With the return of side effects or rather after effects of the radiation therapy, I find that I am having trouble getting things done. However, I have noticed that if I am devoting myself to practice or to service of others, I sometimes get a reprieve from the symptoms. Of course this does not mean that the symptoms are gone, but rather that I can get something done without them getting in the way for a period of time. Unfortunately they seem to return with greater force than before.
Nevertheless, the key to this phenomenon is compassion. Chanting the Medicine Buddha Sadhana for the benefit of others is one thing, while doing it for myself is quite another. The former seems to bring about the temporary relief of symptoms to enable me to accomplish what is needed, but the latter would most likely be interrupted by more than one trip to the bathroom. Likewise any other practice done for others seems to be more likely to be uninterrupted than housework would be.
The degree to which my current symptoms have interfered with normal daily activities had discouraged me from contacting the local hospitals as I had planned. However, this phenomenon encourages me to go ahead, trusting that, if I am needed, I shall receive the necessary relief to accomplish my commitment.
This almost seems to be the physical analogue to the truism that if one desires happiness, the best way to achieve it is to work for the happiness of others. In this case seeking to be of benefit to others results in having the capacity to work for their benefit. What could be more appropriate for a Buddhist?
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