Reverend’s Message
Here is the Pure Land
The Pure Land is here
I smile in mindfulness
And dwell in the present moment…
~”Finding Our True Home; Living in the Pure Land Here and Now” (2003)
By Thich Nhat Hanh
We all have some type of pain. It could be physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual and we do
not experience this pain in the same way. In 1980, there was an article in Science magazine titled “How
Mindfulness Disconnects Our Sense of Self from Our Feeling of Pain”. The author was Eric Kube.
In this article, the author wrote about a study on Nepalese porters. These porters were accustomed
to carrying very heavy and large loads of equipment up the slopes of the Himalayas. They were tested,
rated and compared to Westerners on the same trip, on how painful they felt after an electric shock.
The comparison of the Westerners to the Nepalese porters was quite different. The porters reported
that their pain was far less severe than their counterparts. Although both groups showed the same
neurological response to the pain stimuli, it was how the porters and counterparts perceived the shock.
The various researchers of this study attributed the differences to “cultural imposed stoicism”. In
other words, culture played a large part in why there was a difference. The Nepalese porters found that
their Buddhist spiritual exercise was important on how they dealt with pain. One key aspect for these
porters was the Buddhist tradition of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges from paying attention to what is at hand and on
purpose. It is being in the present moment and nonjudgmental to the “unfolding” experience moment to
moment. More researchers took a scientific insight into how mindfulness alters the brain’s response to
pain.
There was yet another study published, but in another magazine called Pain and its researchers
found a consistent finding in the results. There were 2 groups of participants, and they were to rate how
painful a heat stimulus felt before and after either listening to a neural (nerve) audiobook or participating
in a guided meditation. The results showed that the meditation group reported a significantly lower pain
intensity.
An MRI analysis showed that those in the meditation group showed a decreased connection
between the pain processing centers of the brain and in the area where the brain connects in the
construction and maintenance of the self. The author stated that “mindful meditation” exerts a
pain-relieving effect by “uncoupling” our nerve connection between the self and incoming pain stimuli. In
other words, mindful meditation works by disconnecting our experience of pain from who we think and
feel ourselves to be.
A good example is standing too close to a fire and this fire can become very intense. However, if we
take a few steps back, one can still feel the heat, but not as intense. Our senses and brain tell us to
move away.
Mindfulness can train our brains to put distance between the self and pain. A noted mindful
instructor and author by the name of Bhante (title for Theravada monks) Saranpala stated in The Epoch
Times that “…mindful meditation helps us to differentiate our sense of self from the ever-changing
phenomena that we tend to cling to…what happens with meditation is that it prepares us to let go of our
pain then this letting go is the process that brings you the relief.” According to Bhante Saranpala. The
core component in training of mindfulness is the “art of breathing”. Breathing “grounds” us and our body
become stable and the results can be calm and tranquil. This tranquility, stableness, calmness and
relaxation of the mind and body can bring about healing.
All this research and we have our own type of mindfulness within our very being. It is our
Nembutsu/Namu Amida Butsu. It is calming, and can bring about tranquility and stability in our lives. It
is the true state of mind and heart of Nembutsu that can “rewire” our thinking and even release (letting
go) of our pain. Pain is impermanent and at times, can be out of our control. Yet it is Nembutsu that will
share guidance and direction.
Nembutsu is patience, hearing, learning and understanding that is pure and gentle. When we recite
Namu Amida Butsu, it is our action and cherishing of our mind and heart.
Gassho
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano
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