Browse
Top articles
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
00:00
00:00
Duration
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.
Today, I'd like to talk about the
difference between pain and suffering.
So to illustrate the difference,
I'm going to share with you a story
that comes from Buddhist teachings,
and it's a story about two arrows.
So let's say that you walking
in the woods and suddenly you
get struck by a small arrow.
It hits you in the arm.
Obviously, this is painful.
You know, it really hurts.
But then your mind responds
to that pain immediately.
So your mind starts to think, oh my
God, who the hell would fire an arrow?
What kind of idiot would do that?
I'll show them pain.
And then, you know what minds
are like, they just go on and on.
Wait, oh my gosh.
What if this wound gets infected
and then my arm no longer works.
It has to be amputated.
I'll lose my job and go broke.
What's going to happen to my family?
Maybe my husband or wife will
leave me because I'll be disabled.
Oh, I am so stupid for coming out here.
I hate this forest.
So the first arrow in this story
represents pain, which is just any
basic unpleasant, unwanted or painful
experience that happened in our lives.
Now it's very unlikely that you or I are
going to get struck by an arrow, but we
do get struck by stressful situations.
Illnesses, and losses,
conflicts with loved ones.
We have misfortunes and setbacks,
traffic jams and noisy neighbors.
That is the first arrow.
Then the second arrow is this.
Because we're often unable to accept the
pain or unpleasantness of what's happening
in our lives, we resist it mentally.
We fight with the reality of the
way things are in the moment.
So we turn the pain into
psychological suffering, or we add
more psychological suffering on top.
Now the Buddha taught that pain is
something that's inevitable in life.
We all experience that.
Suffering, though, is optional.
That's because it's
something we self create.
We often just don't
realize we're doing it.
There's an equation that's really
helpful to understand and that is pain
times resistance equals suffering.
So what this points to is the more
that you mentally resist or fight
against or argue with the pain
of the present moment, the more
psychological suffering you experience.
That's worth saying again.
The more you mentally fight against or
argue with anything that's happening
in your life, the more you will suffer.
Now, conversely, the more acceptance you
bring to the moment, the less you suffer.
And acceptance simply means acknowledging
that yes, this is how it is right now.
What we're experiencing is
just the simple facts of life.
Whether we like it or
not, just is what it is.
So this acceptance puts a stop to that
cycle of pouring mental suffering on top
of our pain, and gives us the mental space
to clearly assess what's happening and
decide how we can most skillfully respond.
As Viktor Frankl once said, "Between
stimulus and a response, there is a space.
And in that space lies our
power to choose our response.
And in our response lies
our growth and our freedom."
So that's the invitation for
practice to bring in more acceptance.
And always, as always, thank you for
your practice and your presence here.
And let's settle in
for today's meditation.
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
Congratulations on taking the first step towards a more mindful life! As a token of our appreciation, we want to offer you an exclusive opportunity to upgrade to Mindfulness Plus+ for a price you won't find anywhere else.
Mindfulness Plus+ is our premium membership that includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and keep practicing throughout all stages of life.
Take this exclusive offer to further your mindfulness skills and experience deeper levels of well-being.
Annual membership
$0
Just a small sample of the life-changing 5-star reviews we get on a daily basis.
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.