pilgrim wrote:Ben, I agree with you to a certain extent. In a retreat environment, after developing some concentration, one can focus on the pain and see it as a feeling, rather than identify with it as pain. However, under other circumstances, for e.g sitting in a dentists chair when there is little samadhi, I find it helpful to focus attention on a sensation removed from the pain, like the constant pressure of my feet against the footrest. If I focus on the pain of the dental work, my mind cannot remain as an objective observer for more than a few moments due to the intensity and the dynamic nature of the pain.
I visit dentist once a year. I do not let him give me aesthetic injection even if he does a filling.
I do not think that I will be able to do that if he pulls a tooth out though.
I think people got different pain thresholds based on their Kamma.