Guest appearance by the author of this popular article: Chronic pain & fatigue and the quiet power of Dharma.
Rushing to hospital recently with severe pain and other never-before-experienced symptoms, I was admitted for same-day emergency surgery. I hope the spiritual tips I followed below are helpful to you, too, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. I’m a Buddhist, but I think these tips can be adapted for any spiritual background.
- Tune into others’ suffering: When we get to the Emergency Room, we can try to tune into the suffering of the patients surrounding us. The young man who has such severe pain from a workplace injury that he can barely walk. The young woman who is so sick that she is sprawled on the floor next to her worried boyfriend. Looking around, I asked the Buddhas, “May everyone here receive the exact medical care they need, and may that care be completely effective.” It is a version of a verse from Buddhist Master Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life that I couldn’t quite remember in my exhausted state:
May everyone who is sick
Be swiftly healed,
And may every disease that affects living beings
Be permanently eradicated.
If you have faith in other holy beings, you can make a similar request.
2. Tune into the kindness: We can notice and tune into the kindness of the medical staff. They are so warm-hearted and compassionate even though their workload is unimaginable, and the pressure they are under must be crushing at times.
3. Tune into the mandala: We can practicing seeing the hospital as Medicine Buddha’s mandala Pure Land (or heaven), and everyone in it as emanations of Medicine Buddha. For me, it helped that all the staff were wearing royal blue scrubs! I asked Medicine Buddha to enter the hearts of all the medical workers so they could give everyone the best quality of care, and I asked Medicine Buddha to enter my heart and the hearts of all the patients to help us stay calm and kind.
4. Tune into gratitude: We can express gratitude and warmth towards the staff and other patients we meet during our stay. This may be our or their last day on earth, so let’s try to make it count.
5. Tune into purification: We can endeavor to see this entire experience as a supreme act of refuge in Buddha or other enlightened beings, and as unparalleled purification. As my teacher Venerable Geshe Kelsang says in Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully, we can strongly pray:
Through my virtue of voluntarily enduring my suffering, may all living beings attain permanent liberation from their suffering.
We are lucky to be able to purify in this human realm, not while trapped in the lower realms.
6. Be practical: There can be long waiting periods between meeting the Doctor, getting the tests, receiving the results, getting prepped for surgery, etc., so we have time to do the practice that we promised the Buddhas we’d do every day no matter what (if we have made such a promise) or whatever practice we are
most familiar with. We can also use this time to write to our family and friends to let them know what’s going on and ask them for their prayers and/or any advice they may have. This is also a good time to arrange for childcare, animal care, and so on.
7. Tune into refuge: If we are scared, we can keep mentally reciting the name or mantra of whichever Buddha or other holy being we feel closest to. I kept reciting the words “Guru Medicine Buddha” over and over, probably thousands of times during my stay; and I also told him that I was afraid, asking him to hold my hand throughout the experience. It’s very healing to open up to enlightened beings in this way, just telling them exactly what we are feeling. Always remember you’re not alone.
8. Tune into the present moment: We can try, as much as possible, to stay in the moment, not propelling ourself into “what’s next” and “what if’s.” I kept reminding myself that, for example, “Right now I am waiting for the Doctor to tell me what the surgery plan is. I’m not going to worry about what happens after that.” This is difficult, but important, stopping any spiral into anxiety or dread.
9. Prepare: We can make a plan for what we will do in the seconds after they administer anesthesia and before we go under. I decided to mentally recite Dorje Shugden and Green Tara mantras: OM VAJRA WIKI WITRANA SÖHA and OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SÖHA.
10. Tune into positive change: When it’s all over, we can make a realistic decision about how we want this experience to change us. Maybe we will try to be a bit kinder, softer, just like the medical staff who had never met us before but gave us the best care they possibly could. Imagine if we could have that equanimity of kindness towards everyone we met. We can let the experience change us for the better.
(Ed: Lots of good comments below, with helpful replies to each one by the guest author. Please feel free to leave your own comments below.)
