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Sometimes people feel good, uplifted or are happy and sometimes not.
When people feel bad, down or are unhappy but if they know how to
take care of themselves, are calm and peaceful, then there are no
problems. Feelings are impermanent and are subject to change. If
they do not know how to take care of themselves, are calm and
peaceful, then there are problems. However it will not be a problem
if one meets the right person who is able to help or advise one to
solve it.
Nowadays, people are exposed to many kinds of advertisements which
try to tell people that life would be more wonderful, uplifting or
happier when they use their products. When one is looking for help,
it is important that one finds someone who really is capable to
help, otherwise, no help is better. If a person goes to see a doctor
for help because of a feeling of emptiness or unhappiness or they
are feeling bad or down, then it is highly possible that the doctor
will prescribe some anti-depressant drugs for him. Taking
anti-depressant drugs is of course the easiest and quickest way to
make oneself feel good again but that is only temporary. In order
for us to solve any problem, it is important for us to solve the
cause of the problem. If we try to solve any problem without knowing
and taking care of the cause, we may only solve the problem
superficially. The root cause will still remain to generate the
problem again and again. But anyhow, if any of you are taking these
anti-depressant drugs already, please do not discontinue it before
you find a better solution, otherwise, the sudden termination of the
usage of the drugs is known to give many kinds of problematic
reactions to the user.
We human beings have a body and mind. The mind of an uninstructed
worldly person will surely be adversely affected when encountering a
highly unwanted situation like the loss of someone very dear. When
the mind is affected, the body will also be affected. If one is
unable to accept the reality that all conditions in life are all
impermanent and subject to change, then one will be easily disturbed
whenever something good changes to bad. A person who is too
engrossed with the vicissitudes of life will always be busy running
after gain, praise, honour or pleasurable sensations. Similarly, he
will also be busy trying to run away from loss, blame, discredit or
unpleasurable sensations. When he encounters the former, he will
feel elated, and when he encounters the latter, he will feel
dejected. One who is easily elated or dejected is also a person who
can easily lose his mental balance.
Living in the world, it is inescapable for people to experience the
vicissitudes of life. Sometimes we will experience the results of
our good kamma and sometimes we will also experience the results of
our bad kamma. It is easy for people to be able to take care of
themselves, be mindful, be peaceful and calm when life is smooth and
easy but when the extreme downside of life happens suddenly, many
will loose their mental balance. There will be sorrow, lamentation,
pain, grief or despair and very sadly, most will also start to
neglect their health.
The Buddha has shown us the four Noble Truths. In the four Noble
Truths, he has shown to us what is suffering, what is the cause of
suffering, what is the freedom from suffering and what is the path
towards the freedom from suffering. The path towards the freedom of
suffering is, of course, the Noble Eightfold Path which can be
categorized under morality, meditation and wisdom.
Nowadays, there are many meditation retreat centres where one can
learn to develop this Noble Eightfold Path. If any of you always
feel bad, down, empty or unhappy, I encourage you to go for
meditation retreat.i I wish others who are presently feeling good,
strong and happy, to protect yourself by cultivating a meditative
way of life, who knows when the “U Turn” will come. Correct
meditation practice with the right kind of supports (morality and
wisdom) can help one to understand the true nature of the world
better, which in turn, will help one to be able to maintain mental
balance even when facing the extremities in the vicissitudes of
life.
As a matter of fact, in order for us to be always 100% free from
mental suffering, we have to reach the state of Arahantship
(full-enlightenment) . To reach that state, we have to develop the
Noble Eightfold path in full perfection and this is not an easy job
to do. But anyhow, if one starts correctly in the development of the
Noble Eightfold Path, one can be said to have entered the stream of
the Noble Eightfold path, a Sotapana (Stream-enterer)- SN. 55.5 A
Sotapana, although is not a person 100% free from mental sufferings
like an Arahant, is nevertheless, much more free from mental
suffering than the most fortunate ordinary person in the world. A
Sotapana already has right view with regard to the true nature of
the world, the five aggregates or the so called “self”. He
understands truly that whatever things that he has been identified
with before as “mine”, “I”, or “myself” are actually impermanent,
stressful and empty. He will never cling to it madly as before and
it is impossible for him to fall into clinical depression like an
uninstructed worldling again. A Sotapana might be depressed for a
while when encountering the loss of someone dear but he knows the
path to come out of it and he will come out of it. Just like
venerable Ananda, when venerable Sariputta, venerable Mongallana and
the Buddha were gone, he was depressed, down hearted and feeling
empty. But it was only for a while because being a Sotapana, he
knows the path to come out from suffering. If earlier, a person
needs to depend on anti-depressant drugs for his superficial
wellbeing, upon reaching the state of Sotapana, he can now throw
away all of his anti-depressant drugs forever. Forever he is free.
