Contemplating Disease – Cessation – Part 13d – January 16, 2019

Cultivating a strong mind focused on proper meditation and mindfulness is fundamental and should be a constant endeavor whether in good or poor health. These are the ways in which disease become a cause for producing the conditions for the three evil realms of Hell, Animality, and Hunger.  This is why we should not fall into the traps and take seriously the cautions of avoiding the harmful thoughts above. If however, you are aware that…

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Contemplating Disease – Cessation – Part 13c – January 15, 2019

Chih-I reminds us that when the lord of the castle is determined and hard as a rock, the guards are also strong.  When the lord is timid, then the guards will be busy, distracted, and possibly hasten to run away.  You are the lord and the castle is your body.  The guards are the two the gods of the same name and same birth as yourself.  When you are born it is said that there…

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Contemplating Disease – Cessation – Part 13b – January 15, 2019

When a child is born it is not normal that we say “Oh, the poor thing is going to die”, we don’t say to the parents, “I so sorry for the eventual death of your child.”  Instead we naturally celebrate the life and birth of the child, even though those two previous statements are completely accurate and honest.   What I am talking about is balance in all situations in life.  A balance between life…

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Contemplating Disease – Cessation – Part 13a – January 15, 2019

It is reasonable that a person may question how a practice of a religion that fundamentally does not believe in an external solution to the sufferings of life, how that religion could provide a source for support for living with illness.  In other words if we don’t pray to someone or something to assist us in our suffering then what is it we can accomplish through our Buddhist practice.  Since our experience of traditional medicine…

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