Zen Thinking

[Vega_Lyra]

Inspirational sayings... :wave:

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”

 

[SeaBreeze]

 

[aeron]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an interesting read.

 

[Buckeye]

Inspirational sayings... :wave:

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”

I consider the high-lighted quote to be mildly offensive. My first wife passed away 15 years ago from ALS (also called Lou Gehrig's disease here in the states, and MND in the UK). She did everything the "experts" say you should do for good health. Can you give me some specifics about what causes ALS (and many other similar diseases) that she could have possibly "authored"? There are a lot of people who would like to know. Please don't blame the victim.

 

[Butterfly]

I consider the high-lighted quote to be mildly offensive. My first wife passed away 15 years ago from ALS (also called Lou Gehrig's disease here in the states, and MND in the UK). She did everything the "experts" say you should do for good health. Can you give me some specifics about what causes ALS (and many other similar diseases) that she could have possibly "authored"? There are a lot of people who would like to know. Please don't blame the victim.

I agree with you, Hoot. The highlighted phrase reminds me of a church my mom's acquaintance went to years ago -- they believed if you got sick it was because you had done something evil. When my mom was dying of cancer, the acquaintance tried that theory out on me, and I told her to leave and not to come back. Ever.

 

[SifuPhil]

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

Even though he is widely credited, the Buddha never said this. The source of the quotation is Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), the founder of The Divine Life Society and author of over 200 books on yoga, Vedanta, and a variety of other subjects.

On page 202 of his Bliss Divine, he wrote:

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. Disease is the result of disobedience to the immutable laws of health that govern life.

And there you have it. Not the Buddha. Not technically Zen thinking. I cannot claim to understand the Swami’s words but am open to having them interpreted for me. As I understand and have experienced the human condition, all of us are subject to disease, as well as injury and aging. The question is whether we can meet these challenges with equanimity, meaning with mindful awareness that life will inevitably be a mixture of ups and downs and that peace is to be found by riding both waves with an evenness of temper and calmness of mind.