Pain
I have a question about the karma of physical pain. I have chronic migraines and have had some painful surgeries and injuries. From my understanding [of karma], I have caused some physical pain to others in the past or was cruel in some way. My profession in this lifetime is in the healing arts—I have chosen to help others become healthy and pain free. Is my current profession negating my karma of pain for the next lifetime only—or will I be able to “work off” some of the karma in this lifetime, to reduce the pain I am currently experiencing?
(signed) K.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu responds:
Karmic seeds don’t come in packets that say, “This seed will flower in this or that lifetime.” Some seeds sprout immediately; others take a lot of time to mature. What you can anticipate is that the sprout will be like the plant that produced the seed. Helping other people skillfully will make it easier for you to get effective treatment for your own ailments, sometime in the future—perhaps soon, perhaps further along, perhaps both. In the mean time, if you learn to meditate, it will help you deal with any pain that arises from your migraines, by teaching you the skill of separating your awareness of pain from the pain itself.
