Feeling pain Quote by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
““When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s trampling on that doting old man’s bones, my spirit will still be alive, feeling the whole weight of her body, feeling pain, feeling the fine-grained velvety smoothness of the soles of her feet. Even after I’m dead I’ll be aware of that. I can’t believe I won’t. In the same way, Satsuko will be aware of the presence of my spirit, joyfully enduring her weight. Perhaps she may even hear my charred bones rattling together, chuckling, moaning, creaking. And that would by no means occur only when she was actually stepping on my grave. At the very thought of those Buddha’s Footprints modeled after her own feet she would hear my bones wailing under the stone. Between sobs I would scream: “It hurts! It hurts! … Even though it hurts, I’m happy—I’ve never been more happy, I’m much, much happier than when I was alive! … Trample harder! Harder!””
About This Quote
The speaker revels in post‑mortem awareness, finding ecstatic joy in being physically felt and even trampled upon, turning pain into a heightened sense of existence.
In simple terms: Finding bliss in being sensed after death.
Key Takeaway
Pain can amplify happiness when one feels truly present.
Themes
mortality
sensory perception
paradoxical joy
embodiment
spiritual awareness
Mood
eerie
ecstatic
transcendent
Type
philosophical
poetic
dramatic
When to use this quote
- grieving a loved one
- rituals at graves
- artistic performance
- spiritual meditation
- psychological catharsis
Key Concepts
afterlife
bodily contact
emotional intensity
existential affirmation
Practical Applications
- creative writing exploring death
- therapy using body awareness
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to feel alive through another's touch?
- How can suffering become a source of joy?
A Different Perspective
null
![“[…] we can’t make a decision between being sad for a little while and being wretched for the rest of our lives. Or rather we’ve made the decision and have trouble finding the courage to carry it through.” quote by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d3e/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_courage_we-can-t-make-a-decision-between-being-s_810112.jpg)
