Buddhist monks have a secret to reduce suffering — even when you're in pain

National Geographic

7 hours ago

Young Buddhist monks use muscles as well as meditation during their stay at the Dongzhulin Monastery in the mountainous northwest of Yunnan, China. Photograph by Gilles Sabrie, Nat Geo Image Collection
Much of the global population suffers from chronic pain. Here's what we can learn from Buddhism about how to manage it.
Is it possible to feel physical pain without suffering? For thousands of years, that question has fueled Buddhist mindfulness practices that combat pain relief by embracing the inevitability of suffering.
Today, an estimated 10 percent of the global population suffers from chronic pain, and the U.S. spends more on combating chronic pain than diabetes and cancer combined.
Actor Chris Hemsworth is no stranger to physical suffering, as he's struggled with chronic back pain for much of his life. In episode three of Limitless: Live Better Now (streaming on Disney+ and Hulu starting August 15 and on National Geographic starting August 25), the 41-year-old travels to South Korea, where people treat pain with both ancient wisdom and modern science. There, he searches for tools to help him live with chronic pain—or transcend it.
(How walking can prevent lower back pain.) Befriending pain
'Discerning pain from suffering is at the heart of Buddhism,' says palliative care physician and pain expert BJ Miller , who's featured in the show. '[It's] a time-tested way to unburden yourself and live with what you can't control.'
Buddhism—a belief system followed by approximately 4.1 percent of the world's population and about 17 percent of South Korean adults—teaches that suffering and desire are part of the human condition. That might seem like bad news for people experiencing the physical and emotional turmoil of pain, but Buddhism emphasizes a path out.
To attain liberation from pain, practitioners must learn not only to accept it, but to also realize its impermanence.
This is something deeply familiar to Jeong Yeo, a Buddhist monk of 50 years who rose to become Grand Patriarch of the Beomeosa Temple in South Korea in 2023. He uses a mix of storytelling, science, and psychology in his teachings.
'In Buddhism, we do not try to avoid or remove suffering,' he explains. 'Instead, we try to see suffering as it truly is.'
All branches of Buddhism involve examining suffering; the Buddha himself is quoted saying that suffering and its end were all he taught. But Buddhists' approach to suffering varies. Seon Buddhism, a branch of the religion followed in Korea, is similar to Zen, and involves meditation, bowing, contemplation, study, and other practices.
'In Korean Buddhism, the solution to suffering is not simply healing or peace, but to delve into the core of existence,' says Yeo. By diving into suffering instead of trying to fend it off, he says, one can begin to realize that pain is a thought just like any other. 'The fundamental mind does not know pain or suffering,' he explains. Instead, a human's attachment to their own thoughts generates the concept of pain and suffering.
(How you can change your body's threshold for pain.)
Yeo learned this the hard way when he once suffered a head injury while laboring at a temple. Reeling from a long fall and a bleeding head, he managed to move his focus from the aching pain to his mind. Beneath the pain, he says, he found a part of himself that was unworried about his suffering.
'When I reflected on my mind, I observed that [it] did not waver from the injury and it was serene and peaceful,' he recalls. 'I realized that no matter the circumstances, the mind is always peaceful and unmoving, clear and quiet. This is the difference between pain and suffering.'
Not only are Buddhist practices associated with pain relief for some followers, but they are even considered powerful enough to help some come to terms with disability and death.
That doesn't surprise Miller, who took Hemsworth to the Beomeosa Temple to immerse him in sometimes painful activities like prostration meditation, which involves folding the body into a reverent bow over 100 times in one session.
Miller compares pain to an unwelcome houseguest. 'If he won't leave, then you might as well invite him to have a seat and figure out some way to get along.' The science of Buddhism
The perceived ability of Buddhist practitioners to rise above pain has long intrigued scientists, especially as the religion's tenets have spread in the West.
'There's much to be said for going into the feeling of pain,' says Miller. 'And no doubt it has things to teach us.' So do other, less painful forms of mindfulness—and research suggests it may not take long to see results.
In one 2014 study, researchers used meditation as an intervention for people with migraine pain. Participants took a 20-minute guided meditation class based on the Buddhist concept of 'loving kindness,' which involves cultivating compassion toward the self and others. Afterwards, these migraine sufferers reported 33 percent less pain and 43 percent less tension, leading researchers to conclude that meditation may be 'an effective, quick, and portable means of reducing pain and emotional tension.'
(Why synthetic pot could be the future of pain relief.)
There are plenty of theories regarding the physical benefits of mindfulness. Potential advantages include a stronger immune system, better sleep, even a reduction in suicidal or other intrusive thoughts.
Despite researchers trying to understand the science of meditation and other Buddhist practices for decades, their findings vary wildly. Some studies suggest that advanced meditation techniques that de-emphasize a person's inner narrative are more effective for pain relief than those focusing on a single thought or object.
Others have found physical differences in long-time practitioners. A 2024 review of 21 brain studies found that meditation 'causes structural and functional changes in large-scale brain networks.'
Another study asked 13 Zen meditators and 13 non-meditators to undergo fMRI scans while experiencing moderate pain. Compared to their counterparts, the meditators' brains showed less activity in brain regions linked to emotion. Those who didn't meditate showed more activation in brain regions associated with pain, leading researchers to conclude that meditation may help decrease sensitivity to pain.
Befriending the mind—and even the pain—might solve suffering. But that doesn't mean the pain itself isn't real.
Instead, Buddhist practices like meditation can help turn down the volume on pain signals or even distract an individual from painful experiences for a bit.
Getting started is as simple as taking a breath, Yeo says. 'Try to feel your breathing in short moments during [your] commute to work, or simply observe yourself when you feel stressed or angry and accept the emotions as they are.' He emphasizes that these practices are accessible to everyone.
'The teachings of Buddhism are not limited to specific cultures,' he says, advising others to practice speaking gently to themselves. 'Do not avoid suffering. Observe it with indifference and wrap it with compassion. Try to end the day telling [yourself] 'Today was hard. Are you okay? You did a great job.' Simply telling oneself this is Buddhist practice in compassion.'
After all, says Miller, pain is just one aspect of existence. 'There's so much besides pain that is worthy of your attention.' "Limitless: Live Better Now" is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu starting August 15 and on National Geographic starting August 25. Check local listings.