29 Comments
Thank you so much for this article. My circle of friends, acquaintances and relatives have all experienced very serious illnesses and death recently. Patient acceptance and compassion are good medicines for these times. I’d like to share this link in our newsletter. Thank you again.
It’s okay to hit the Like button too, people!
I was so fortunate to have found this post. I was forced to have a procedure today as a preliminary after a routine test found an unexpected problem that must be addressed. As I was reading it. it made perfect sense to me so I tried to remember it and put the wisdom into practice. What an amazing practice.
Hi Tim: Thanks so much for reading the article; I am the author 🙂 I am so happy that the tips that I describe make sense to you and resonate with you. The experience that I wrote about only lasted 11 hours: From first going to Urgent Care, then being transferred to the ER, then having surgery and finally being in the recovery room, but by the end of it all, I felt like I had received several empowerments because of the power of the practices of refuge, compassion and purification that Geshe-la has given us. We are so lucky to have these exquisite, liberating teachings aren’t we?
Thank you again for reading and for joining the conversation. You are in my prayers, Tim.
Hello again. and thank you so much. Just an update. I had an echocardiogram that found a tumor in my left atrium. I was set up for a cardiac catheterization and a few days before the procedure I was fortunate enough to read this article. As someone who was very squeamish about even simple things like bloodwork, the tools that this article provided were available to my mind. I was focused going in and if and when things started to break down, I understood what I needed to be remembered and how to remind myself of what needed to be done. I had the next 2 weeks to prepare for having open heart surgery to have the tumor removed. The surgery date was April 15, which was so auspicious to me since Nyungnay is one of my favorite practices. I was also able to attend a general class during the Vajrasaattva Retreat at KMC Glen Spey, which in preparing for the upcoming US Festival had taken the Medicine Buddha out from behind the glass and placed him on a table right in front of the Temple. allowing a very detailed and personal connection to be created in my mind. The morning of the surgery, as people from all over were taking precepts, I was able to rejoice in their opportunity, and also in the opportunity that all the connections, and interconnections that brought me to this place ready to do what needed to be done. I was so looking forward to reciting Tara Mantras when i went under and maybe I did but I honestly don’t remember. I do remember waking in the ICU grateful to have my daughter in law by my side, grateful to be able to squeeze my nurses’ hands and push off with my feet, grateful when they were able to remove the breathing tube, grateful for a few chips of ice to slowly melt in my mouth. But most of all I was grateful to have the tools that allowed me to focus and rejoice in the efforts of all these people connected and randomly interconnected in this web of Love and Life and Hope. I was able to maintain this peaceful state until the pain required the use of multiple types of opiates, but that could be the source of another future discussion. May Everyone Be Free!
I just handed my phone to my husband so he could read your tips as he has undergone some life threatening and chronic health matters. He was deeply touched by your guidance. So pure and so practical. I love to hear what happens when practitioners use dharma to solve their problems. Thank you for this. We really have to continually maintain our alliance with the Holy Beings day by day, hour by hour and so forth so that the connection is deep and personal in the way you illustrate here. Well done!
Thank you for this. May Guru Medicine Buddha continue to ripen all the conditions needed for you to accomplish Buddhahood swiftly 💙
Hi there, and thanks so much for reading the article and leaving your comment; I am the author 🙂 I like what you write about the importance of maintaining our alliance with the Holy Beings, amplifying and deepening it over time.
As you probably know, Je Tsongkhapa wrote very beautiful praises of Buddha Maitreya, and I find his refuge in the verse below to be particularly moving and profound:
Again and again, devotedly I turn to you for refuge,
Loving One, who with love liberates living beings.
Come quickly, quickly, and in life after life
be my Mahayana Guru.
If I may, I’d like to also share with you an excerpt of Psalm 44 by Leonard Cohen from his Book of Mercy. I find his words about refuge to be gorgeous and inspiring:
It is your name that makes the cry a healing, it is your mercy that guards the heart in the panic of yes and no. Let the heart speak to its friend, you who decipher the world to a child. Let the heart speak of the love that humbles it for wilder love, and let my whispered gratitude uphold me through this day. In the hopelessness of every other thing, you make your place, you strengthen your presence, and I ask to bow down before the lord of my life.
