Pain is a given and suffering is optional. Mindfulness of unpleasant feelings, such as pain, can transform pain into fertile soil for wisdom and for freedom from suffering to arise.

Questions précised: 00:23 Q1 Can you give me some advice on self forgiveness? I can easily forgive others but not myself. 15:58 Q2 I don't usually experience deep samadhi but in the past few days there's much stillness in the sitting and the body feels heavy and grounded. Is this the right direction? 19:45 Q3 in order to develop sati we should come out of thoughts or thinking. Isn't that attempt just more thinking? 31:15 Q4 Generally speaking is there a difference in Buddhist approach to emotional psychological pain and physical pain? 40:44 Q5 Can you explain the difference between citta and mind?

Starting with scanning through the body and awakening the senses, we then rest in presence, with the breath as a home base. The meditation invites an openness to whatever arises, and a gentle kind attention if we encounter physical or emotional pain. We end with a prayer that includes our own being and all beings.

00:10 Q1 Please share tips to manage the flurry of emotions that might arise when we're back in our day today busy lives. 20:18 Q2 Sometimes when I think of my own death I don't care. How do we manage acceptance in a way that doesn't become apathetic or dull sense of I don't care. 27:47 Q3 How do you establish presence and find your center when your body is in unbearable pain? 34:16 Q4 Can you speak about the use of pharmaceuticals for perceived mental and physical imbalances?

We cover what compassion is and how it can help soothe our pain much better than avoiding or denying it. We distinguish between compassion and pity and then offer a variety of compassion phrases we can use. In the guided meditation, we begin with a dear friend who is undergoing some kind of suffering and then move on to ourselves, offering self-compassion for our own physical or mental suffering.

When physical or emotional pain is too much, our conditioning is to pull away and avoid direct contact with raw feelings. The result is a trance – we are split off from the wholeness of our aliveness, intelligence and capacity to love. This talk explores how this dissociation shows up in our lives and how mindfulness enables us to integrate cut-off parts of our being in a powerful way, and awaken from this trance.

First half of the talk is on perception and vedanas; the second half is on physical pain.

01:25 Can you clarify what you said about agitation over sound and shifting it to get to the displeasure. How do you dissolve the person who is angry?; 18:54 I experience a lot of pain and have a hard time relaxing in daily life; 23:16 I have a hard time softening my eyes in daily busy life; 26:28 What is the difference between citta, mind and consciousness? What moves between life and life?; 38:37 What is pure awareness?; 40:22 Regarding energy, can you say more about how to handle physical blockages and constrictions in the body? What is the place of energy management? Is that on the path to wisdom?; 50:26 I feel trapped in my head. I can’t feel the breathing; 51:34 Restraint of the senses; 54:03 How can I handle deliberate aggression towards me?; 56:37 What’s the difference between citta and dhamma?; 57:50 What is jhana?;