Imagine for a moment living breathing beings, that we can observe from behind a hidden one way window.
We observe that these beings seems to have different "gears." That sometimes, the beings rest, and heal, and sometimes, the beings can sort of "turn up" the energy usage into a "higher gear." And faced with certain situations, seeking food, trying to defend oneself, when threatened or competing for something, that these beings can accomplish more tasks in a faster time, run faster, see more clearly, fight harder.
And what do you suppose happens? Some of these beings find this state of "heightened gear" attractive, and they seek to push their bodies to stay in this gear all the time. They think this makes them more successful, or makes them feel better (even as it wears them out to be in this heightened "gear" all the time)
Watching over a long period of time, we see that those beings that go back and forth between the different gears at different times seem to be healthier than those that always tend to stay in "resting gear," or always tend to stay in "heightened gear." (and we see there aren't only two gears, there are an infinite number of settings between one end and the other, and the beings who seem to be the healthiest over the longest periods of time are those who are able to maintain a balance.)
Long ago, the beings knew about this balance. It was part of an ancient wisdom of their bodies. They understood it. But over time, this wisdom was lost. Even as they learned new modern wisdoms, ways to use substances to "cure" themselves when they were "sick." They even learned how to cut into their bodies to "cure" some parts that had "worn out." Some parts could be "replaced." Like magic.
One day, some beings began to realize that there was a difference between the old natural way of "healing" by being in "balance," and the new "magic" ways of "curing" things that had become "sick." And some realized that the old wisdoms could be learned yet again, and used together with the new "magic." (it never had to be one or the other)
This is very much the situation we have today. The human body has an "autonomic nervous system" that is described as having 2 "settings." One setting is described as "fight or flight" and is called by health care professionals the "sympathetic nervous system." It can also be referred to as "adrenergic" since it is related to having surges of adrenaline. The other setting is described as for being at "rest" and is often called the "parasympathetic nervous system."
What we are finding is that within the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, they are variations and it is not so simply "one or the other." Some medications for example, like "beta blockers" can block the "beta" type effect of adrenaline, without blocking the "alpha" effect, and now we know different "selective" effects within those systems. And at the same time, we know that the parasympathetic system can sustain action and activity, not just "rest" - though at a "lower gear."
"Stress" can cause more adrenaline to circulate, and while this can have benefits short term ("fight or flight") it can wear someone out, so it may be best not to stay in one state (or the other) all the time. Resting all the time and not getting any exercise ever isn't healthy either. We seem to need a balance.
We really don't know for sure what happens when we do Reiki, but it sometimes seems as if we "reset" the balance between the elements of the autonomic nervous system in a healthier way.
Talking about "chakras" may make sense to us, but to physicians trained in a very conservative way, it may be hard for them to understand. Yet, if we talk about the effect of Reiki, in terms of causing relaxation, slowing the pulse, and placing our breathing in a more regular pattern, it may be easier for Western trained physicians to understand.
The other day I came home from after a long flight. I went right back to work, and a friend asked how I could do this. "I'm always tired for a couple of days after long flights" this person shared. Some time ago, I stopped worrying about flying. Once I decide to go somewhere, there simply is no sense to worrying and I may as well enjoy the journey. Now, I suppose, I use Reiki and relax. I don't let the waiting upset me and I don't let the security upset me, and when we are flying I don;t think about what might go wrong. It is sort of interesting to see how, human intellect and thinking, which should help us, can in some situations wear us out. Worrying about things we have no control over and can't do anything about wears us out. Being thankful for the opportunities we have seems to give us a chance to be calm, and to some degree heal ourselves.
Imagine.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Looking through a window
A few days ago, I walked back to my hospice unit late in the day, and found one of my patients sitting on a bench, dressed to leave, waiting for her ride. It was hard to imagine, as 17 days before she had been sent to us expecting to die, with widely metastatic cancer, and a bowel obstruction. "There's nothing that can be done," she had been told. And we worked with pain medication to assure comfort, and waited with her, and prayed with her.
Somehow, the bowel obstruction had relieved (at least for now). And she was sitting and waiting to go home.
