What is the difference between pain and suffering? Pain is a natural function of the body without which we could not survive. Pain is the ability of the body to feel physical sensation. Physical sensation is direct feedback for everything we do. Physical sensation sets limits on what we can do. In a sense the body and its physical sensations is always connected to truth.
Suffering is very different from pain, suffering is always the result of believing something that is not true. In fact if you are suffering then it must be true that you believe something that is not true. Remember pain is only the natural ability of the body to feel physical sensation. We can turn the natural sensation of the body, in this case pain, and turn it into suffering by adding a belief that is not true. This belief is invariably 'it shouldn't be like this'.
Although this may sound reasonable it is not. If it is raining and we say or think it should not be raining something very strange has occurred - we have somehow come to the conclusion that reality is not what it is but what we think it should be.
When you experience physical pain check to see if it is natural at this point in time to be experiencing this. If it is natural leave it alone, do not add a preference such as 'it shouldn't be like' this'. If you can identify that you are adding 'it shouldn't be like this', to whatever reality you are experiencing you will find that suffering will begin to fade away. Pain without the addition of a belief that is not true is very different from suffering.
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