Embodied said “then a certain degree of pain can be easily overcome.” From Norman Doidge’s book The Brain’s Way of Healing there’s a lot of research that shows how the brain can alter itself (neuroplastic growth/elimination) to turn off pain via mind exercises which is what vipassana means…“sort out and get rid of undesired thoughts that come to the mind”. I wouldn’t say “easily” though. It takes work.
The mind creates permanent brain neural pathways that keep pain signals firing long past the trauma and healing process. Pain is there to alert you that you’re injured or injuring yourself. What I’ve noticed is this creating of mind/brain functioning goes with any behavior (gati), belief, defilements, etc. This is the dirt in the mind with the reinforcement of brain neural pathways (actual brain areas seen in scans) to keep it going. Like the dirt that settles (asavas, gati) at the bottom, the brain’s neural tissues are still there just waiting to flourish. That’s why when you abstain without change to new sobhana cetaskika (beautiful thoughts) and corresponding brain pathways you fall hard right back into old gati and asavas.
Ultimately, You’ve got to create new thoughts, new neural pathways by seeing the truth about anicca, dukkha and anatta to rid gati and asavas. Everything is in constant flux, so “wanting” something to be according to one’s liking is impossible…and you have to be okay with that. Otherwise, you’ll suffer. If one constantly tries to make it to one’s liking, then you suffer even more, creating more kamma vipaka via abhisankhara. It’s the understanding of this constant flux (anicca nature) that one can’t let tip the apple cart over (suffer).
I work in a grocery store where the anicca nature is high. The constant replenishment and elimination of product on the shelves along challenging customers makes some employees suffer a lot. I’ve come to realize not “wanting” the store to be any particular way allows me not to suffer. I do the best I can and let it go (move on) so as not to create new kamma beeja. This peace and calm allows me to perform well and in an efficient manor.
With metta,
Donna