Special Topics
Taking illness as teacher and learning to live well with illness
Everyone has had the experience of being sick. Most people think that being sick is a highly unpleasant experience. However, some people take illness as a teacher, through knowing suffering, experiencing suffering, not mistaking illness for suffering, and, thus, seizing the present moment and living well. "Why did I get this disease?"; "I have entered and left the hospital so many times, when will I recover?" ; "I am old and sick-- I feel like there is no hope left...
Buddha’s Teachings on Suffering from Illness
The three phenomena of old age, sickness, and death are the causes and conditions for the Buddha to appear in the world to preach the Dharma. For monastic and lay disciples who are in pain, the Buddha would give corresponding teachings according to different individuals, thereby skillfully and wisely providing practice methods to heal the suffering body and mind. Buddha is known as the "Great King of Physicians" because he knows well the suffering of patients, the root of the dis...
Practicing the Dharma While Ill
Being diagnosed with a disease, patients need to receive treatment and may have to enter and leave the hospital multiple times. How do patients live peacefully with the disease, and how do they communicate with their family members and the medical staff? When our life is coming to an end, how do we prepare for death? We can emulate Dharma Drum Mountain founder Master Sheng Yen's attitude towards illness: "Leave your illness to the doctor, and your life to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas ...
Q1: Why am I getting this illness?
A: Have you ever wondered why it's not someone else? When people get sick, especially young people, they often wonder, "Why me? I'm still young." Most people believe that one's illness has to do with getting "old," and that only when you're old will you get sick and die. But that's not true. This kind of thinking arises because we lack understanding of the nature of life. We assume that a person's life naturally progresses from birth, education, ...
Q2: I've been in and out of the hospital so many times. When will I recover?
A: Many patients with chronic illnesses need to repeatedly go to hospital for regular follow-up checks, return clinic visits, and treatment. This is often the case for cancer patients. However, many cancer patients experience recurrent episodes and continuously go in and out of the hospital. This can be frustrating. The process of being ill is like that. It's just that everyone's circumstances are different. Some people recover after seeing a doctor, while others see many doctors and ...
Q3: Why do some infants get sick immediately after birth? How does Buddhism view this?
A: Talking about the law of cause and effect or karmic obstacles often makes people feel somewhat negative. The monastics at Dharma Drum Mountain visit hospitals, and, when interacting with patients and their families, they often ask the parents, "Life is suffering, do you agree?" Some people immediately nod in agreement because they have already felt it through their child, especially mothers who have experienced a life-or-death situation when giving birth to their child, thereby g...
Q4: What can be done if someone is sick in bed for a very long time and feels hopeless about life?
A: Even when we are lying in bed at hospital and receiving care from medical professionals and family members, we can still help others. How can we help? By reciting the Buddha's name. There are so many people in the hospital, but how many of them know about reciting Buddha's name? Reciting the Buddha's name not only calms our own mind, but also serves as a spiritual practice of meritorious virtue. When you are bored lying in a bed with nothing to do, you can recite the Buddha'...
Q5: I have recited the Buddha's name, practiced generosity, and performed good deeds, so why do I still get sick?
A: Practice and illness are separate and unrelated to each other. Everyone can get sick. As long as we have a physical body, we will experience aging, sickness, and death. In addition, Shakyamuni Buddha, an enlightened sage, also underwent great physical suffering before attaining Nirvana. The founder of Dharma Drum Mountain, Venerable Master Sheng Yen, dedicated his entire life to helping countless people, but did he never get sick? No. Did he ever experience physical pain and suffe...
Q6: When a family member of mine is suffering from an illness, what can I do to alleviate his fear and pain?
A: Empathy and attentive listening are crucial. You can focus on the message of his words and listen attentively to what he wants to express and what he needs. You should be intuitive so that, even without words, you can interpret his body language and understand his heartfelt thoughts. For elderly patients, it could be very difficult to change their deeply ingrained values. Instead of giving lengthy explanations, try to treat them as you would when coaxing a child. That is, go along...
Q7: If the body is in unbearable pain, isn't reciting Buddha's name an additional burden?
A: When the body is in pain, it is even more necessary to recite the Buddha's name as a way to shift our attention. When we recite the Buddha's name, our mind becomes calm, and our attention is no longer focused on the physical pain, thereby having a relieving effect. When we are suffering physical pain, normally we do not feel like reciting the Buddha's name. However, instead of sighing and complaining, it is better to recite the Buddha's name wholeheartedly. Therefo...