Teaching #8: The Pain of Life and Your Reaction to it
The Buddha is pointing to the idea that suffering is an experience of the mind. He’s not offering you relief from pain; he’s offering you relief from the extra mental reactivity that causes your misery.
Chapter 4, Pg 36
For your reflection: This week be alert to situations in which you feel a contraction in the body or in the mind. Ask yourself, “Am I suffering in this moment?” Then start to experiment with separating the physical or emotional difficulty from your mind’s reaction to what’s painful. Which is worse?