I walked up to her and we took each other's hands and I told her that I prayed that she would be well and that I would see her again. I knew the cancer was not cured, and I knew this was a gift of very special time. And what I meant was really - I hope that you do not die soon, that this does not recur too soon, and she gave me this huge smile and said, "I do hope I see you again but not here, maybe walking down the street and we will pass each other by and wave hello, or, perhaps, I will be looking through a window from a store, and I will see you walking by, and I will wave!"
And I knew yet again that sometimes, things occur that we cannot understand - that while often curing is beyond our skill, caring is not.
Sometimes it is simply, as Art Buchwald wrote, "too soon to say goodbye."
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Reiki and Manna
What do these two things have in common, Reiki, a form of healing which comes to us from Japan, and Manna, a type of food consumed by the Israelites in the desert, after they escaped from Egypt?
First of all, this Blog reflects meditation on a question that people are asking me, why don't you slow down? Aren't you worried you are going to exhaust yourself? Someone your age should take it easy!
And it is true that I have many days come to a realization that in hospice, half the patients I treat now are younger than I am - and so one would ask, what SHOULD I worry about? And it made me think of the story of the Manna in the desert. At least in the Bible as written in Hebrew, it appears that the "energy" in the Manna is not just "nourishment," it is a "food" that is spiritual and energetic as well as "material." And this food comes from Heaven and lasts only for one day - it cannot be stored or "saved for tomorrow." It appears that the lesson here differentiates between material food, grain and the like, that earlier in Genesis Joseph was able to store in warehouses, and save for the "rainy day" (or more likely in this case for the years of drought). Manna came as food that was "spiritual" in nature, and the energy needed to be consumed, more importantly, one needed to use the gift with the faith that more energy (or Manna) would come tomorrow.
So it seems to be for a Hospice worker. We are gifted with a certain amount of energy, and perhaps that is for a purpose, if we hold back and do not use that energy to assist others than it will spoil and do us no good. Holding back isn't playing it "safe" at all.
I am recurrently seeing people eager to move ahead in Reiki, attain more attunements, and accomplish more levels. And I am seeing people have concern that these leap forwards can be exhausting, and no doubt at some point clearing blocks and opening up can come with a need to rest and to integrate energies, to "rearrange the garden" if you will.
More and more for this reason I am tending to teach people over a longer period of time, and provide attunements at a point when I feel they are "really ready." There are benefits to "curriculum," and certainly standardization has its value and its place, but learning to perceive and work with "energy" is a long term commitment and an ongoing process. It seems to me more a journey than an attainment - and approached in this way I have found helping other people exhilirating, and long days rarely "exhausting."
For those who say I have a lot left to learn, I have tended to say I second that, or perhaps just a simple "thank you." In the meantime, I feel an obligation to continue to work hard and expend the spiritual energy I am gifted with "just for today." If we are doing a mission of kindness, we just need to have faith that the "Manna" will continue to fall - one day at a time.
And whether we use a curriculum, or attain a level, if we simply use the spiritual energy that is gifted us to give compassion to others, we ourselves will continue to grow.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Reiki and Transition
Last week I was having a meeting with a family in hospice. Superb specialists had told the family that his cancer could not be cured, and that he was near death. Everyone had fought as hard as they could. The patient as so often is the case, could no longer speak for himself, and fortunately, he was on a unit where relief of pain was a primary goal. Although further aggressive meaasures such as CPR (cardiopulmonary rescusitation) would no longer be useful, law still placed a burden on me to ask the family the ritual questions about doing or not doing CPR, and gave the family both the power and the emburdenment of deciding on whether to have something done or not, that in this circumstance would not be expected to work absent a celestial miracle.
Familes so often in this situation think they are deciding whether or not someone "will live." For them, to not do CPR implies to "let someone die" - and yet - they have already been told that medical treatments would not work in this circumstances.
We sometimes try a new approach - not directing the discussion at the technical aspects of CPR or why it wouldn't work - but rather, guided by a Reiki perspective focused on the moment, asking questions focused on the moment. Thinking in this moment of the five basic Reiki principles.
And the question I ask then is directed to the reality that is being lived "just for today." "You know him best, if he could speak for himself right now - what would he say he believed would happen to his spirit when his body ceased to function? Does he believe that death ends it all, or has he believed that a spirit continues after the body dies?"
