Thich Quang Duc was a Buddhist monk who lit himself on fire in a Vietnamese protest. He was said to have sat perfectly still as he was engulfed in flames, silent, not letting out even a moan. That's pretty amazing. If he can do that, I can take my own physical pain with more grace, dignity & acceptance.

Firsthand: mediation has helped me deal with pain. I'm far from diligent in its practice, but through it I can make leg cramps absolutely painless & bring down the pain level of other things. I got 2 teeth pulled yesterday (which didn't hurt at all because the dentist had me covered) but before then my jaw hurt like a mofo because one was abscessed & one was impacted. It was the worst I can remember. I say my jaw, but it really went up to the ear, down through the jaw & comprised the back of the skull as well. I couldn't make it stop entirely, but I did get a handle on it, & due to meditation I wasn't afraid to 'look it in the face & relax', if that makes sense.