Health
Health
1. Story: Ajahn Pasanno attempts tudong in California. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] [Tudong] // [Ageing] [Health]
6. “Is Ajahn Liem continuing to take care of his health?” [Ajahn Liem] [Health] // [Medicinal requisites] [Food] [Health care]
3. “I have a hard time breathing normally due to congestion and athsma. How does one get past the initial fear, 'I just can't breath. How am I going to do this?'” [Health] [Fear] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Mindfulness of body] [Body scanning] [Tranquility]
10. “Any advice for cures for burnout? I'm in a helping profession and feel depleted and exhausted. I need help getting the balance between giving and receiving.” [Depression] [Work] [Health] [Generosity] [Compassion] // [Culture/West] [Idealism] [Commentaries] [Selfishness]
Quote: “Compassion in the English language means 'to suffer with.' If you end up suffering with too much, you end up burnt out.” [Language] [Suffering]
Quote: “Don't think you're a ten-wheeled dump truck when all you are is a wheelbarrow.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 291: Classical cultivation of goodwill and compassion, first to yourself. [Goodwill]
Quote: “Our ability to be with others and to help and to give is dependent on our being kind and compassionate to ourselves.” [Spiritual friendship] [Self-reliance]
17. “I understand that our genetic disposition can't be changed, but epigenetics say that their expression can be modified by changing lifestyle. In a similar way, our kamma is given but understanding but your teachings say the expression and effects can be changed by practice. Please comment.” [Science] [Health] [Kamma]
6. “With development (bhavana), is one able to shape the course of sickness or heal oneself to a degree?” [Meditation] [Sickness] [Health] // [Happiness] [Medicinal requisites]
Comment: I've been reflecting on how AN 5.48 applies to environmental and collective well-being–engaging without the expectation that actions will have a certain result. [Environment] [Politics and society]
Response [History/Thai Buddhism]
2. “I have a cancer and finished my treatment and am afraid it will come back if I don’t take care of myself as doctor told. So it is my stress. How can I think about my stress to hold it in my mind?” [Health] [Suffering]
4. “I am so grateful for your generous teachings. I am training my mind and am so glad for the dhamma in my life. However, I am experiencing migraine attacks almost daily, and therefore therefore a lot of uncertainty and dukkha. “Will I be able to function today?” “How bad will it be?” “Will I throw up?” “Which medicine will be the most beneficial today?” “Which side effects can I deal with today?” Working with my mind under these conditions is challenging, but I am up for the challenge, at least some of the time. I could use some encouragement, please.” [Generosity] [Health] [Suffering]
15. “My friend is having anxiety about her pregnancy issues. These are understandable but not helpful for her well-being. Do you have any recommendations for dealing with legitimate fears?” [Restlessness and worry] [Health] [Birth] [Fear] // [Visualization] [Goodwill] [Compassion]
Follow-up: “Would this go under the category of taking a smaller peg? (MN 20 method one)” [Directed thought and evaluation]
11. “Can you talk about your environmental work in Thailand? What qualities of heart and inner strength help us live without being completely overwhelmed?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Environment] [History/Thai Buddhism] // [Politics and society] [Greed] [Teaching Dhamma] [Panyaprateep School] [Food] [Dtao Dum]
Story: Sri Lankan monastic kidney donors. [Health] [History/Sri Lankan Buddhism]
26. “Do the monks give each other massages?” [Monastic life] [Health] // [Culture/Thailand]
14. Story: Ajahn Chah has all his teeth pulled out. [Ajahn Chah] [Health] // [Suffering]
8. “Can we approach chanting as praying for someone in a difficult situation?” [Christianity] [Devotional practice] [Family] [Health] [Chanting] // [Skillful qualities] [Compassion] [Right Intention] [Merit] [Abhayagiri] [Nature of the cosmos]
9. “How can you use chanting to work with long-term physical pain and other people's healing?” [Pain] [Health] [Chanting] // [Tranquility] [Concentration] [Fear] [Release]
7. “How do discoveries about the gut microbiome fit in with the Buddha's teachings?” [Science] [Dhamma] // [Not-self] [Self-identity view] [Mindfulness of body] [Clear comprehension] [Naturalness]
Follow-up: “How does the relate to monks who subsist on almsfood and sometimes don't get enough, considering that the gut is controlling the brain?” [Monastic life] [Almsfood] [Health] [Ajahn Soṇa] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]
Sutta: AN ??.?? - Stay where the practice advances, not where the requisites are.
8. Story: The cook assigned to look after Ajahn Pasanno doesn't understand what he can and needs to eat. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Dtao Dum] [Almsfood] [Food] // [Industry] [Meditation] [Energy] [Health] [Patience] [Culture/Natural environment]
12. “When you weren't getting enough food, had you been older and smarter, would you have been able, as a monk, to ask for vegetables?” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Monastic life] [Health] [Vinaya] [Almsfood] // [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Generosity]
4. “Apart from social distancing, what are other ways to behave compassionately during this time when there's so much physical distance between us?” [Pandemic] [Health] [Compassion] // [Generosity] [Online community] [Grief]
8. “How is it possible to not eat after noon while remaining active in everyday life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Eating after noon] [Renunciant practice] // [Fear] [Food] [Health]
10. Comment: I had a stroke 3 1/2 months ago, and the health professionals say I can't do this or that. I find this frustrating. [Sickness] [Health] [Aversion]
Response by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Dhamma] [Recollection/Dhamma] [Recollection]