Thank you all for your beautiful time and energy in the practice. This is my new book, only a few chapters for you to enjoy. Love you with a hug. Healing Cancer with Mindfulness Chân Pháp Đăng Experience I am sharing the practices to heal cancer not with the intention to brag about my knowledge of illness, medicine or meditation. In fact, I dont know anything about illness and medicine. Two and half years ago, I had colon cancer. Perhaps, the tumor had been in my body for a long time. But I had the pain on the right side of my abdomen for about seven months. At times, the pain was so intense that I had fevers right in the middle of a very cold winter in the USA. Every time the pain is too strong, I placed my two hands on the pain until the pain lessens. My younger sister had shared this practice with me. I shared that I dont know anything about medicine and illness. This is the truth because I completely didnt know I was that seriously sick. I didnt like to see the doctor because I dont have faith and sympathy with the automatic ways of examination of many doctors. I truly apologize to the doctors because it is rare to find a doctor who has a heart, conscience, time and deep knowledge on illnesses. Whenever the pain is intense, I fasted for three days. For about two months before the surgery, I couldnt eat anything because every time I ate, I often had such pain in my intestines. Therefore, I often ate oatmeal and porridge and drank fruit juice. One thing that concerned me very much was that my strength deteriorated very quickly. After heavy physical work for about two hours, I felt exhausted. My body lost so much weight. However, I didnt feel worry or afraid. I still lived joyfully each day, worked as usual, and traveled to various places to lead retreats. Not until I was in Vietnam to take care of my family business, that the pain became fierce and unbearable. The first time I went to the Trung Uong hospital in Hue, they examined me superficially and quickly and gave me antibiotics. When I took the antibiotic, I was more painful. My abdomen was swelling very big. Finally, I phoned Doctor Ton That Cau to share clearly with him my pain. I was fortunate to have known the doctor because his wife had come to Tu Hieu Pagoda, our root temple, often to listen to my talks on Sundays. The doctor suggested that I went to the emergency room. Thank to the doctors introduction and connection with the people at the emergency room, I was examined quickly. They did an endoscopy and found a very big tumor in my large intestine. The tumor was as big as a duck egg, and therefore the doctors said to me: You need to have surgery this week. After surgically removing the tumor and consulting among themselves, the doctors concluded that it was a malignant tumor at third stage. The tumor had already erupted and thus a small percentage of the cancer cells had gone into the blood stream. Therefore, they suggested that I have chemotherapy a month after the surgery. I had a conviction that if I treated with chemotherapy then I may not able to overcome this serious illness. Besides, I was too weak and wouldnt be able to tolerate any kind of treatment with western medicine. I knew my body needed rest, relaxation and not more needles, tubes, tests, blood test, or pharmaceutical medicines. I have always trusted the capacity to heal of my body. Therefore, I was determined not to treat with chemotherapy even if the doctors had tried to convince me in many different ways. I decided to treat my illness with meditation and with herbs. Right now, I feel better than at any other time. Last year when I returned to the US for my paperwork, I had a CAT scan and the doctors couldnt find any tumor in my body. My blood test was good. I certainly believe that I am completely healed. Thinking of many others who are in tremendous pain due to cancer, I felt moved to share my experiences of healing myself with the practice of mindfulness through the wholesome methods and practices to friends, relatives, and everyone, hoping that those with cancer also have a chance to cure themselves and not have to go through intense pain in the body or die unnecessarily. This book is divided into three sections: - In the first section, there are healing practices with mindfulness practices. I call it Healing. - In the second section, I share the lifestyle of mindful living which is living in awareness to come in touch with the wholesome and refreshing elements in life that have the capacity to nourish body and mind. I call it Nourishment. These two sections support one another. Healing and curing illness need continuous positive and wholesome nourishment for body and mind. Therefore living in awareness is very important to maintain good health and prevent illness. - In the third section is the interview by Thay Phap Lu on my health situation and healing methods when I returned to Plum Village after the surgery and treatment in Thu Duc, Vietnam. I call this section Sickness as a Gift. The truth is thank to my sickness that I opened my eyes to see that health is the most precious thing in life and helped me to treasure my own life and those of my loved ones. Thank to my sickness, I was able to let go of my craving, calculation, struggling, and searching and return to myself