Mexicans, Indians, Thais all love chilli so much. Mexicans will pick up a whole grilled chilli at the taco stand and bite into it. According to our friend Mr. Battle, the reason is that chilli will pull you into the present moment, an instantaneous meditation.
The sensation of heat or burning from a chilli, the spiciness, isn’t literally a flavour. We only have 5 types of tastebuds - sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Spicy isn’t among them, because the sensation of tasting a hot chilli is actually a form of pain. As we feel the pain, we also feel the release of endorphins that help us handle the pain. Soon enough, we start to associate the pain of a chilli with pleasure, and we enjoy it.
Likewise, if we meditate on a physical pain or an adverse emotion, we might quickly find that there is nothing “wrong” with it. Without being attached to it, or seeking it, even so we might enjoy it.
