How to Face the Onset of Illness

Teachings from Namo Amituofo:

The Path of Inward Reflection

You must turn your gaze inward and reflect upon your own heart. Do not concern yourself with the situations of others, nor should you engage in comparisons or speak of the rights and wrongs of others. Most importantly, do not allow your heart to be stirred or thoughts to arise. When you feel the onset of illness, you must remain steady and calm.

To improve your condition, you should focus on the following essential practices: sincere repentance to acknowledge your past mistakes and resolve to change; performing Chao Du to invite the spirits who are suffering to hear the Dharma and be saved; and purification to cleanse your Body-Mind-Spirit. If you can listen to the sutras, hear the Dharma, and intensify your practice of chanting Namo Amituofo, you will achieve excellent results in resolving conflicts, inviting spirits, and performing Chao Du.

The Medicine of the Buddha-name

Chanting one Buddha-name to the end is the finest medicine for any illness. Many people, once they fall ill, unfortunately forget to chant. This happens because their attention and focus are completely consumed by physical pain, and they find it difficult to maintain the same level of concentration they usually have during their daily practice.

If your practice of chanting is not solid during times of health, it will be even harder to maintain when you are old or sick. If you add the stress of changing external circumstances to your physical pain, you may truly lose the Buddha-name. When this happens, your body is left to fight a lonely battle, and you lose the vital support of the Buddha's light and energy.

The Trap of the Wandering Mind

Illness has the power to break a person's spirit and accelerate the aging process. Once karmic creditors manifest, you must invite them to hear the Dharma and be saved; otherwise, the illness will be difficult to stop. During the process of spiritual healing, if these beings continue to appear—if they leave and then return again and again—you must examine your own heart. Do not let your heart be stirred, and do not let your thoughts wander. A stirred heart is the primary source that attracts these beings to manifest in your life.

The Ultimate Cure: Stillness

The human heart is accustomed to constant activity. It changes with every external condition and reacts to every internal sensation or feeling. Even when you are asleep, your heart remains in a state of fluctuation. Learning how to stop these wandering thoughts is a major lesson for every practitioner and every person facing illness. If you cannot stop your thoughts, the illness will likely return, for you have not yet transformed your karma. You are still living according to the laws of karma and cause and effect.

If you can truly stop your thoughts, you will be able to transform your karma. Only then can you move beyond the cycle of karma and cause and effect, and the demands of those who seek to settle past debts, finally freeing yourself from this suffering. If you find it difficult to stop your thoughts, please replace your ordinary mental chatter with the sacred name of Namo Amituofo. Chant it continuously and directly. When you reach the point where your chanting is pure, continuous, and unbroken—where you chant without the sense of chanting, and the chanting happens without effort—that is the moment your karma is transformed and your illness will cease.

Namo Amituofo