Although no one knows what actually happens after death, and we cannot test or measure or have certainty, many many people think on this question. And as they approach "transition" - what they have believed in their life should matter - do they believe that the end of mortal life ends life, or do they believe they are moving forward to an exciting journey? Are they afraid or do they have faith?
While it is not for a health care professional to ever convert or convince at end of life, neither is it for a health care professional to silence or rebut faith - and so often, if patients and their families are not told that we are willing to listen to what their faith is, and accept their sharing, they think we are not interested, or do not care, or would judge.
Asking simply "what would he believe" can be a powerful act of respect. We can at the least learn a lot more about our patients and their families - and at the point where we cannot cure, demonstrating in this way that we care, at least enough to want to know about the life, can be important.
One day I was telling a friend about my plans to give a talk at a medical meeting on "end of life" care, and this gentleman who was a religious leader for many souls, perhaps tens of thousands of souls, told me as respectfully as he could that, "you young doctor are not an expert on life, only on mortal life. The life that happens after death is beyond doctors training and expertise."
And so, I was told, that if we used our skills to cure, at the point when we could no longer cure, we could at least have the humility to care to listen to what those we were caring for believed.
I have treated many patients who have been near death, and at least for a time returned to us. Almost every one described an experience of perceiving a bright light - like the brightest light they had ever seen. And here is a description of Mikao Usui's vision on Mount Kurama, in a classic version as told to Amy Rowland as told by Beth Gray, as told by Mrs. Takata ("The Complete Book of Traditional Reiki")- this occurs on Mount Kurama after a 21 day fast: "too weak to move and powerless to block the light, he surrendered to it, and he had his vision. He began to see that the intense bright light flowing into him was made of hundreds and hundreds of bubbles of light, like a river is made of droplets of rain. Each of these bubbles was one of the colors of the rainbow and glowed with iridescence."
When we were in Japan, and traveling to Kurama, we had the opportunity to talk with many people, and intentionally we did not simply ask about Reiki, but about Mount Kurama, and we found it had a deep spiritual meaning to many Japanese people - for generations, indeed for centuries, the remains of "noble souls" who might serve as examples and protectors to their families and villages, even in death, seem to have been brought there as a final resting place.
For many people's, places become "holy" based on the memory of the spirits who have gone before - the examples of their lives and joys and tears that went before us.
If we see Usui Sensei in Japanese terms, perhaps we can see the "bubbles of light" as Kami - noble spirits - intending to guide and give compassion to those of us still in mortal life.
There is simply this - Reiki method gives us a non sectarian structure for looking at a situation and a time we cannot control with science. It allows us to connect with people of different backgrounds and different religions and different cultures in a very simple way.
And what of my patient's family last week? I listened to their story of his life, and of what he believed, and of his faith, and his oft stated words that he was going to a "better place" - and they added, "he would not want to be on a machine and he would not want CPR."
Away from worry and in a place of gratefulness for his life, they had found a path to an easier way to face this moment. I had said very little, had asked a simple question, and sat and listened to a story.
Familes so often in this situation think they are deciding whether or not someone "will live." For them, to not do CPR implies to "let someone die" - and yet - they have already been told that medical treatments would not work in this circumstances.
We sometimes try a new approach - not directing the discussion at the technical aspects of CPR or why it wouldn't work - but rather, guided by a Reiki perspective focused on the moment, asking questions focused on the moment. Thinking in this moment of the five basic Reiki principles.
And the question I ask then is directed to the reality that is being lived "just for today." "You know him best, if he could speak for himself right now - what would he say he believed would happen to his spirit when his body ceased to function? Does he believe that death ends it all, or has he believed that a spirit continues after the body dies?"
Although no one knows what actually happens after death, and we cannot test or measure or have certainty, many many people think on this question. And as they approach "transition" - what they have believed in their life should matter - do they believe that the end of mortal life ends life, or do they believe they are moving forward to an exciting journey? Are they afraid or do they have faith?
While it is not for a health care professional to ever convert or convince at end of life, neither is it for a health care professional to silence or rebut faith - and so often, if patients and their families are not told that we are willing to listen to what their faith is, and accept their sharing, they think we are not interested, or do not care, or would judge.
