Meditation And Chronic Pain

If neither you nor anyone immediate to you has had chronic pain, it is nearly impossible to relate to. This can make the battle more difficult for the sufferer, adding to the pile of stress loading on. There are no simple answers, but if some of these conclusions gleaned through years of chronic pain and Zen practice can help, the time spent writing this will have been worth it.

I belonged to a Zen lineage where sitting meditation, or zazen, was done in a formal position in 35 minute blocks. A retreat, or sesshin, can see as much as ten hours required sitting, plus whatever else you wish to put in on your own. This can induce excessive pain even to healthy individuals. Unfortunately, I have a bone disease, have had dozens of tumors removed, and have dozens more remaining. Meditating in a formal position was like sitting on rocks. But in formal zazen you aren’t allowed to move or fidget. (MORE)

Source: Vancouver Observer