Your description of applying equanimity to pain is somewhat familiar. I gained this ability suddenly and seemingly independently of meditation. I agree that “not fighting it” is fitting but incomplete. I think a better one is “don’t look away, but straight at it”.
Mine is limited to injury- and to some extent fatigue-type pain, it hasn’t worked for head- or stomach aches or itches. There’s also an element of predictability: it works best when the pain is constant, less when it comes with a movement, and worst when its unpredictable. I still have a startle reaction to injury, and sometimes a short bit of pain before I’ve “processed it”. I also haven’t had good sensations become better. I almost wanted to say that it makes them fade too, sort of like you’d expect from equanimity (though that isn’t how I think of it) - it used to do that, but I realised it hasn’t in a long time.
I definitely think developing equanimity without meditation is a thing. The description checks out.
About the applicability, maybe you could extend it to other types of injuries (and positive sensations!) with a higher skill level? I doubt there are different types that work differently.
Just curious what you make of this:
Your description of applying equanimity to pain is somewhat familiar. I gained this ability suddenly and seemingly independently of meditation. I agree that “not fighting it” is fitting but incomplete. I think a better one is “don’t look away, but straight at it”.
Mine is limited to injury- and to some extent fatigue-type pain, it hasn’t worked for head- or stomach aches or itches. There’s also an element of predictability: it works best when the pain is constant, less when it comes with a movement, and worst when its unpredictable. I still have a startle reaction to injury, and sometimes a short bit of pain before I’ve “processed it”. I also haven’t had good sensations become better. I almost wanted to say that it makes them fade too, sort of like you’d expect from equanimity (though that isn’t how I think of it) - it used to do that, but I realised it hasn’t in a long time.
I definitely think developing equanimity without meditation is a thing. The description checks out.
About the applicability, maybe you could extend it to other types of injuries (and positive sensations!) with a higher skill level? I doubt there are different types that work differently.