How Buddhism helps with severe illness?

(Half bell)

(Bell)

Dear Thay,

two months ago,
I recognized a lump on my breast.

It's a benign tumor,

so it is not life threatening,

and I am really relieved from it.

But, at the beginning,

I was really shocked,

because it was there
from one moment to the other.

Now, my question is:

How can Buddhism help
with severe physical illnesses?

(Sister) How Buddhism can help
with severe physical illnesses?

Can you repeat the whole question?

Dear Thay,
our friend said that

two months ago, she found a lump
in her breast.

And fortunately,
it turned out to be benign.

So it is not life threatening.

But it caused her some concerns.

And thus, she comes
to the question:

how Buddhism can help
with serious illnesses?

Is that right?

(Nods)

The practice of mindful breathing,

especially when you practice

breathing deeper,

can help strengthen your lungs,

make them stronger.

And, when your lungs are stronger,

they can resist infections and

things like that.

And, not only the practice
of mindful breathing

can help your lungs,

but it can help your whole body,

every cell of your body.

When Vietnam, my country,
was divided into North and South,

my mother passed away,

and I had a depression.

And, doctors could not help,

but with the practice
of mindful breathing,

I got out of the situation.

The practice of mindful breathing
is wonderful.

It can heal many diseases.

During the time I had that depression,

I practiced mindful breathing
and mindful walking.

In the hospital also, I found the way

to do walking meditation every day.

Any time that was available
for the practice,

I would take in order to do
walking and breathing.

Especially when the air
is pure, of good quality,

then the practice of breathing
can help the body very much.

And, when you have some trouble
in your body,

and you have not seen
what you should do,

and the doctor has not told you
what to do

in order to relieve that problem
in your body,

then you know that mindful breathing
is what you can do right away.

Take up the practice and breathe.

Every breath can be healing.

That is my conviction,
my practice.

Every breath can be nourishing.

Every breath can be healing.

Every breath can help not only your lungs,

but also your kidneys,

your liver, all the cells in your body.

This is very clear.

Walking meditation,
breathing meditation

you practice in such a way that

the in-breath is pleasant,

the step you make is pleasant.

And, you know that every step,

every breath can help with the illness.

This is something very certain for Thay.

And, then, the other thing is that

you should not allow the energy
of worry to take over.

This is very important.

The lump is benign, but
if you imagine too much,

you think "I am going to die very soon!"

and it makes the situation much worse.

So, to worry is not good.

And there are ways in order

to deal with worries.

The Buddha talked
about the "second arrow",

which is a very good teaching.

He said that someone is struck
by an arrow,

and the pain, the suffering is there.

But, if a second arrow comes and
strikes exactly in the same spot,

then, the pain will not only double,

but it can be 10 times or more intense.

So, don't let the second arrow come.

And, that second arrow is worry.

If we let the anger and the worry
to take hold of us,

we suffer 100 times more.

And, that is why we practice,

in order not to let your anger,

your protest,

your despair and your fear

to take over.

That is the second arrow.

It is very harmful, the second arrow.

So, with mindful breathing,
mindful walking,

you look deeply and

you recognize the thing as it is.

Do not exaggerate.

Do not exaggerate.

And, if needed,
we can consult a physician,

a Dharma teacher,
a psychotherapist,

and never imagine too much,
and exaggerate too much.

That is the second arrow!

These are two things that every one
of us can take up and practice,

to deal with what is not going well
in our body and in our mind.

And, the third thing is the meditation
on birth and death.

Even if you are in terminal illness,

you can practice,

so that joy can still be possible.

Our true nature is the nature
of no birth and no death.

When we look into a cloud,

we see that a cloud can never die.

The cloud can become a rain
or snow, or ice,

or river, or teeth,

but a cloud can never become nothing.

It is so beautiful
to be in the form of a cloud,

but it is equally beautiful
to be in the form of the rain, or a river.

So, to die is not something possible.

You can change the form of manifestation,

but you cannot die.

And, when a person is in the phase
of a terminal illness,

and she or he is instructed by a teacher

to meditate like that,

she or he will not be afraid of dying.

Because they will be manifesting again,
in another form.

So, in Buddhism we learn many things

in order to deal
with the problem of illness.

And, remember, first of all,

mindful breathing, mindful walking,

with joy and serenity

can help prevent illness,

and bring relief,

and allow the healing
to take place more quickly.

The second teaching is not to allow
the second arrow to strike us.

(Helf bell)

(Bell)