to touch deeply life that is happening in the present moment. I truly savor every breath, every step because I wasnt able to breathe after the surgery and wasnt able to walk when I was in the hospital for two weeks. Paying attention to the butterflies, sun rays, flowers, leaves, I see that everything is beautiful, precious and lovely. Now, I see clearly that nothing is more precious than normal health and being alive. Thanks to life that I am having another day to live and love. You will not die! Dear Brother, you have to try harder! You will return to Thay[1] and the Sangha. You will practice to go through this life and death phase. Those were the farewell words of Sr. Thuan Khanh, my cousin, through the telephone. -Yes! No worry! Of course, I will remember your words. I will live always and will return to my homeland. Sr. Thuan Khanh murmured: -I hope to see you again in Plum Village. -For sure! I will not die. I responded to my cousin over the phone while looking at the lay friends around me whose eyes were brimmed with tears and then gently comforted them: -Dear friends, I will recover from my illness and return to the Sangha here in Hue. Please dont cry anymore! That day, there were several dozens of lay friends and the monks from the Tu Hieu Temple, and the young sisters from Dieu Tram at the airport. The lay friends found out about my grave illness in the Dharma talk two days earlier. The monks invited me to give a Dharma talk before leaving the Root Temple. I was hesitant because I wasnt sure if I had enough strength. I had just returned from the hospital for eight days and was only able to eat thin porridge for two days. Naturally, with the love I have for the Sangha from the past year, I agreed to the monks. When the monks and nuns heard my talk, everyone was happy! That Sunday morning, many monks and nuns came to the talk. I shared a brief talk on flowers to the young friends from the Thien Tai Đong Tu (Sudana) group, that they can use flowers to beautify their life. The hands are also flowers, because the hands can produce love. The eyes are also flowers, because looking can also produce love. The lay friends of the Root Temple didnt know I had been at the Root Temple[2] for more than ten days. Therefore after the mindfulness day, many of them came to visit me. Some came to visit, some gave ideas and suggestions, while others tried to find ways to cure my cancer. Most of them didnt want me to treat with chemotherapy. The monks came to play, comfort, and support me emotionally and mentally, sharing their opinions about the different ways of healing and treating the cancer. We talked, joked, and drank tea together, expressing so much love. I was particularly moved by the eyes and words that revealed so much concerns and love of Thay Tu Đao and Thay Tu Hoa. The young sisters from Dieu Tram[3] and Tay Linh temples loved me as much as the monks from Tu Hieu. Everyday, the young sisters cooked delicious foods for me, but I couldnt eat any of them! They sang for me. They knew I like Ti Gon flowers and therefore always brought them for me to decorate my room. The two sisters, Đuc Nguyen and Than Nghiem organized a session for me to sit with the young sisters. The young sisters heard of my illness, not knowing how much longer I will live, and therefore wanting to create opportunity to comfort me. They invited me to dinner and I sang for them the song Awareness is the shining sun. They asked me with kind eyes: -Are you sad? I replied: -Not at all! I am happy to be able to sit with you all at this moment. Another young sister asked: -What kind of happiness do you have in your heart? I replied: -Being able to sit with you, being able to see the fresh bright faces that radiate peace and lightness is my happiness. Being alive is another happiness for me. A young brother confided: -You have been smiling all the time. Its when you undergo this enormous issue that we really know you better. Another young brother shared: -Having cancer, you are always smiling during the time you are at the Root Temple; I can now see how deep your practice is. If it were someone else, they would be so fearful and anxious about it. You help me have more confidence in my monastic life. I shared with them: -Do you know that when the doctor told me I had cancer, I was a bit pensive for a moment, but I immediately regained my happiness. Dear young friends! I often look deeply into the nine phases of a dead corps, that is the nine stages the body disintegrates. Therefore I accept that news easily. I see that birth and death are predestined. Asking for a few more minutes to live is not possible. Therefore, it was no use to suffer and to be sad. However many years the Buddha allows me to live, I will have that many opportunities to practice and to plant seeds of the Buddha Dharma in everyone. How many days life offers me, I will live those days with joy. I have already lived enough in joy and love for the past twenty years in the hearts of the Sangha that I am completely satisfied with my life. In the past year, I lived alone on an island, had many chances to come in touch, harmonize and penetrate with the morning sunshine, the forest, the autumn leaves, the air and nature. That joy never disappeared. Perhaps, I will die one day soon, but