Tweet
What do you do if you get the flu? You will be sick; that?s what you do and not much else. If this happens to you, and there is a 2 in 5 chance that it will, here is what I suggest. If you have prepared well, then you are not alone and those with you are committed to helping you make it through the illness. I hope you have an adequate supply of medications and materials to assist you and your caregivers during your illness. In any case, it is too late to worry about any of that now. If you don?t have everything you would like to have had, no big deal. Remember the most important thing is to drink as much fluid as you can and REST. You are probably tired anyway, getting everything ready and watching the world go crazy all around you. There is nothing more that you can do, so let it go.
Lay down your burden and rest. In a way, being sick will be a vacation from all the worry, fuss, responsibility, impossible problems, and lack of sleep. There will be pain, nausea maybe, and other discomforts, but have confidence, you will probably make it. Most people will. If you don?t, well then it was your time, that?s all. Just relax. Rest. Let it go. This is the Zen of Being sick.
When you become ill like this it is best to withdraw your energies into the quietest place in your being and rest there as the Observer. Your retreat is into a selfless being that is at the heart of each and every one of us. A place of refuge we can access if needed but one most of us seldom visit. Remain there observing. Within this special realm, sometimes you are asleep and sometimes awake. Your eyes can be open or closed, no matter. In this place, time passes in a funny way because it is a timeless sort of dimension. When you can get your head into that space, pain and nausea are less and you are not afraid. It is the place where you mind is free and can take you on fantastic voyages through your inner space.
The body needs rest to heal itself. Your body is a self-correcting organism and is prepared to experience and survive health conditions like this and even worse. Your body is able to rest quite well when your mind visits this vast inner space. We all come into contact with this space from time to time and when you arrive there you will recognize it like meeting up with an old friend. Abiding within inner space creates the conditions for healing to occur most directly. Rest, relax, even groove in this place. This is the Zen of Being.
Within this space, you can practice focusing your healing energies on overcoming the virus making you sick. No scientific skill required! This type of focused healing is what physicians like [Andrew Weil, MD] and [Deepak Chopra, MD] refer to in their [books on self-healing]. Each of us is capable of using this energy and has in fact done so many times. It is just that in our normal state of mind (ego consciousness), we cannot recall doing so or how we do it. This is not really necessary. What is needed is having faith in yourself and confidence in the healing gift God has given you. Let go of your small ego?s grasp on ?the world? so you can come into contact with this State of Grace.
Our body?s reaction to severe illness or trauma will naturally direct us to this place as long as we don?t struggle against it. We have nothing to fear from this old friend. Some of the drugs given for treatment of flu produce mild mental changes that make it easier to let go of the habitual tight ego grasp with which we hold on to the world. Loosen this grasp a little and allow things to slip a bit akimbo. This can make it easier to move deeper into inner space; an excellent place to ride out the storm. You are not out of touch or anything, just ?not in charge? for the moment. You are ?along for the ride? and frankly if you keep your eyes open, you might learn something new in this state of mind. This is a comfortable space where you are not alone and unafraid. When you become ill, recall these thoughts and let them guide you.
The key is to rest, sleep, drink, and pee. Let the world go by on its own merry way without you for once. Its OK, there will be more tomorrow after today. The focus is on just making it through the moment. You do this by being in the NOW as defined by [Ekert Tolle] in his books like the [Power of Now]. When things get tough, retire into your inner retreat and ride it out there. These feelings and pains will soon pass. Take it one moment at a time. Go to sleep. Rest. Soon you will be better. Be patient. Things will begin to get better soon. Groove in the Zen of Being sick.
The above is an excerpt from the Bird Flu Manual. BTW, I am a Buddhist and also a survivor of the 1957 pandemic so the views above have been shaped by my experiences and beliefs.
Best regards,
Grattan Woodson, MD
Lay down your burden and rest. In a way, being sick will be a vacation from all the worry, fuss, responsibility, impossible problems, and lack of sleep. There will be pain, nausea maybe, and other discomforts, but have confidence, you will probably make it. Most people will. If you don?t, well then it was your time, that?s all. Just relax. Rest. Let it go. This is the Zen of Being sick.
When you become ill like this it is best to withdraw your energies into the quietest place in your being and rest there as the Observer. Your retreat is into a selfless being that is at the heart of each and every one of us. A place of refuge we can access if needed but one most of us seldom visit. Remain there observing. Within this special realm, sometimes you are asleep and sometimes awake. Your eyes can be open or closed, no matter. In this place, time passes in a funny way because it is a timeless sort of dimension. When you can get your head into that space, pain and nausea are less and you are not afraid. It is the place where you mind is free and can take you on fantastic voyages through your inner space.
The body needs rest to heal itself. Your body is a self-correcting organism and is prepared to experience and survive health conditions like this and even worse. Your body is able to rest quite well when your mind visits this vast inner space. We all come into contact with this space from time to time and when you arrive there you will recognize it like meeting up with an old friend. Abiding within inner space creates the conditions for healing to occur most directly. Rest, relax, even groove in this place. This is the Zen of Being.
Within this space, you can practice focusing your healing energies on overcoming the virus making you sick. No scientific skill required! This type of focused healing is what physicians like [Andrew Weil, MD] and [Deepak Chopra, MD] refer to in their [books on self-healing]. Each of us is capable of using this energy and has in fact done so many times. It is just that in our normal state of mind (ego consciousness), we cannot recall doing so or how we do it. This is not really necessary. What is needed is having faith in yourself and confidence in the healing gift God has given you. Let go of your small ego?s grasp on ?the world? so you can come into contact with this State of Grace.
Our body?s reaction to severe illness or trauma will naturally direct us to this place as long as we don?t struggle against it. We have nothing to fear from this old friend. Some of the drugs given for treatment of flu produce mild mental changes that make it easier to let go of the habitual tight ego grasp with which we hold on to the world. Loosen this grasp a little and allow things to slip a bit akimbo. This can make it easier to move deeper into inner space; an excellent place to ride out the storm. You are not out of touch or anything, just ?not in charge? for the moment. You are ?along for the ride? and frankly if you keep your eyes open, you might learn something new in this state of mind. This is a comfortable space where you are not alone and unafraid. When you become ill, recall these thoughts and let them guide you.
The key is to rest, sleep, drink, and pee. Let the world go by on its own merry way without you for once. Its OK, there will be more tomorrow after today. The focus is on just making it through the moment. You do this by being in the NOW as defined by [Ekert Tolle] in his books like the [Power of Now]. When things get tough, retire into your inner retreat and ride it out there. These feelings and pains will soon pass. Take it one moment at a time. Go to sleep. Rest. Soon you will be better. Be patient. Things will begin to get better soon. Groove in the Zen of Being sick.
The above is an excerpt from the Bird Flu Manual. BTW, I am a Buddhist and also a survivor of the 1957 pandemic so the views above have been shaped by my experiences and beliefs.
Best regards,
Grattan Woodson, MD
ending of past karma what a excellent thought 
Comment