Pain and Suffering:Bodymind Reflections

Tom Kasulis, PhD MT WellnessUniversity Distinguished Scholar, Emeritus 28 September 2019The Ohio State Universitykasulis.1@osu.edu

PreliminariesFormat

Breaks, Lunch

Schedule

Goal of Today’s Workshop

How to better address pain and suffering by following a twofold process

1. Understanding

2. Awareness Practice (meditative techniques)

Why the two complement each other

Goal of Today’s WorkshopUnderstanding

Pain and suffering not the same

Limits of treatments assuming mind and body are separateAssumptions behind “mind-body dualism”

Implications of “harmony” and “unity” of mind and body

Alternatives based in inseparability of mind from bodyImplications of single “field of bodymind” for pain

Goal of Today’s WorkshopAwareness Practice

Based on understanding of bodymind:

Learn when and how to engage pain and suffering rather than try to ignore, hide, control, or escape it

Use awareness of discomfort to work toward eliminating suffering and reducing pain

My BackgroundAcademic Profile

Yale BA, MPHIL, PHD: PhilosophyUniversity of Hawaiʽi, East-West Center, MA: Asian philosophy (specialization Japan)President: Amer. Society for Study of Religion; Society for Asian & Comparative Philos.OSU (1991-2015) University Distinguished Scholar, Prof. Emeritus Comparative StudiesPreviously: University of Hawaiʽi, Northland College (Wisconsin);

Visiting professor Harvard, Chicago, Ōsaka, Tōkyō, Ōtani (Kyōto) Universities

Books::

Zen Action/Zen PersonIntimacy or Integrity: Philosophy & cultural differenceShintō: The Way HomeEngaging Japanese Philosophy: A short historyAlso: editor or co-editor (six books), including:

Self as Body in Asian Theory and PracticeYuasa Yasuo’s The Body: Toward an Eastern Mind-Body Theory

My BackgroundStory Behind the Profile

Tale of two grandmothersPhilosophy or Physics? Freshman yearWhat kind of philosophy? Sophomore year Comparative Religion (Catholicism, Buddhism)Clash of world views

Eastern vs Western European (what is philosophy?)Science vs Religion (two truths or one?)West vs East (crisis in grad school)

My BackgroundSome Key Teachers

Sports coaches: Learning through the body; “second nature”; creativity“Good pain” and “bad pain”

Zen master: Kobori-roshi (Japan)Philosopher: Yuasa Yasuo (bodymind) The Body: Toward an

Eastern mind-body theory (Japan)Buddhism studies: Tamaki Kōshirō (practice-theory link) (Japan)Aikidō master: Tōhei Koichi (Japan)Arthritis: constant companion and mentor

Keeping me grounded in present awareness of bodymind field

Why Are You Here?

Questions you want to explore?

Situation you want to address?

Previous experience you want to share at outset?

Pain vs. Suffering

Story of Buddha’s last sermon and death

Pain vs. Suffering

PainSpontaneous physiological responseNatural role of alarm system w/in field of sensationsAlways occurs in present

Suffering Emotional anguish toward pain, can add distress to painIf from past=traumatic memoryIf from future=fearful anticipation

{Lessons to learn from other mammals}

Pain vs. Suffering

Pain

Suffering

Suffering from memories of past traumatic pain

Suffering from fear of future pain

Extra pain caused bysuffering (corona of suffering)

Pain=natural part of sensory engagement in present experienceElimination by either complete detachment or ceasing sensory input

Temporary options: transcendence, dullness through opiates Permanent option: death

Therefore, elimination of pain is ideally only a temporary response

Suffering, however, is a voluntary addition to the sensory pain

So suffering can be eased or even eliminated1st focus on present: no suffering from remembered pain or feared pain“He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” Montaigne

By voluntarily focusing awareness on present:No suffering from remembered pain and feared painReduces pain that accrues to original pain through suffering (“corona”)

sufferingEliminate pain? Eliminate suffering?

3 Voluntary Actions(3 karmas in Indian thought

3 forms of sin or virtue in Christian thought)

Thoughts (image-making in mind)Words (whether spoken or thought)Deeds (actions/behaviors of body)

So, three components of our identity or personalityMindSpeechBody

We will address suffering thru focused awareness in all 3 areas

Focused awareness is not

just a mental activity

Posture & AlertnessExercise: posture, breathing position

CD Track 1: from Shinzen Young, Breaking Through Pain

Awareness of 3 KarmasOur meditative exercises will engage mind, speech, body

Most exercises today developed by Shinzen Young (American Buddhist Teacher), author of (both with accompany CD explaining these meditations)

Breaking Through Pain

Natural Pain Relief

Break

BODYMIND

The Field of Experience

The Dualistic Model of Body-Mind

BodyMind

Source of Dualistic Model

Eternity over impermanenceMind/soul vs body (ancient GreeksChristianity)Ideas vs. matter

17th century compromise between religion & science (Descartes)Ensuing centuries: gradual separation between mind/soul

So new triad body-mind-soul/spiritMind: really actually body? (as brain?)

or separate mechanism (consciousness, unconscious)Relation to understanding of pain & disease, history of medicine

Dualistic Model & Pain(Development of Medicine)

Up through 19th c: disease/pain as imbalance of “humors”painAffected both physical health and psychological temperamentBalance through herbs, blood-letting, purging, fluids, purging

Late 19th –early 20th c.: increased interest in “body electric”Electricity as life force; used in physical and psych treatmentsPain as blockage; short circuit; rerouting or rebooting needed

Antibiotic breakthrough: penicillin late 1920s and use in WWIIEstablished disease as invasion to be attacked/conqueredWarfare between infection and anti-bodies; Drugs as weapons

Today’s rhetoric: “fighting,” “beating,” “conquering,” “war”

Pain in the Dualistic ModelBeyond Drug Therapy

Pain is body’s attack on mind

Pain disrupts thinking and feeling

Mind must establish control

Mind over body; mind transcends body

Or mind disciplines body through physical techniques (yoga, taiji) until mind-body harmony/unity occurs

Overcoming the DualismUnifying Mind-body

Mind Body

Mind Body

Alternative to the Dualistic Mind-body Model

Single Field of BodymindYou are not within the fieldYou are not outside looking at the fieldYou are the self-aware field itself

Field includes what we could call either body or mind Distinction between where field begins and ends is blurred

When we are aware of bodymind field, the bodymind field is aware of itself

Pain is distress or discomfort w/in the field

Bodymind Field

Bodymind

Emotional Reactions w/in Bodymind Field of Discomfort

Exercise from CD track 2

Bodymind Field

Bodymind

Exercise Track 2: Focusing on nature of red

BreakWalking Meditation

Free Floating w/in Bodymind Field of Discomfort

Exercise from CD track 3

Bodymind Field

Bodymind

Track 3: Locating the suffering/pain spots

Ki (Chinese: Qi or Ch’i)The Vital Energy of Bodymind

Ki (Qi) Breathing

BreakWalking Meditation

Discussion of Morning Session

Questions, Comments, Concerns, Sharing

Lunch Break

Identifying Shapes w/in Bodymind Field of Discomfort

Exercise from CD Track 4

Bodymind Field

Bodymind

Track 4: Focusing on spots taking shape, dissolving

BreakWalking Meditation

Beyond the Horizon of the Bodymind Field of Discomfort

Exercise from Track 5

Bodymind Field

Bodymind

Track 5: Focusing on field without the spots

Making the Bodymind Field Your Home Field

Exercise from Track 6

Bodymind

Tracl 6: Bodymind as permeating into everyday world

Bodymind