Buddhism Mental Illness

What does life entails? If at the youthful age of 18, one might say, friends, dreams and health. But at the mature age of 60, 50 or even 40 for some, a considerable part of their lives, might be under the shadows of a threatened health state, no matter mentally or physically. The advancement of technology has certainly extended the path at the crossing of life and death, lengthening our lives to a formidable length that dealing with illnesses, sometimes transcends a temporary, transitory state. This essay tries to look into whether Buddhist thoughts can help one bear with an altered life state and maintain a quality life despite a chronic illness.

The first and foremost challenge a person may be faced with, upon knowing the unpleasant news

The noble truth of dukkha, affliction, is this: birth, old age, sickness, death, grief, lamentation, pain, depression, and agitation are dukkha. (Samyutta Nikaya 61.11.5) Buddhist doctrines states that the fourth noble truth is the way leading to a cessation of dukkha. Then, in search of the truth, one must find his way to end the suffering. In the case of a physical ailment, these suffering are both physically and psychological. I will elaborate on how Buddhist ways cope with physical pain, destructive thoughts and hopelessness as well as other possible negative thoughts which manifests in a chronically ill

Conventional medical methods can help relieve the pain to some extent by pain medication, however it is still evident that some among us has to incorporate pain as a part of daily life. Sometimes, it may even affect the mental state of a person and distort their attitudes and thoughts, for example, vent their rage onto people around them. To cope with a sick body while leading on a normal life. Therefore, many people with similar chronic pain experience turn to methods which gives them better control of their bodies and sensations. Buddhists agree that mind and body cannot be independently considered, trained and healed without one another. Meditation is adopted by many, not only as a cultivation of mind, but also significant in the physical dimension. Vidyamala, co-founder of Breathwork who had injured her spinal cord and dealt with chronic pain, made a detailed description of how meditation soothed her pain like never before, ‘ suddenly, my experience completely changed when I heard a quiet inner voice saying: “You don’t have to get through till morning; you only have to get through the present moment”. It was like a house of cards collapsing, revealing the space that had been present all along, if only I