Asking simply "what would he believe" can be a powerful act of respect. We can at the least learn a lot more about our patients and their families - and at the point where we cannot cure, demonstrating in this way that we care, at least enough to want to know about the life, can be important.
One day I was telling a friend about my plans to give a talk at a medical meeting on "end of life" care, and this gentleman who was a religious leader for many souls, perhaps tens of thousands of souls, told me as respectfully as he could that, "you young doctor are not an expert on life, only on mortal life. The life that happens after death is beyond doctors training and expertise."
And so, I was told, that if we used our skills to cure, at the point when we could no longer cure, we could at least have the humility to care to listen to what those we were caring for believed.
I have treated many patients who have been near death, and at least for a time returned to us. Almost every one described an experience of perceiving a bright light - like the brightest light they had ever seen. And here is a description of Mikao Usui's vision on Mount Kurama, in a classic version as told to Amy Rowland as told by Beth Gray, as told by Mrs. Takata ("The Complete Book of Traditional Reiki")- this occurs on Mount Kurama after a 21 day fast: "too weak to move and powerless to block the light, he surrendered to it, and he had his vision. He began to see that the intense bright light flowing into him was made of hundreds and hundreds of bubbles of light, like a river is made of droplets of rain. Each of these bubbles was one of the colors of the rainbow and glowed with iridescence."
When we were in Japan, and traveling to Kurama, we had the opportunity to talk with many people, and intentionally we did not simply ask about Reiki, but about Mount Kurama, and we found it had a deep spiritual meaning to many Japanese people - for generations, indeed for centuries, the remains of "noble souls" who might serve as examples and protectors to their families and villages, even in death, seem to have been brought there as a final resting place.
For many people's, places become "holy" based on the memory of the spirits who have gone before - the examples of their lives and joys and tears that went before us.
If we see Usui Sensei in Japanese terms, perhaps we can see the "bubbles of light" as Kami - noble spirits - intending to guide and give compassion to those of us still in mortal life.
There is simply this - Reiki method gives us a non sectarian structure for looking at a situation and a time we cannot control with science. It allows us to connect with people of different backgrounds and different religions and different cultures in a very simple way.
And what of my patient's family last week? I listened to their story of his life, and of what he believed, and of his faith, and his oft stated words that he was going to a "better place" - and they added, "he would not want to be on a machine and he would not want CPR."
Away from worry and in a place of gratefulness for his life, they had found a path to an easier way to face this moment. I had said very little, had asked a simple question, and sat and listened to a story.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
On the NIH 5 year plan
This weekend I attended a continuing education meeting (CME) for conventional physicians, and while neither Reiki nor energy based healing were discussed, I could not help but reflect that the comnents of some of our speakers were, advertently or inadvertently, supporting the integration of complementary medicine into what we do in "evidence based medicine." The plain fact is, everyone wants access to the best of evidence based medicine when it works, but much of what we utilize every day is extremely expensive and has fairly high side effects.
I also cannot help but reflect upon the ill advised, poorly thought out, and regrettable decision by the NIH to focus research within its next 5 year plan of complementary medicine on pharmaceuticals rather than energy based medicine.
Here is what a highly prestigious speaker quoted to our conventional group of physicians this weekend" "Far too large a section of the treatment of disease is today controlled by the big manufacturing pharmacists, who have enslaved us in a plausible pseudoscience."
Well - what is shocking is this quote was not from 2010, but rather from a contemporary of Usui Sensei, the quote is from Dr Osler, the founder of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins and one of the father's of Modern Scientific Medicine.
And what does that mean in todays terms? The speaker went on to discuss the over usage of sedatives and antipsychotics in nursing homes today. In terms of sleep, scientific evidence was quoted that a major class of sleeping pills "decrease the time to onset of sleep, prolong the first two stages of sleep and shorten stages 3 and 4 (deep sleep) and REM sleep." (Medical Letter 1999)
Now deep sleep and REM sleep are what really "refresh" us, and the speaker went on to encourage us not to prescribe these medications adding, that for people having sleep induced by sleeping pills the report of daytime fatigue (next day) is "3.8 fold increase" compared to people not given a sleeping pill and continuing to report sleeplessness.