Thanks so much again for joining our collective conversation. I am keeping you and your husband in my prayers.
This is beautiful. My 16 year old son recently survived a cardiac arrest and making prayers really helped. This is a wonderful article and one I’m going to save.
Hi Abigail: Thanks so much for reading the article; I am the author 🙂 I hope your son is doing well now? How beautiful that you made prayers while he was having a medical emergency. Very frightening experiences like the one that you and your son just went through really “force” us into refuge, don’t they? On the other side, we come out stronger because of that refuge.
I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I brought that sense of intensity of refuge (although gentler) to other less urgent and scary situations in my life. I am going to try! From a Buddhist perspective, I am currently being tossed around by the waves in the ocean of samsara, and death is right around the corner, so there really is no reason for me to not go for very deep refuge more often; do you know what I mean?
I am sending you and your son much love and many prayers. Thanks for your comment and for joining this wonderful thread of ideas and inspiration that we are all sharing.
Thank you well needed read today before my Mri . Super nervous. Xx
Hi there and thanks for reading the article; I am the author 🙂 I had two MRI’s done on my brain over the last month and I am severely claustraphobic. I don’t know if you will get this message before your MRI, but what helped me was to repeat “Guru Medicine Buddha” throughout the experience, and to constantly remind myself of impermanence: The procedure will take 15 minutes, and I can endure almost anything for 15 minutes! If you feel a connection with a specific enlightened being, you could try this tip out. It really helped me!
I am confident it will all go well. Thanks again for joining the conversation!
Thank you for this article. So helpful. I was in the hospital a month ago and completely forgot to ask for the Buddhas help! I will go for Refuge. ♥️♥️♥️
Hi Denise; thanks for reading the article. I am the author 🙂 Hospitals offer an unparalleled opportunity to go for refuge, don’t they? I was alone at the hospital because I don’t yet know too many people in this town that I currently live in (and I didn’t want to ask my small group of friends to go to the hospital with me at 7am either), but I never felt alone because I engaged all of the staff I met in conversation, and I stayed so connected to Medicine Buddha throughout my time there.
I see hospitals as part of Avalokiteshvara’s Pure Land (the Buddha of compassion, as I’m sure you know). Most, if not all, of the hundreds or thousands of staff are there because of their compassionate intentions. The people who are there with their sick friends and family want to protect them from suffering, which is compassion. There are also so many people who are in a state of fear for themselves or their loved ones, and they are the object of OUR compassion. It really is part of the mandala! It might sound strange, but despite my physical pain, I had a very spiritually powerful time there. It was like going to a very long and wonderful puja 🙂
Thanks again for reading. I hope that you are well.
A terrific how-to for when we really need it. It’s a keeper.
Hi Chuck! Thanks so much for reading the article; I am the author. I am so glad that you derived some benefit from the article, and I hope too that some of the tips will come in handy if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. As I said in the article, I feel grateful that I had the experience. I really grew spiritually from it, as well as from the long convalescence that followed. I am sending you much love.
Wonderful, wishing my memory will help me to remember all these great words of wisdom!
Hi Donna, I am the author 🙂 If you are ever in a similar situation, I think you will really see how much faith and wisdom you have. I was quite scared when I got to the emergency room, and it’s encouraging and incredible how much Dharma (or spiritual teachings in general) we remember when we are afraid. Thanks for reading the article!
Thank you for sharing how you practically integrate Dharma. Wishing you well. ❤️🙏🏻
Hi and thanks so much for reading the article. I am the author 🙂 There’s nothing like a potentially
life-threatening medical issue to help us to remember and practise Dharma. It was a wonderful, faith-enhancing experience, and I am very grateful for it.
Thank you for sharing these tips. I’d love to know, what do you do about physical pain, especially when it is intense?