Now, after talking about freedom from mental suffering, I would like
to talk about our physical health. If one takes good care of his own
physical health, he will enjoy at least 50%.of wellbeing, that is,
bodily wellbeing. But If a person does not take good care of his
bodily health and he is still an uninstructed worldling, he will
suffer twice if he falls sick, that is, one part in body and the
other part in the mind - for lamenting, complaining, worrying, ...
Earlier, I had said that when a person's mind is affected, his body
will also be affected. But this does not mean that one who is
totally free from mental suffering is also totally free from bodily
sufferings. Although our mental wellbeing does influence our bodily
wellbeing, this does not mean that all the causes of our bodily
wellbeing is caused by our mind. I have found two places in the
cannon that tell the causes that can affect our bodily wellbeing.
One is from the Sutta and another from the Abhidhamma. They are as
follows:
In the Sutta – SN. 36:21, it is mentioned that there are 8 causes
that affect our feeling (bodily pain). They are:-
1. Disorders of the bile;
2. Disorders of the phlegm;
3. Disorders of the internal wind;
4. Imbalance of the combination of the bodily humors (bile, phlegm
and wind);
5. Change of climate;
6. Uneven care of the body;
7. Harsh treatment (external forces); and
8. The result of kamma.
In the
Abhidhamma, it is mentioned that there are only 4 causes but what I
can see is that it is quite similar to the above except that it is
presented in a different way and they are:-
1. The food that one consumes (the food one consumes could have
effect on one or all of the bodily humors);
2. change of climate (environmental changes like electrical radio
magnetic wave pollution, air pollution and any other type of
pollution should also be included);
3. the mind (the capability of the mind in facing the vicissitudes
of life); and
4. the fruition of past karma.
I will also like to bring to your knowledge some tips for health
which I found mentioned by the Buddha in the Suttas:-
a. “When a man is always mindful, knowing moderation in the food he
eats, his ailments then diminish; he ages slowly, guarding his
life.” - (extracted from SN. 3:13)
b. “...Come, bhikkhus, eat a single session (before noon) by so
doing, you too will be free from illness and affliction, and you
will enjoy health, strength, and a comfortable abiding.”- (extracted
from MN 65)
c. “... your medicine of strong-smelling urine (puttimutta) will
seem to you to be just like the various tonics of a householder or
householder's son... As you live contented, it will serve for your
delight, for a comfortable abiding, for non-agitation, & for
alighting on Unbinding.” - (extracted from AN. VIII, 30)
d. “... Good man, this repulsive urine (putimutta )is mixed with
various medicines. Drink from it if you want; as you drink from it,
its colour, smell and taste will not agree with you, but after
drinking from it, you will be well...after drinking it, he became
well.” - (extracted from MN.46)
e. “Monks, there are these five advantages of walking meditation (cankama)
it hardens one for traveling; it is good for striving; it is
healthy; tends to good digestion after one has eaten and drunk,
munched and crunched; the concentration won from it, last long ...”
- (extracted from AN. III, 29)
With
the above information, I hope that by now you will know, at least,
what needs to be balanced, what needs to be avoided, what needs to
be done for your own well being, for your own happiness.
That's all for today. By the power of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the
Sangha, may all of you be successful in finding real peace, real
harmony, real happiness and be happy always.
i There are many meditation centres around in Malaysia and all of
them are doing a great job in strengthening the faith of the people
in the teaching of the Buddha. But if a depressive person were to
come to see me for advice, I will recommend him or her to attend at
least a 10-day meditation course conducted by S.N. Goenka or his
assistant teachers. Depressive people are weak in energy and
self-discipline, they need constant encouragement. The simple
meditation instruction coupled with the healthy atmospheric
condition in the Goenka meditation centre, could help. These are
their contact numbers: 012 339 0089 (Chinese speaking) and 016 341
4776 (English speaking)
ii If one is in poor health and all conventional treatments have
failed, why not give urine therapy a try. Who knows this simple
therapy will work miracles. The book titled “ The Water Of Life” by
John W. Armstrong is a very powerful book, it can change people's
perception with regard to urine. But if one does not have the guts
to try urine therapy even after reading so many cases of successful
stories, then why not try Water Therapy. It can also work like a
miracle for curing many kinds of illnesses. Very often, I will drink
about 1.5 litres of water first thing in the morning. After that, I
can feel that my whole bodily cells become very happy. I feel
refreshed, energized and good.
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