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Buddhists - Meditating while stick?
Expert: Joe McSorley - 10/22/2009
Question
Hello, I just have a question - I'm sick ^_^, and I'm not sure what to do with regards to meditation. My head hurts terribly and I feel very tired - should I meditate anyway? It's not really a matter of will it hurt or not, but will it be worth the trouble, because I have a feeling that I wont be able to focus at all, and that I will only get frustrated.
On the other hand, if I don't meditate, which I wouldn't for several days, I find that I will get just as frustrated from not meditating for so long ( my mood tends to drop when I don't meditate).
What is your experience with getting sick and meditating?
Thanks,
Nicolaas
Answer
Dear Nicholaas,
As you have most likely already noticed my view of meditation is different from most of the Zen that is practiced today. There are meditations for healing, one being the famous goose egg meditation where you envision a lump of butter the size of a goose egg on your head and then meditate on the idea of it slowly melting and running cleansing energy through your body to heal it. Though this is not Zen meditation it can be very helpful when not healthy.
There is a point where sickness can just be too great to attempt to do anything other than recover. I have had friends who were sincere and ardent Zen practioners who became very ill during their practice. They have told me about having to recover before continuing their practice. This may be what you need to do.
There is an entirely different approach to this that is the path of self inquiry. Though sick you meditate on the question "who is it that is sick, who feels this illness"? By truly facing this in the present it becomes an authentic Zen inquiry that can be extremely beneficial. Ramana Maharishi talks about this in his writings as being a great impetus to awakening because it is so real and present.
You will have to decide what path suits you best. Good luck to you and I hope you feel better.
Joe
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