Hi Ray: Thank you for your question. I am the author of the article 🙂 As I wrote above, I am a Buddhist, but you can adapt the tips below to your particular spiritual background if you are not a Dharma practitioner.
As you know, physical pain is a big challenge, both for our body and mind. I experience it consistently in many parts of my body. I’ve had success with the following practice: When I am experiencing pain that is preventing me from sleeping, for example, I ask Medicine Buddha to become the part of my body that is giving me pain. The nature of an enlightened being’s mind pervades all things. Thus, when my right shoulder, for example, is hurting so much that I can’t fall asleep, I ask Medicine Buddha to become my shoulder and to take the pain away. Then I ask him to take away the pain of all others. More often than not, my pain evaporates and I am able to fall asleep.
If you haven’t already read the article, “The Dark Blessing of Chronic Illness” by Gen Samten Kelsang, which is on this blog, I hugely recommend it. In it, Gen Samten shares incredible gems of advice about how to deal with pain. For example, he says: “Make compassion your main practice. People discover compassion in many different ways. Mine was through chronic sickness. Yours might be another way. Put in the simplest terms, compassion is the wish to protect people from pain and suffering. If you are severely ill, please make compassion your main practice. Without compassion we are lifeless and dead. Don’t run from the suffering of your illness. Turn around and look it in the eye. Look carefully. Look closely. Over time, instead of seeing our own pain we start to see others’ pain, others’ sickness, others’ tears, others’ loss. Their suffering becomes our suffering. In this way, our Buddha nature starts to grow. But not without pain.”
I hope that you find release from the suffering of your pain, Ray. You are in my prayers.
Beautiful advice, thank you. I always do taking and giving on the breath, when I’m a hospital, or feeling unwell. I find it stabilises my anxiety because it calms my mind through the breath. It also moves my attention from self to other which automatically reduces ‘my’ suffering.
I hope you’re fully recovered. ❤️
Hi Jan: Thank you for reading the article; I am the author 🙂 I love that you have such a strong connection with Taking and Giving. I completely agree with you that it both calms our mind and takes our focus off ourself. What a jewel of a practice. Thanks for taking the time to share and to join the conversation.
Thank you for sharing the tips! May you be well and happy! 🙏
So beneficial. Thankyou for sharing 💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙
I hope and pray to stay grounded during stressful times, and I notice my resistance goes down if I lack my meditation time. But these WORK, they’ve worked for me. Many times.
Hi Liza Beth: Thanks so much for reading the article; I am the author 🙂 I completely relate to your words about how your resistance goes down in stressful times if you don’t meditate. I find that if I neglect my meditation practice, my mind can get very messy.
I was tremendously sick for 24 hours before I finally took a cab to Urgent Care. During that time, I did the meditation practices that I had committed to doing daily, and I prayed a lot to Medicine Buddha. That grounded me enough so that when I got to Urgent Care, it was not difficult to keep a positive mind. Staying grounded is crucial, and we are so lucky to have meditation in our medicine cabinet. Thank you for your comment.
The timing of this post is particularly auspicious. I spent the day yesterday taking my busy friend from urgent care to ER to learn he had a stroke. I was taken with the hard work of everyone there and the suffering of other patients. This is such an important reminder of our refuge practice in dharma. Thank you.
Hi there, and thanks so much for reading the article and leaving your comment. I am the author 🙂 It’s incredibly inspiring to see how hard everyone in medical milieus work. Their compassion is completely automatic, and they have such equanimity.
I like to think about how our own compassion for others, as well as our refuge in Buddhadharma can help us to consider making beautiful promises about what we wish to do with our lives and with our eventual realizations. For example, when we become enlightened, we can choose to free others from specific sufferings, if we wish. My promise is to protect and free everyone who is abused, trapped, sick and neglected. That is my promise. And that is coming from my refuge and compassion, borne of my illness. Perhaps you have made similar promises?
Thanks again for sharing. I am keeping your friend in my prayers.