Buddhist resources on coping with pain

A place to discuss health and fitness, healthy diets. A fit body makes for a fit mind.
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Buddhist resources on coping with pain

Post by danieLion »

I guess this is just informational. These are only the ones I've listened to or read. So, if you know of more please add, especially if they're suttas with content about pain, illness, sickness, aging, death, healing, etc... .
Kind wishes.
Daniel


AUDIO:

Ines Freedman (really great practical tips):
-Working with Pain: http://www.audiodharma.org/series/57/talk/1780" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Guided Meditations for Working with Pain: http://www.audiodharma.org/series/57/talk/1781/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-Working with Pain by Bhikkhu Bodhi: http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/2168.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (wherein he discusses asking Joseph Goldstein for meditation advice for dealing with pain).

Reverend Thanissaro:
-Pain Is Not the Enemy: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/1205 ... _Enemy.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Pain, Self & Not-self: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/1202 ... t-self.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Facing Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/1111 ... g_Pain.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Be Bigger than Your Pains: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/1009 ... 0Pains.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Insight Into Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/1006 ... 20Pain.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Facing Pain Straight On: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/1002 ... ght-on.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Comprehending Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/0907 ... 20Pain.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Friends With Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/0508 ... 20Pain.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Pleasure & Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/0504 ... 20Pain.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (same as text below)
-Pain & Suffering: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/0212 ... fering.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-The Uses of Pleasure & Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/0108 ... 20Pain.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (same as text below)

TEXT:

Reverend Thanissaro:
-Pleasure & Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writ ... 20Pain.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (same as audio above)
-The Uses of Pleasure & Pain: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writ ... 20Pain.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (same as audio above)

Reverend Lee:
-Handbook for the Relief of Suffering: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... dbook.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Upasika Kee Nanayon:
-The Details of Pain: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... .html#pain" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-For Meditators When They Are Ill: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... ddose.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (one of my favorites)

Reverend Boowa:
-Straight From the Heart: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... aight.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In particular, the essays:
-"Feelings of Pain" and
-"Investigating Pain" (some more of my favorites).
This whole book is good for ill practitioners as it's a transcription of talks the Reverend gave to one of his students dying of cancer.

Suttas:
-The Stone Silver/SN 1.38 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-The Arrow/SN 36.6 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-The Sick Ward/SN 36.7 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Sick/SN 41.10 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Ill/SN 46.14, the Gilana Sutta I: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Old Age/SN 48.41 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Illness/SN 52.10. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Two People/AN 3.51 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Two People (2)/AN 3.52 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-Subjects for Contemplation: AN 5.57 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-To a Sick Man/AN 5.121 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Non Theravadin Teachers:
Shinzen Young, Breakthrough Pain. Synopsis: http://www.shinzen.org/Articles/artPain.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Darlene Cohen, e.g.: http://www.darlenecohen.net/welcome/mindfulness.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (she wrote some books too).
Last edited by danieLion on Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

Forgot this:

Audio:

A Refuge from Death: http://www.dhammatalks.org/mp3_collections_index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chants (group), Suttas Read, & Dhamma Talks by Reverend Thanissaro (Nice for contemplation).

(scroll down about two thirds of way)

Best,
Daniel
User avatar
reflection
Posts: 1116
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:27 pm

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by reflection »

Ajahn Jayasaro - Buddhist Meditation (9) Physical Pain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrVwj1dx_BU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

Thanks, reflection.
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

Using Meditation to Deal with Pain, Illness & Death by Reverend Thanissaro: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... nhelp.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very practical.
Excerpt:
As you strip away all the mental paraphernalia surrounding your pain — including the idea that the pain is yours or is happening to you — you find that you finally come down to the label that simply says, This is a pain and it's right there. When you can get past this, that's when your meditation undergoes a breakthrough. One way is to simply notice that this label will arise and then pass away. When it comes, it increases the pain. When it goes, the pain subsides. Then try to see that the body, the pain and your awareness are all three separate things — like three pieces of string that have been tied into a knot, but which you now untie. When you can do this, you find that there is no pain that you cannot endure.

Another area where meditation can help you is to live with the simple fact of your body being ill. For some people, accepting this fact is one of the hardest parts of illness. But once you have developed a solid center in your mind, you can base your happiness there, and begin to view illness with a lot more equanimity. We have to remember that illness is not cheating us out of any-thing. It's simply a part of life. As I said earlier, illness is normal; health is miracle. The idea of all the complex systems of the body functioning properly is so improbable that we shouldn't be surprised when they start breaking down.

Best,
Daniel
User avatar
Modus.Ponens
Posts: 3853
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:38 am
Location: Gallifrey

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by Modus.Ponens »

Have you tried the paritta chants on the 7 factors of enlightenment? They are suposed to cure illnesses. I've had a tooth ache one time, i read one of the parittas on the 7FOE and the pain went away. Coincidence? Maybe, but for someone who is in real pain, it wouldn't hurt to try.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

Modus.Ponens wrote:Have you tried the paritta chants on the 7 factors of enlightenment? They are suposed to cure illnesses. I've had a tooth ache one time, i read one of the parittas on the 7FOE and the pain went away. Coincidence? Maybe, but for someone who is in real pain, it wouldn't hurt to try.
:reading:
Thanks Modus.Ponens
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

reflection wrote:Ajahn Jayasaro - Buddhist Meditation (9) Physical Pain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrVwj1dx_BU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Reverend Jayasaro wrote:Working with pain is not something you want to do very often.... Your enjoyment of meditation is probably the most important condition for you to be able to maintain a steady mediation practice. If you start to conceive of meditation as being a daily struggle with pain before long you might find some pretty good reasons to cut down the sessions or eliminate them altogether, because nobody wants to have to deal with that on such a regular basis. So, every now and again take on pain as a meditation object. It's an important part of meditation and a good skill to learn... (8:25-9:20)
:clap:
User avatar
Modus.Ponens
Posts: 3853
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:38 am
Location: Gallifrey

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by Modus.Ponens »

Note that the parittas on the 7FOE were rcited by a monk to a sick person. Even the Buddha once heard a paritta by someone else, so maybe the full power of a paritta is only harnessed when it is recited to you by a monk.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

Thanks to reflection for the Rev. Jayasaro link where I found this.

Dealing With Pain and Using Suffering as a Vehicle for Enlightenment by Reverend Yuttadhammo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BldDclol ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by danieLion on Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

Modus.Ponens wrote:...i read one of the parittas on the 7FOE...
Hi Modus.Ponens,
Do you mean SN 46.14-16, the Gilana Suttas 1-3?
Best,
Daniel
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

SUTTAS:

Thanks to Modus.Ponens for the lead.

SN 46.16, the Gilana Sutta III: Ill. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .piya.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Piyadassi Thera Tr; cf. SN 46.15 the Gilana Sutta II: Ill which I couldn't find online).
User avatar
marc108
Posts: 463
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:10 pm

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by marc108 »

danieLion wrote: -Working with Pain by Bhikkhu Bodhi: http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/2168.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (wherein he discusses asking Joseph Goldstein for meditation advice for dealing with pain).
this was an awesome talk. really puts the small amount of pain i have into perspective. it's also really neat to hear a monastic taking instruction from one of the great lay masters.

my first teacher has severe rheumatoid arthritis. i had some pretty bad pain come up during extended periods of sitting, and when i asked him how he sat with his pain he gave me the same instruction the Joseph Goldstein gave, to use the pain as an object of concentration. it's unbelievably difficult, and thusfar i have not been able to do it effectively. gives me even more respect for Bhikkhu Bodhi.
"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
User avatar
Modus.Ponens
Posts: 3853
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:38 am
Location: Gallifrey

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by Modus.Ponens »

danieLion wrote:
Modus.Ponens wrote:...i read one of the parittas on the 7FOE...
Hi Modus.Ponens,
Do you mean SN 46.14-16, the Gilana Suttas 1-3?
Best,
Daniel
I don't know. The Book of Protection can be found on ATI. Here is the link to the part of the book that's relevant here:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... n.html#s12" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Pain, Pain, Pain!!!

Post by danieLion »

marc108 wrote:
danieLion wrote: -Working with Pain by Bhikkhu Bodhi: http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/2168.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (wherein he discusses asking Joseph Goldstein for meditation advice for dealing with pain).
this was an awesome talk. really puts the small amount of pain i have into perspective. it's also really neat to hear a monastic taking instruction from one of the great lay masters.

my first teacher has severe rheumatoid arthritis. i had some pretty bad pain come up during extended periods of sitting, and when i asked him how he sat with his pain he gave me the same instruction the Joseph Goldstein gave, to use the pain as an object of concentration. it's unbelievably difficult, and thusfar i have not been able to do it effectively. gives me even more respect for Bhikkhu Bodhi.
I share your sentiments precisely. When I heard it Bhikkhu Bodhi was all ready one of my favorite teachers and I like Goldstein a lot too. I do have pain levels comparable to Bodhi's, but I guess I'm not as tough as he (yet?), because I haven't figured out a way to be productive with chronic pain as he evidently has. We all know how prolific he is, and to do it with his chronic pain issues is truly inspiring.
Best,
Daniel
Post Reply