Leaning Into Discomfort: Practice for These Times

One of the core teachings of Buddhism is often misunderstood as an invitation to escape pain. In truth, Buddhist practice asks us to do something far more courageous: to lean into discomfort with awareness, compassion, and steadiness. Rather than turning away from what is unpleasant, we are invited to stay—especially now.

In my work as a psychotherapist, I see the cost of avoiding pain every day. When people are unable to tolerate discomfort—grief, fear, shame, uncertainty—they often develop strategies to outrun it. In times of political and social unrest, this avoidance can intensify. The constant churn of injustice, violence, and polarization can feel overwhelming, leading many to numb, disengage, or harden. These responses may offer short-term relief, but over time they deepen suffering. Avoidance narrows our lives. We become stuck, reactive, and disconnected from ourselves and one another.

Buddhist practice names this clearly. The problem is not pain itself—personal or collective—but our resistance to it. When we push discomfort away, we strengthen it. When we meet it with curiosity and kindness, something shifts. Sensations change. Emotions move. Insight arises. Even amid chaos, freedom becomes possible.

This is true on the cushion and in community life. In my fund development work with Clouds, leaning into discomfort can look like having honest conversations about money, survival, and interdependence during uncertain times. I can feel vulnerable. Yet it is precisely this willingness to stay present with unease that allows a me to weather unrest, deepen trust, and sustain.

Leaning into discomfort is not about endurance or denial. It is about liberation—learning to stay awake, together, in a world that urgently needs our presence.

by Eisho Felicia Sy, Fund Development and Finance Director