This freedom can be as strength, as courage, peace, love stillness or any quality or virtue. It seems that the depth of the suffering, the intensity of the pain has a direct and intimate relationship to the intensity, the vibrancy and the vitality of the quality that arises. Whether it be love, sweetness, openness, the more I am gentle, courageous, fearless and loving in the face of the pain,the more the qualities of presence seem to intensify. The pain drops away when there is less resistance to it. It sounds obvious and it is is true but when I can deeply breathe in the pain, allow some space around it. It lessens. When my body relaxes, when pain is causing it to contract, the pain itself is freed.

In allowing pain to be, not wishing or wanting it do go away, there is a natural acceptance and flow. A support arises. That support is intimately connected to breath. It is not easy, to breath in pain. The natural and instinctive reaction is to contract. So we need to learn how to train and retrain ourselves again and again to open, breath and relax in the midst of pain. We need to retrain our mind to stay present in the moment, to not push away the present pain. Accepting what is here now is a key, towards the easing of the contraction, the tightness and the instinct to push away. The more we push away the harder the worse it gets. The more we want the pain to go, to stop, to disappear the more intense the contraction.

It’s a double blind. I certainly don’t advocate bring it on.or I can handle it, give me more philosophy. But if you are dealing with any type of pain, physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, there is a subtle difference between not pushing the pain away and not inviting it either.

What works is to stay calm, to breathe, to bring all my courage, all my gentle sweetness, all my softness and kindness and loving compassion into the present moment to bear the pain.

This is the way in which I can eat pain. With gentleness, I masticate the present moment. I chew it with whatever quality and virtue I can muster in the moment.

It is not easy, it is a difficult and rocky road, especially dealing with any intense, searing pain. The primary orientation is softening, allowing the pain to be. Gently repeating the softening again and again moment by moment. Breath by breath. The repetition then become like a dance or a mantra, and eventually a pathway a doorway a journey towards a deep and boundless peace.

I learn to rest, can rest, deeply rest in the midst of this war, this conflict, this gripping all consuming pain.

posted by Daniel Feenstra at 2:30 PM