Introduction
This short lecture was given to me by Dr. Melanie Polatinsky, during my visit at the Kagyu Samye Dzong Randburg (Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Centre).
To be sick in the Mind
The great corrector in man is the reflection of knowledge concerning the inner conditions of one’s illnesses. What we have collected in our life will reflect outwardly in the physical conditions of our body. Every defilement or virtue are our own awareness externalized as a illness or healthy body.
Whenever we encounter any form of physical ailment our first response is to remedy it with external medicine. But in truth the best remedy in life is self-awareness. Self-awareness is to retreat into yourself and Re-treat the psychological imbalances of our internal elements.
By learning to observe the mind it is easy to see how it interferes continuously with the way energy flows through our body - - - this interference is at the root of every illness. It is more important to be liberated in the mind than the liberation of a person in physical illness.
Everything inside of you is shown to you outwardly, so through the practice of self-observation we can investigate ourselves and truthfully recognize our inner psychological imbalances that bring about different forms of physical and internal pain.
It is therefore important that we learn how to communicate with our pain and illness rather than fighting it and rejecting mechanically with doubt, anger and resent.
We need to understand that in essence there is no such thing as curing the body, there is only curing the mind that manifests illnesses in the body.
Illness can turn into illusion when one does not learn to replace what is lacking in the body with the substance of cosmic knowledge. Meditation and visualization is the bases of inner medicine.
In Buddhism, it is stated that there are six realms or hostile worlds where “sick” beings can exist. These realms are in the mind. They represent our inner defilements that bring about outer conditions illness.
101 Illnesses (Medicine Buddha)
There are 101 forms of illnesses that are taught in the traditional philosophy of Buddhist medicine.
· 101 Normal illnesses – these are illnesses that are easy to heal, and the body can heal itself without any medicine.
· 101 Serious illnesses – these are an externalized imbalance that the body will not be able to heal; and must therefore be healed by right food or right plant medicine.
· 101 Critical illnesses – these are a form of illnesses in the body that medicine cannot heal, or a form of illness that its cure has not been discovered yet. These types of illnesses can be remedied by prayer and deep meditation in order to internally restore the imbalance displayed outwardly.
· Karmic illnesses - these are a form of imbalances that no amount of medicine can remedy, one must therefore clear the mind of impure karmic residue. These are terminal illnesses that require tenacious self-acceptance and self-remembering the Being, Modimo.
Pain and illness are indications that our psychological is out of balance with the Being, Modimo. Therefore the greatest virtue that one can posses is a state of mind rooted in the knowledge of its Being.
Knowledge can heal, whatever form of ignorance we have manifested and crystalized in our life.
May Christ Consciousness Increase in you always.
(SoG:S.A)