved of physical pain. But, for one to use meditative absorption for the relief of pain, one must have developed considerable skill with meditative absorption ahead of the physical pain event.
Chronic pain sufferers have reported the relief of pain through meditation. In fact I have heard more than one chronic pain suffer say they believed their pain was their path to enlightenment. Using pain as a path to enlightenment is using the sensations of pain as one’s meditation object.
Typically how using pain as a meditation object can lead to meditative absorption is by simply bringing one’s awareness to the sensations of the pain. Without engaging the mind in the enquiry and just remaining aware of the sensations, one would want to know if the pain is sharp of dull, where is it located, what shape it is, etc? One must, however, also be aware of the possibility of meditative absorption arising and allow one’s attention to move from the phenomena of the pain event to the phenomena of meditative absorption. It is at this transition from pain phenomena to meditative absorption phenomena that one transitions out of pain and into the bliss of meditative absorption.
Why chronic pain becomes an avenue of enlightenment is because chronic pain brings the suffers to meditate whenever the pain recurs, which if it is chronic, is often. I have found the more one meditates and learns to meditate skillfully, and thus spends more time in meditative absorption, the more transformative meditative absorption can be.
Sources
Milindapanha "The Questions of King Milinda." 1st century AC.
By N.K.G. Mendis, Buddhist Publication Society, 1997, (Selected Passage from The Arhats and their Bodies
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/pali/Milinda.pdf
History of the Greek king Milinda (Menander) of Bactria
http://www.omhros.gr/Kat/History/Greek/Menander.htm
Saccavibhanga Sutta (MN 141) The Exposition of the Truths
Mahaparinibbana Sutta (DN 16.2.2)
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/pali/PTS/SBE11/sbe1103.htm
I can only hope that I have been of some small benefit to you and others. I seek not to cause harm, but only to benefit all beings with every thought word and action. And, if I have inadvertently caused harm, then I only seek your forgiveness and the forgiveness of the others I may have harmed.
If one diligently engages in the contemplative life one will become enlightened in this very life-time,
Sotapanna Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks)