The funny thing about pain. (16 min 16 sec)

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(P.A.I.N) Portal to Acceptance, Inner Now.

Pain is a portal to a deeper acceptance of the present moment.

Hey, you know, when it comes to pain, it's like a battlefield, and it can feel like a never-ending struggle. We often try to solve our pain on the same level it was created, kind of like fighting fire with fire. But here's the thing: that's a bit like playing a game where there's no real winner. It's like a tug-of-war that never ends.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. There's this higher level, a realm beyond the battlefield of pain – it's called the realm of spirit. Think of it as rising above the chaos and turmoil, like soaring above the storm clouds. This is where things really change.

See, when we get caught up in who did what to whom, it's like fighting a losing battle. It's a bit like trying to untangle a big knot – the more you pull, the tighter it gets. But there's a place beyond all of this, beyond the concepts of right and wrong, where we can find peace and understanding.

Imagine it like a secret meeting place. Someone once said, 'There's a place out there beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing; I'll meet you there.' It's an invitation to go beyond the labels and judgments, to a place of deep connection and understanding.

So, when you encounter pain, remember that there's a higher level where you can rise above the battlefield. It's a journey to a realm of spirit, where you'll find a different perspective and a more profound sense of peace. It's like discovering a hidden world beyond the chaos of right and wrong, and it's an invitation to meet others there in a place of true understanding."

1. Labeling Painful Events: An event happens, and we label it as painful.

Why it's true: Pain is a subjective experience, and how we perceive and label events is based on our individual interpretations and beliefs.

2. Assigning Meaning: We are assigning meaning to a neutral event.

Why it's true: Our thoughts and beliefs influence how we interpret events, attributing meaning that does not inherently exist.

3. Desire to Avoid Pain: We resist experiencing pain, yet we entertain negative thoughts.

Why it's true: We claim we want to avoid the discomfort of pain, but our minds paradoxically dwell on negative thoughts.

4. Escaping Pain Intensifies It: Running from pain makes it more real and intensifies its hold on us.

Why it's true: Avoidance amplifies our focus on pain, reinforcing its significance.

5. Resistance Increases Intensity: The more we resist pain, the more it intensifies.

Why it's true: Resistance strengthens the power of pain, as it becomes more prominent in our awareness.

6. Deriving Benefit from Pain: We derive some form of benefit from pain, or else we'd avoid it.

Why it's true: Pain serves as a catalyst for change, prompting us to confront issues and make necessary adjustments.

7. Unseen Attachment to Pain: We fail to recognize the attachment we have to pain.

Why it's true: Our attachment to familiar patterns, even if they cause pain, is subconscious and difficult to admit.

8. Questioning Pain's Reality: We rarely, if ever, question whether pain is real, though true reality is unchanging.

Why it's true: We tend to accept pain as real due to our sensory experiences, but spiritual teachings encourage us to question its ultimate reality.

9. Inability to Eradicate Pain: We can't eliminate pain because it's not real.

Why it's true: Non-dualistic teachings illustrate that pain is a fleeting and illusory facet of the human experience.

10. Temporary Relief Through Distraction: Alcohol, drugs, money, sex, women, and religion offer momentary respite for psychological pain.

Why it's true: Distractions indeed provide a temporary sense of relief and escape from psychological pain. We turn to these methods as coping mechanisms to numb our discomfort. However, while they may offer a brief reprieve, they do not address the underlying causes of the pain. As a result, the pain resurfaces once the effects of these distractions wear off, leaving us in a recurring cycle of seeking relief without genuinely resolving the root issues. Distractions numb the mind temporarily but do not address the root causes of pain.

11. The Cycle of Pain and Suffering: The cycle of pain and suffering continues until we change our perception of pain.

Why it's true: As long as we view pain as real and seek external solutions, the cycle persists.

12. Change in Perception: The only way out is to change our perception of pain.

Why it's true: Transformation begins with a shift in how we view and relate to our experiences, including pain.

13. Pain's Psychological Origin: Pain is psychological and stems from our thoughts, beliefs, and attachments.

Why it's true: Any substantial spiritual philosophy underscores the significant role of the mind in both generating and interpreting the experience of pain.

14. Going Deep into Pain: We must be willing to explore pain deeply to see that it isn't real.

Why it's true: Deep self-examination reveals the illusory nature of pain and leads to liberation from suffering.

15. Impartiality of Pain: Pain is impartial and nonjudgmental.

Why it's true: Pain doesn't discriminate; it confronts everyone regardless of their background and circumstances.

16. Pain Responds to Our Desires: Pain responds to our desires, delivering what we seek.

Why it's true: Our focus and expectations influence the intensity and timing of pain's manifestations.

17. Invisibility of Pain: The funny thing about pain is that we can't see it.

Why it's true: Pain is a subjective experience and doesn't have a physical form.

18. Inconvenient Timing: Pain is never convenient.

Why it's true: Pain arises at any moment, often when we least expect or desire it.

19. Unhidden Pain: We can't hide pain.

Why it's true: Pain manifests in our behavior, expressions, and interactions, making it evident to others.

20. Personal Experience of Pain: Pain is personal.

Why it's true: While we all experience pain, the way we perceive and react to it is deeply individual.

21. Pain as a Teacher: Pain is a powerful teacher if we allow it to be.

Why it's true: Pain carries valuable lessons and insights when we approach it with openness.

22. Relentlessness of Pain: Pain is relentless, and we should be thankful for it.

Why it's true: The persistence of pain prompts us to address underlying issues and grow spiritually.

23. Guilt and Projection onto Pain: Pain carries feelings of guilt projected onto it.

Why it's true: We project our own guilt and negative emotions onto the experience of pain.

24. Pain as Resistance to the Present: Pain is a form of resistance to "what is."

Why it's true: Pain arises when we resist or deny the present moment and its challenges.

25. Pain as Arrogance: Pain is a form of arrogance.

Why it's true: Pain results from our insistence on clinging to our own beliefs and desires, refusing to accept a different reality.

26. Not in the Present Moment: Pain is never in the present moment.

Why it's true: Pain relates to past experiences or future fears, drawing our attention away from the present.

27. Pain's Ephemeral Nature: Pain is always on its way out, offering moments of grace.

Why it's true: Pain, like all experiences, is impermanent and eventually dissipates.

28. Fleeting Nature of Pain: Pain is fleeting.

Why it's true: Pain comes and goes, reminding us of its transient nature.

29. Illusory Character of Pain: Pain is an illusion.

Why it's true: Non-dualistic teachings show that pain is a subjective construct, not a fundamental reality.

30. Effect, Not Cause: Pain is the effect, not the cause.

Why it's true: Pain results from underlying causes, such as our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions.

31. Pain as a Friend: What if pain is our friend?

Why it's true: Pain is an opportunity for spiritual awakening and discovery of the Self.

32. Facing Pain vs. Ignoring It: Turning toward pain differs from ignoring it.

Why it's true: One approach acknowledges pain's illusory nature, while the other treats it as real.

33. Purposeful Encounters with Pain: Pain serves a purpose, and there are no chance encounters.

Why it's true: Pain serves as a revealing indicator of aspects within our experiences that require attention, aspects that might otherwise remain unnoticed were it not for the presence of pain.

34. There's no hierarchy of pain.

Why it's true: Pain is a universal human experience, and there is no ranking or hierarchy of pain. All forms of suffering are equal in the sense that they all stem from the same root cause, which is the belief in separation from our Source and a higher spiritual truth.

35. All pain arises from a belief in separation from our Source.

Why it's true: The core cause of all pain and suffering is the mistaken belief that we are separate from our divine Source and from each other. This separation is an illusion, but our minds perceive it as real, leading to feelings of pain and distress.

36. Pain is projection from Mind (not the brain) onto the body.

Why it's true: The mind is the source of our experiences, including pain. It's not the physical brain that generates pain but the mind's interpretations and projections onto the body. Pain is a mental response to external circumstances.

37. Pain is an interpretation and response to external phenomena - mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, job, neighbor, etc.

Why it's true: Pain arises from how we interpret and respond to external events and relationships. Our perceptions and judgments of others lead to pain when they are based on separation and ego rather than love and unity.

38. Pain represents the different aspects of ourselves that we believe are too painful to look at, so we push it out onto others.

Why it's true: We project our own inner pain, guilt, and unresolved issues onto others because facing these aspects within ourselves is uncomfortable. This projection results in conflicts and emotional pain.

39. We always do 100x more damage to ourselves (causing pain) than any so-called perpetrator has ever done.

Why it's true: Our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves are more punitive and harmful than any external situations we encounter. We subject ourselves to harsh self-judgment and criticism, becoming our own harshest critics and causing ourselves more distress than external circumstances ever could. This is because our inner perceptions and self-critiques are deeply rooted in the ego's sense of separation and guilt, which result in profound internal suffering.

40. We ingest pain repeatedly, expecting others to hurt us.

Why it's true: We hold onto past pain and expect others to hurt us in similar ways. This anticipation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, leading to a cycle of pain.

41. Pain is a derivative of fear and the absence of love.

Why it's true: Pain is the absence of love and the presence of fear. When we disconnect from love and unity, fear takes hold, leading to pain. Conversely, when we let go of fear and open ourselves to love, pain dissipates, leaving us in the presence of love. 

42. Pain is spiritual deprivation.

Why it's true: Pain is a sign of spiritual disconnection and deprivation. It occurs when we forget our true spiritual nature and identify solely with the physical world.

43. Our view of pain is distorted, and we're always working with partial evidence.

Why it's true: Our perception of pain is distorted because we see only a fragment of the larger spiritual reality. Our limited perspective leads us to misunderstanding the true nature of pain.

44. Pain says to us that our best ideas and thoughts have led us to where we are...perhaps there's another way.

Why it's true: Pain serves as a wake-up call, prompting us to question our current beliefs and thought patterns. Our existing ideas aren't leading us to true happiness and fulfillment, encouraging us to explore a different way of looking at things.

45. We clearly don't know the difference between what hurts and what feels good; otherwise, we'd choose what feels good every time.

Why it's true: We mistake short-term pleasures for genuine happiness, missing the deeper, lasting fulfillment found in spiritual understanding.

46. "Hey there, you know, when it comes to pain, it's a bit like a secret that many of us aren't aware of.

You see, sometimes we think we need someone else to rescue us from our pain, to make it all better. But guess what? Nobody can truly save us from our own experiences, especially when it comes to the inner world of our minds.

Here's the thing: you don't actually need to be 'saved' in the traditional sense. That's where non-dualism comes in – it's a fancy way of saying that everything we experience, including pain, is a creation of our own minds. It's like we're the authors of our own story.

So, instead of waiting for someone or something to swoop in and rescue us, we have the power within ourselves to find our way out of pain. It's a bit like being your own hero. You're the captain of your own ship, steering through the storms of life.

And here's a cool twist: when you start to realize that the pain you're feeling is a creation of your own mind, you can actually start to let it go. You're like, 'Thank God, this perceived pain has already been solved for me!' It's like discovering that the monster under your bed was just a shadow all along – it's not as scary as you thought.

So, remember, when it comes to pain, you're not alone, and you're certainly not helpless. You have the power to save yourself, to navigate the waters of your mind, and to let go of what's not serving you. It's all part of this incredible journey called life."