its only the physical part of me that dies. My body will become dust. The four elements will return to four great elements. But my spiritual life continues to live on with my friends, my family, Sangha, everyone, nature and the whole cosmos. If I leave this life, I will go to peaceful land. I know my mind very clearly. Particularly, I have confidence that I will recover from the illness. The Buddha will protect me to live forever. Do you know something young friends? While having the surgery, my mind was peaceful and bright. My body experienced horrendous pain. It was so worn-out because I had not been eating or drinking for more than two weeks. Everyone in my family was so worried for me. My younger brothers were often there at the hospital to take care of me. Thay and my Sangha everywhere were praying for me. The first day after the surgery, Sr. Thuan Khanh appeared. When she saw my state, she was so anxious. My life was so fragile. My body was so frail and withered away so much. She comforted me but her face was filled with so much anxiety. Suddenly, I smiled and said: -I am okay! The second day after the surgery, I was so weak. The doctor couldnt put in the catheter, and phlegm accumulated so much in the intestines, making my stomach bloated so big. I had so much pain at the surgery area where a part of the intestines had been removed. Eventually, the doctor had to put the catheter through my nostrils to my intestines. However, I vomited the whole night. Whenever I vomited, my intestines were so painful. I was in pain and was lack of sleep, and my body weakened enormously. The next morning, Sr. Thuan Khanh came in to visit and asked sadly: -How are you feeling Brother? -I replied jokingly and lovingly: -I am not dying yet. My response made her laugh. -Dying is not really suffering. Living is not necessary happiness. Suffering is caused by regrets, grief, and fear. I only feel sorry for those who are alive. Do you know? Physical pain is inevitable, but suffering can be transcended. When we reach the other shore, we no longer feel suffering caused by pain, surgery, and illness. When we get to other shore, there is no worry, no fear. We are calm and clear in the face of challenges. I am so grateful to the love of my family, my Sangha and friends. In moments of serious illness, I can really see love in everyones heart. Thank you to the fresh Ti Gon flowers like the love from everyone, from my family, Sangha and friends. Without that love, I wouldnt be able to bear such pain. The pain is unbearable because the loneliness, fear, anxiety are there in the mind. Therefore, to reach the other shore, we need a boat of a peaceful spiritual life and the love that embraces and protects from the ancestors, teachers, Buddha, Bodhisattvas, friends, Sangha, family, and brotherhood. Path of Healing Dear young friends! Thank you dear friends for walking with me on this path of nourishment and healing. On this journey, we will live with the awareness that the body has the capacity for healing. Therefore, all illnesses can be healed with mindfulness and concentration. This healing path is a journey towards awakening, rediscovering life, lightening the mind in order to transform suffering and illness. We are on the journey towards healing, but surprisingly enough, we are really training ourselves to stop in order to live and to meet life. You already know that in our daily life, our mind often falls in the state of darkness, half asleep half awake. Our mind is usually getting caught in the prison of the past, dreaming of the future or thinking, worrying, and being sad in the present. Therefore, our mind is not connected to our body. We are lost in life. Our mind is dimly present, lacking sensitivity and clarity. Part of our mind is sunk in the darkness of despair, sadness, anxiety. Another part of our mind is drifting aimlessly to the distant past or future. We are not really living our life deeply. Are you imprisoning yourself in thoughts, worry, or anger? Have you lost the spaciousness and freedom in your mind? If so, you have lost the harmony and balance with life. You have missed the opportunity for nourishment, healing and love from nature. Do you realize that nature is a source of infinite energy that can nourish, heal and love you. Meditative concentration is bringing mind back to the body. Meditation is waking-up, just as you wake up after a long sleep. You wake up in order to find yourself, to feel life, to come in touch with your breathing, your steps, the smiles, the morning sunlight, the golden leaves, your loved ones... Please stop the thinking. End the anxiety. Cease the uneasiness, frantic rush, agitation, fear. Your mind becomes more sensitive and clear. You open your mind to harmonize with the peaceful energy, the freshness and the dynamic of life. You will feel clearly your presence and whatever is happening in the present moment. Waking up in each moment proves that you are alive; you have life and are coming in touch with life. This is an art of a healthy life. Now, you can breathe and feel the cool air. When you open your eyes, do you see the blue sky and shimmering sunlight on each leaf or flower bud? Do you see the dahlias blooming outside your window? Can you see the bright yellow chrysanthemums