We were informed that in one recent case "the government charged that executives" (or a company which i will not name in the blog) "planned and executed schemes to illegally market (varying medications for pain and sedation). The fine in this case, "$2.3 billion amounts to less than 3 weeks" of the alleged companies sales.
These comments above, which I am reflecting on, are from a highly respected conventional teacher speaking at a very conservative and conventional physician meeting.
Conventional physicians are struggling to be "evidence based" - this is the best way for us to be, it is how we can best assist patients - but in the case of conventional medicine, we need more evidence about what complementary techniques can do and what they cannot do, especially - energy based and spiritual techniques.
The simple fact is that, complementary techniques like Reiki, Acupunture have very low costs and very low side effects.
I had a patient come in last month wishing a prescription for sleeping pills. I quoted the evidence to him, and tried to convince him that a medication was not a best option - it would take far less time to write a prescription! In the end, we agreed i would do a Reiki treatment on him, and not so surprisingly, he fell asleep. Now I have a conventional practice, not a Reiki practice, and except for terminally ill patients who I am treating in hospice, I am not day to day doing Reiki therapy - and so I offer options of colleagues who have Reiki practices.
In hospice we see cancer patients every day. And to make myself perfectly clear, if there is a chance that surgery and chemotherapy and radiation therapy will cure a patient, I am 100% supportive of educating to this option. "Cure" is a wonderful thing. Sadly - we do not yet have a cure for all cancers - and what happens when the conventional treatments are in fact not curative, and the patient is worsening in the face of such treatment? That is the dilemma. Can we "care" (or even as some say "heal") when we cannot cure?
This past week I was treating a patient whose oncologist had given up hope. Nonetheless, she wanted to continue aggressive treatment that would clearly not cure her and might well shorten her life. She came to hospice perhaps to die. We spent some time discussing the options, and she was very focused on what would happen after she died, what would her family do after she died, and in talking with her family we said to her, "please live the time you have. Please focus on the time you can share with your family now. Please don't give up the time you can live now."
She changed her focus - and went home. We do not know for how long. We only believe that each day someone can enjoy and share with loved ones is a precious day.
I can remember very early in my conventional practice, many years ago, having a very tough week. I had two patients with incureable brain tumors. I had long discussions with my neurosurgical colleague who did the biopsies, and he was clear that aggressive treatment would not succeed. In both cases, i had long discussions with the patient and with the family. One patient went to another surgeon, entered a hospital, had aggressive brain surgery and died that week in an intensive care unit. The other patient declined aggressive care, went on a vacation with her husband that they had always wanted to take together, and eventually, months later, died with hospice support and surrounded by her family at home.
It seems to me that a good physician is evidence based, and holistic - and isn't committed to forcing the use of one type of care or treatment. Medications can be lifesaving, i wouldn't want to have pneumonia and not take an antibiotic!
If conventional and complementary approaches can work together, and both be evidence tested, - care can be more sensible, and more holistic.
There was a recent article in the New York Times (10/2/10) quoted by our speaker this weekend, "For decades anitpsychotic drugs were a niche product. Today, they're the top selling class of pharmaceuticals in America, generating annual revenue of about $14.6 billion, and surpassing sales of even blockbusters like heart protecting statins."
The NIH should have had the wisdom to realize, the dollars spent on pharmacologic research is already extremely high, and the five year priority plan should have had the wisdom to be more balanced. More evidence based research on Complementary Medicine, especially energy based, should have been included. Osler. I think, would have understood that.
I also cannot help but reflect upon the ill advised, poorly thought out, and regrettable decision by the NIH to focus research within its next 5 year plan of complementary medicine on pharmaceuticals rather than energy based medicine.
Here is what a highly prestigious speaker quoted to our conventional group of physicians this weekend" "Far too large a section of the treatment of disease is today controlled by the big manufacturing pharmacists, who have enslaved us in a plausible pseudoscience."
Well - what is shocking is this quote was not from 2010, but rather from a contemporary of Usui Sensei, the quote is from Dr Osler, the founder of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins and one of the father's of Modern Scientific Medicine.
