Requests for Healing
In the medicine Buddha meditation the first aspect to contemplate and to adjust is our motivation. The text says ’Reflect on our illness and pain and on the illness and pain experienced by others and generate a strong desire to be free of pain and suffering and to help others to be free of pain and suffering’.
This is asking us to meet and to know the inevitable truth that there is suffering, to be moved yet not overwhelmed by this truth. This in turn cultivates compassion, which is the ability to experience the suffering of others plus the ability to do something about it. This reflection on the pain and suffering experienced by ourselves and others is not meant to be depressing, on the contrary it can foster an unshakeable desire to be of service in whatever form is possible.
The second sentence recognizes that this is quite a task and that we need some help to be able to support others in time of shock, despair and pain: ‘As an effective means to do this, we will commit ourselves to invoking the healing forces within us, embodied in the Medicine Buddha, to the means of actualising these forces and to those who are able and willing to support us in this process’.
This takes into account that we alone have limitation and if we do not want to feel overwhelmed or inadequate when faced with the suffering of self and others, we need to train ourselves, to find a suitable practice, teacher and friends who will support us in this journey.
Here, what is offered is the practice of the Medicine Buddha but there are many other practices which will do just as well. I would like to share what I do when I receive a request for healing or when I hear of yet another tragedy.
First I make sure that I am in a wholesome state that is not tired physically or mentally, that I am openhearted and in a good frame of mind.
- Depending on my circumstances I can choose from the various ways of sending support to those in need.Throughout the day I hold the person in my mind-heart and from time to time I stop briefly and mentally and say ‘may this being be well and happy and free from suffering’, if I know their name then I say their name instead of this being.
- At the end of formal practice I dedicate the benefit of my practice to their well being, again I repeat mentally the sentence above together with their name.
- Any moment of joy or positivity I might experience during the day I offer it to their well-being.
- Or I do a full practice of M.B dedicating and include those in need by name, repeating one to three mantras per name. My understanding is that the power of the joining of mind-intention will support those who meet challenging times in their life so just one thought coming from an open heart can be transformative. It does not have to be elaborate.
It is a natural response one has towards a loved one; here the practice is to extend the same loving attention to someone who you may not know. I remember Namgyal Rinpoche asking us to give him news of how the person was doing. Are they better, worse? Do they need to be taken off the list? Again a few words of feedback would be enough.
So I would like to invite anyone who feels
that they can and would benefit from this
practice of responding to a request for healing to join the Blue Healer Minds. Simply give your contact to Sarah Hill
(sarah.hill1@mac.com), you can join or
ask to be removed from the Blue Healer
Minds at any time according to your
circumstances.
If anyone has a personal question
regarding this practice I would be happy to
help. In this case send your question,
anytime, directly to me:sonia@soniamoriceau.org
Love, Sonia
Articles by Sonia
Dharma the Next Generation
Requests for Healing
Inspirations - Rinpoche's story
