Wiser responses to pleasure and pain
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Nonresistance to pain leads to equanimity
As he is touched by that painful feeling, he is not resistant. No resistance-obsession with regard to that painful feeling obsesses him. Touched by that painful feeling, he does not delight in sensual pleasure.
Why is that? Because the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns an escape from painful feeling aside from sensual pleasure. As he is not delighting in sensual pleasure, no passion-obsession with regard to that feeling of pleasure obsesses him. He discerns, as it actually is present, the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, and escape from that feeling.
As he discerns the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, and escape from that feeling, no ignorance-obsession with regard to that feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain obsesses him.
So we don’t resist the pain we feel, we simply experience it mindfully. We don’t think there’s something wrong with us because we’re feeling pain, and so we don’t resist the pain. Instead we simply accept it. We allow it to be there, and we surround it with mindful awareness.
Because we don’t think there’s something wrong with experiencing pain, we don’t feel the need to “fix” things by seeking pleasure. We also, as the sutta says, “discern an escape from painful feeling aside from sensual pleasure.” This escape from painful feeling consists of simply observing the painful feeling arising, existing, and passing away. It consists of not identifying with the painful feeling, and of seeing it as an experience that’s simply passing through.
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