blooming in the garden? Can you feel the morning sunlight warming your skin and your eyes beholding the sunlight? Coming in touch with the peaceful energy, freshness and happiness that are present on your body, in your mind, in life, in nature and in the whole cosmos, you will be nourished and heal your illness and pain in your body and mind. Please remember to smile. Healing with Nature Dear young friends, I am well and regaining my more weight than when I was in Vietnam. Perhaps, I have completely healed my cancer. I always had the confidence that I will recover completely. Therefore, I lived with joy and happiness during the three months in Thu Đuc, Vietnam. This spring, I have returned to Plum Village after going through the surgery, the unbearable pain, and a treatment period in Vietnam. I had cancer of the colon. Dr. Ton That Cau, the head of the cancer center at Trung Uong hospital in Hue, recommended that I should have chemotherapy. But I wanted to treat the cancer with meditation and with natural herbs and plants. After more than twenty years in the practice, I have faith in the Buddha and the practices offered by the Buddha and transmitted to me by my Teacher. I used the energy of mindfulness to live joyfully and happily during the time I underwent treatment. I trusted the doctors but I have deep faith in the teachings of the Buddha, that is whether I live or die is due to karma. Asking for another day to live is impossible. Therefore, I didnt want to waste my energy worrying. Besides, I contemplated deeply into dying for many years. Living and dying is really just a matter of changing from an old outfit into a new one, replacing the used tea leaves with new tea. Thats all there is! I am happy to have each day to live. Thus, I smile and sing all day. I love life more than ever. Now in France, I walk everyday to come in touch with the beautiful rolling hills and with nature, to breathe the fresh air, and to watch the sunset and to enjoy the pink sky after the sunset. On beautiful days, I walk more than eight kilometers along the road down to the Lower Hamlet, turning towards the castle on the hill, towards the road leading to the New Hamlet and then turning around towards the castle in Thenac[4]. On overcast days, I walk towards the West Hamlet which is four kilometers to and fro. Walking helps my body absorb vitamin D from the sunshine in order to cure the cancer. I am practicing according to the advises of the Eastern Medical doctor Luong Vinh Quoc Khanh. In France, the sun is very precious. France is situated in northern part of Europe, therefore the sun produces lots of infrared rays that carry vitamin D. The sunshine here is not as scorching as it is in many tropical countries, that the sun is warm instead of blazing hot as in Vietnam. I walk while opening wide my heart and body so that nature can enter to nourish and heal. I see clearly that sunlight has the capacity to heal. The evening breeze, the fresh air, the blue sky, the green forests, the flowers are all have capacities to heal. In brief, all the energy in nature has the capacity to heal. Nature is a most precious remedy of all medicines. Mindfulness is the energy of wakefulness, awareness, sensitivity and thus the interaction between the body and mind with the energies of the sunshine, breeze, air, peace, freshness and calmness becomes clearer. When the mind is no longer agitated and returns to its state of calmness, it can come in touch with all forms and all energies in life. When the mind is agitated, its unclear and foggy due to the vibration. Therefore, it cannot connect with the healing energy of nature and life. I learn to live without thinking, anxiety, or analyzing. I always remind myself that I have only one day to live and I truly treasure the life I have in that one day. I dont know if the Kingdom of God is really beautiful or not? However, the landscape here is surprisingly beautiful. Its splendidly beautiful, the bright and colorful sky, the fresh green nature, the rolling hills enveloped in silence and peace. The Upper Hamlet is my childhood haven. Coming back here, I come in touch again the memories and experiences of my novice years. Thay gave me the name Pháp Đăng, and I have given myself many pen names such as Thach Lang, Chau Linh, Suoi, Lang, Tinh Lang, Chang Đa, Tuyet Son. Sitting here, I can see the image of the novice Thach Lang. The novice used to sit quietly, gaze at the sunset, walk everywhere, and meditate on the grassy field, next to the lotus pond or under the pine trees. The novice used to sit for hours, drawing and painting with water color the pond below the hill from the Thenac church. Of course, I am not losing myself in the past but really dwelling in the present moment. I feel such joy and see clearly that my body and mind are getting better and stronger. [1] Thay is the most beautiful way to call Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh [2] Root temple is Tu Hieu temple where Master Thich Nhat Hanh ordained as a novice monk [3] Dieu Tram is a nunnery in Plum Village Tradition in Hue, central of Viet Nam [4] Thenac is a town in Southwest of France where Upper Hamlet reside.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 19:58:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015