And what does that mean in todays terms? The speaker went on to discuss the over usage of sedatives and antipsychotics in nursing homes today. In terms of sleep, scientific evidence was quoted that a major class of sleeping pills "decrease the time to onset of sleep, prolong the first two stages of sleep and shorten stages 3 and 4 (deep sleep) and REM sleep." (Medical Letter 1999)
Now deep sleep and REM sleep are what really "refresh" us, and the speaker went on to encourage us not to prescribe these medications adding, that for people having sleep induced by sleeping pills the report of daytime fatigue (next day) is "3.8 fold increase" compared to people not given a sleeping pill and continuing to report sleeplessness.
We were informed that in one recent case "the government charged that executives" (or a company which i will not name in the blog) "planned and executed schemes to illegally market (varying medications for pain and sedation). The fine in this case, "$2.3 billion amounts to less than 3 weeks" of the alleged companies sales.
These comments above, which I am reflecting on, are from a highly respected conventional teacher speaking at a very conservative and conventional physician meeting.
Conventional physicians are struggling to be "evidence based" - this is the best way for us to be, it is how we can best assist patients - but in the case of conventional medicine, we need more evidence about what complementary techniques can do and what they cannot do, especially - energy based and spiritual techniques.
The simple fact is that, complementary techniques like Reiki, Acupunture have very low costs and very low side effects.
I had a patient come in last month wishing a prescription for sleeping pills. I quoted the evidence to him, and tried to convince him that a medication was not a best option - it would take far less time to write a prescription! In the end, we agreed i would do a Reiki treatment on him, and not so surprisingly, he fell asleep. Now I have a conventional practice, not a Reiki practice, and except for terminally ill patients who I am treating in hospice, I am not day to day doing Reiki therapy - and so I offer options of colleagues who have Reiki practices.
In hospice we see cancer patients every day. And to make myself perfectly clear, if there is a chance that surgery and chemotherapy and radiation therapy will cure a patient, I am 100% supportive of educating to this option. "Cure" is a wonderful thing. Sadly - we do not yet have a cure for all cancers - and what happens when the conventional treatments are in fact not curative, and the patient is worsening in the face of such treatment? That is the dilemma. Can we "care" (or even as some say "heal") when we cannot cure?
This past week I was treating a patient whose oncologist had given up hope. Nonetheless, she wanted to continue aggressive treatment that would clearly not cure her and might well shorten her life. She came to hospice perhaps to die. We spent some time discussing the options, and she was very focused on what would happen after she died, what would her family do after she died, and in talking with her family we said to her, "please live the time you have. Please focus on the time you can share with your family now. Please don't give up the time you can live now."
She changed her focus - and went home. We do not know for how long. We only believe that each day someone can enjoy and share with loved ones is a precious day.
I can remember very early in my conventional practice, many years ago, having a very tough week. I had two patients with incureable brain tumors. I had long discussions with my neurosurgical colleague who did the biopsies, and he was clear that aggressive treatment would not succeed. In both cases, i had long discussions with the patient and with the family. One patient went to another surgeon, entered a hospital, had aggressive brain surgery and died that week in an intensive care unit. The other patient declined aggressive care, went on a vacation with her husband that they had always wanted to take together, and eventually, months later, died with hospice support and surrounded by her family at home.
It seems to me that a good physician is evidence based, and holistic - and isn't committed to forcing the use of one type of care or treatment. Medications can be lifesaving, i wouldn't want to have pneumonia and not take an antibiotic!
If conventional and complementary approaches can work together, and both be evidence tested, - care can be more sensible, and more holistic.
There was a recent article in the New York Times (10/2/10) quoted by our speaker this weekend, "For decades anitpsychotic drugs were a niche product. Today, they're the top selling class of pharmaceuticals in America, generating annual revenue of about $14.6 billion, and surpassing sales of even blockbusters like heart protecting statins."
The NIH should have had the wisdom to realize, the dollars spent on pharmacologic research is already extremely high, and the five year priority plan should have had the wisdom to be more balanced. More evidence based research on Complementary Medicine, especially energy based, should have been included. Osler. I think, would have understood that.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
a Journey of Spirit
This Blog reflects on my journey, caring for hospice patients living the later days of their lives. It compares aspects of my own spiritual upbringing to that which I experienced in my journey to Japan, and reflects in some ways on the connections between Pure Land Buddhism and the challenges we sometimes face caring for patients in hospice.
