Can pain be experienced when enlightened?

There is often a misconception that pain is still experienced when one is enlightened or that the enlightened do not react to pain as much as normal people do. This is inaccurate and is a false truth that is entertained by those who are not enlightened or who have never abided in turiya AS turiya (i.e. pure awareness) to truly know the non-experience of pain or for any kind of mental experience. Another reason why this misconception exists, is because people do not understand what the true definition of enlightenment is and is therefore misinterpreting their experiences for the real thing, which only sustains this misconception even more.  

 

Enlightenment is when one permanently rests in self-knowledge. Self-knowledge in this case is when one gives up complete identification with the body and mind, and solely abides as awareness (i.e. Turiya) while still strictly observing the body-mind appearance run on its own without having any volition or control over what it does. This experience only happens after awareness becomes increasingly intensified the more you identity with it through inward attention in a continuous and uninterrupted motion. The breaking point is when awareness fully separates from the body and mind, and you now abide in a pure still, thoughtless, dimensionless and timeless center that is now incapable of perceiving any type of linear experience (which includes the experience of pain). 

 

Pain is not experienced when one fully isolates awareness from the body-mind appearance. If pain is experienced, then one is still entangled with the body and mind since it is only the body and mind that can experience pain. Even if one feels like they are experiencing heightened states of consciousness, they may still be immersed slightly inside the body and mind and therefore will have to succumb to the experience of pain during such states. Such individuals may misinterpret their “enlightenment” experience and will advise others or spread misinformation that pain isn’t necessarily something that is completely gone with enlightenment. This only suggests that they have not isolated awareness completely and is therefore not a true knower of the non-dual presence. 

 

In order to pierce through the veil of duality or the false appearance, it takes an extremely qualified being to use their spiritual power of viveka (the ability to turn attention inward all the way without slipping into laya or unconscious inactivity) through deep inquiry to completely separate awareness from the false appearance. When this happens, pain along with any other phenomena that is known by the mind in linear motion is no longer felt because there is no longer the experience of being inside a body that is experiences phenomena. It’s like identifying as space. What can space feel or experience other than being pervasive and still? 

 

In a truer sense, with self-knowledge, you abide in a dimensionless and thoughtless center which has zero capacity to perceive pain or any thoughts that allows one to experience any phenomena linearly. This is because awareness remains completely still in unbroken motion and is frozen in its own pure self of pure being. 

 

If someone says pain is still experienced when enlightened, it only means they have not fully abided in turiya correctly and hence do not have self-knowledge. Imagine, going out of body where you just observe the body doing its own thing without having any control over what it is that it’s doing? It is similar to when you abide as turiya, although you are not outside of the body. Instead, the body is non-separate from you within your own singularity. You simply become a glowing presence that contains an appearance (void of time and space that you now know is fundamentally false). This is literally the experience, and is the complete opposite of how normal experiences are when one perceives objects outside of themselves.

 

While self-knowledge is different from kevala nirvikalpa samadhi (since in kevala nirvikalpa samadhi, there is no appearance available to compare your true self to and hence cannot be self-knowledge), one is still completely void of body-mind consciousness in this state. And so, no pain is experienced for one who is in this type of nirvikalpa samadhi as well. There have been many Sages who were constantly absorbed in this state while being chewed on by rats, insects and other creatures, but who were all completely unconscious of this activity. 

 

So ask yourself these questions?

 

1. Can awareness experience pain?

2. Can awareness perceive thoughts? 

3. Is awareness attached to anything?

 

If the answers to the above questions are all 'No', then what makes one believe that you can still feel pain when enlightened or abiding as awareness?  How can one rest as awareness and still experience pain if awareness doesn’t experience anything and JUST IS?

 

To be enlightened, is to rest as the pure self (i.e. awareness). And if awareness cannot experience pain and is ever free, then there is no such thing as ever experiencing pain for the enlightened individual who solely rests in awareness alone. If pain is experienced, then there is no enlightenment and one is still identified with body-mind apparatus. To be enlightened, is to be free from suffering, and suffering includes any mind experience/phenomena including the experience of pain. 

 

 

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