Pain and Meditation

[Gem]

Originally Posted by A human Being

I guess it reflects their strength of feeling about whatever it is they're protesting. And if you're a deeply empathic and compassionate person, I suppose you are going to have strong feelings about war, say - I mean it's people systematically killing and maiming each other, it's a profoundly sad state of affairs.

It's called self-immolation, which basically means self sacrifice. The original Buddhist self immolation was in reaction to the oppressive Catholic Diem policies of South Vietnam. The burnt man became a martyr for the cause, and when a suicidal act is glorified in such a way other people follow suit. There have been hundreds of self immolations since, and just about all of them were enacted in religious and/or political fervor. We had a young Somalian woman in our 'detention centre' for asylum seekers on Nauru set herself alight last year, as did one male earlier that year. Maybe when the emotional pain of peoples life situations becomes that great burning alive becomes a statement which accurately expresses or represents it.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Gem

It's called self-immolation, which basically means self sacrifice. The original Buddhist self immolation was in reaction to the oppressive Catholic Diem policies of South Vietnam. The burnt man became a martyr for the cause, and when a suicidal act is glorified in such a way other people follow suit. There have been hundreds of self immolations since, and just about all of them were enacted in religious and/or political fervor. We had a young Somalian woman in our 'detention centre' for asylum seekers on Nauru set herself alight last year, as did one male earlier that year. Maybe when the emotional pain of peoples life situations becomes that great burning alive becomes a statement which accurately expresses or represents it.

Blimey, hundreds? Seems to message isn't getting through, in that case!

[Serrao]

Originally Posted by Tirisilex

OK.. I've seen 2 amazing things from meditation. The first is from the Vietnam War. Some monk in protest of the war burned himself alive. Fire is like the worst kind of pain and he sat there without flinching, screaming, or moving. Totaly blocked out the pain. I also sawa video of a Buddhist Monk having Brain Surgery without any anethesia.. He just laid there talking to the Doctors.
So.. My Question is.. Are they Blocking the pain so they dont feel it? Or are they feeling the pain but learned not to react to it?

I think the emotion of protest is stronger than the pain.

[sky]

Detachment....
They detach from their body, hence no pain. Some of us do it without realizing it.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Serrao

I think the emotion of protest is stronger than the pain.

Mm... blimey, that's some powerful emotion right there, in that case