Dharma Lessons

In The Nine Cemetery Contemplations the Buddha says “And further, monks, as if a monk sees a body dead one, two, or three days; swollen, blue and festering, thrown in the charnel ground, he then applies this perception to his own body thus: "Verily, also my own body is of the same nature; such it will become and will not escape it."

These nine contemplations I have been doing before I read the   Satipatthana Sutra (The Foundations of Mindfulness) Now that I am in old age I am not shocked or overwhelms at the prospect of dying.  I have survived 7 surgeries I in the past two years and was at the brink of death twice. I’ve gotten through it, but I know that it is only temporary. Eventually I will die from something as it is inevitable for each of us.

Now I have a lump on my neck. I had a biopsy yesterday and wait for the results.  I am not anxious waiting for the results. The mindful meditations that I have done over the years have brought me to a comfortable place. Each day is an adventure.  One of today’s adventures is cooking at the pagoda. When I am peeling 1000 pounds of potatoes I do nothing but peel the potato.

I was interrupted in the writing of this blog by a call from my doctor asking me to come to see her.  I am back now. She said that I have cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck. It probably spread there from my tongue. I will undergo further tests to verify the source and develop a treatment plan.

The mindful meditations that I have practiced over the years has paid off. I am not overwhelmed. It’s another fascinating journey.  It may end in death or I may go on. It doesn’t matter.