This article is two-fold.
First we go over how to overcome the suffering caused by pain.
Then we will discuss practical methods to help deal with the physical pain we all experience at one time or another.
Pain is always of the physical body.
It has its roots in the nervous system.
It can only exists when the body has come under injury or disease.
Pain in this sense is very simple and basic.
It is the firing of pain receptors.
Pain is the start of a lot of peoples suffering.
Suffering is different from pain.
Suffering happens in the mind not in the body.
Suffering is when the mind thinks negative thoughts and creates stories or drama around events or situations.
Drama, with pain as its main actor, is the most common source of suffering in this world.
Many people have victim identities revolving around their physical pain.
Meditation can help drastically with During meditation we sit in silence and focus on a single object such as the breath or a word (mantra).
Doing this allows us to watch the minds habitual thought patterns.
As we meditate we can sort though the drama our minds create.
Sorting though drama as it is happening is wonderfully liberating.
It allows us to take a step back from our drama and creates some space between us and the stories our minds generate.
Creating space between you and the story is the first step in freedom from suffering.
Meditation is a simple process, but it needs to be practiced with diligence and consistency to be effective.
Even a little bit of this practice is beneficial.
Practicing sporadically will only give minimal results at best though.
Sitting quietly in a focused manner for as little as 10-15 minuets a day will begin to clear the mind of old outdated mental clutter.
Clearing the mind of its habitual and recurring thoughts is the first sign of progress in meditation.
As you begin to sit consistently, you will able to simply let thoughts and feelings pass on by while staying centered and focused on your object.
This centeredness then spills over into other areas of your life.
Staying centered in yourself is a big step in the right direction.
The first step in stopping suffering is to no longer creating more.
By not participating in drama you no longer create suffering for yourself or your world.
Developing focus and concentration on a single object without distraction allows you to deal with pain in two ways.
First, you can focus fully on an object and in a sense block out pain.
This is a very effective practice.
There are people who have mastered this practice and use it very effectively.
Gandhi was able to have his appendix removed without any pain medication.
He was fully conscious though out his entire surgery and was reported to have joked and talked with his followers during it.
He experienced tremendous pain, but it didn't affect him in the slightest.
This is the power of focused attention.
Being able to withdraw energy from pain is very useful.
Staying focused and concentrated on an object allows you to nullify some or all of its power.
This is one way to deal with pain.
The other, more intense, practice is to use your focus and attention and dive deeply into the pain as it happens.
This takes a lot of willpower.
It is not for everyone but there are instances where this type of practice is most useful.
Whenever you start to feel the tinges of pain bring the full brunt of your awareness into it.
This way there is no past, no stored memory of pain.
It is dealt with fully in the present moment.
Doing this can help resolve pain.
It can lead to various insights about why pain keeps occurring.
Although rare, this practice can lead to the dissolution of pain and can stop the cause from happening.
Balancing these two practice is key.
Both have their application and both are useful.
The main thing is to stop creating more suffering and deal with what is actually happening.
You can never effectively deal with the past or future only the present.
Sit in meditation and start clearing your mind so you can stop suffering.
Then you will be able to deal with pain effectively.