Visiting Usui Sensei's resting place in Tokyo, one finds oneself at a peaceful, meditative place which is a Pure Land (Jodo sect) Buddhist cemetary. In biographies about Mrs Takata, an "Archbishop of the Jodo sect" is mentioned, but one cannot know with certainty exactly what this realtionship represented. Many of Mrs Takata's stories were allegorical, and she was writing at a time of intense prejudice in America.
Respected sources record Usui Sensei as a Tendai monk, and suggest that he was originally laid to rest in a Tendai cemetary and then moved to his current site. Others have recorded Usui Sensei as Christian, which is doubtful, or Pure Land Buddhist. The truth in history is beyond my grasp, but the fact is that Usui Sensei lays to rest at a Pure Land cemetary and that fact led me to reflection on the serenity and connection of Pure Land thought. I am not a Buddhist, but, people in moments of need seek a connectivity that seems to me best represented by what the great religions have in common, not in the qualities that make sects distinct.
Recently I was caring for a patient with cancer. Randy was unsconscious, he had suffered through surgery and chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Every conventional modality had been tried. He had been rejected for stem cell treatment (though I have had patients who have been through even that in their struggle). We were able to control Randy's pain, but his family family were suffering. They looked to the hospice team for help and support. Time and again in hospice, we are faced with patients and their families who look to us for guidance and for caring, when we have no tools for curing. What do we do? It just doesn't feel right to button up the "white coat" and walk away in these moments.
In these moments, all members of the hospice team become equally important. When all we can do is connect and support at a human level, there is no hierarchy. Every member of my Team is valued.
Honen was a Buddhist monk who lived from 1133 to 1212 Common era in Japan. He studied at Mt Hiei and was ordained a Tendai sect Monk at age 15. He founded the Japanese Pure Land or Jodo sect. Usui Sensei is laid to rest in a Pure Land cemetary in Tokyo. It is likely that Usui Sensei was a well educated man, aware of the teachings of many sects of Buddhism, and of Christian, Jewish and Muslim teachings as well.
One of Honen's principal teachings occurred when followers of his Jodo Shu sect saw both Honen, and his student Awanosuke, studying the meaning of "Nembutsu." "Of course," one said, "Honen's Nembutsu practice is better than Awanosuke's." Honen answered, "there is not the slightest difference between the two, because both of us have the same intention of wanting to attain birth in the Buddha's Pure Land."
What was the nature of this practice "Nembutsu?" It is repeating the affirmation, "Namu Amida Butsu" often translated as "homage to Amida Buddha," - a simple statement of faith. I have also seen this described as "save us oh Amida Buddha"using the term of Buddha as a manifestation of God the creator who is still active with compassion in the world.
There is a comparable Jewish prayer in the mystical "Hallel." It is a most basic affirmation of faith. "Ana (and then a Hebrew name for God) ho-shi-a na." It translates "please God (creator and ongoing ruler of the universe) save us."
In hospice, at moments when science has failed, a simple reaffirmation of faith and acknowledgement of a higher power that connects us can mean so much to patients and their loved ones. So much often pours out, "we didn't think we could talk about this with you." At a time when people need connection the most, and when more surgery is not an option, science should not "sterilize" the discussion of a creator from the room.
Honen was known for another teaching, and that was his belief that attainment of enlightment was not limited to the rich or to fellow Monks. Honen believed that women and men, rich and pure, fisherman and Samurai, Monks and laypersons, could all attain enlightenment, and this was revolutionary in his time at Mt Hiei. Honen defended his position based on stories and teachings from the historic Buddha, Shakyamuni.
Honen taught that in seeking enlightenment it was not enough to seek just for oneself. The search for enlightenment required assisting others. It was a similar dilemma that led the great Jewish scholar Hillel to teach, "if I am not for myself, who will be for me? but if i am only for myself, who am I?"
For those who do not believe in the revelation that there is a God who created and still cares for the world, and that all human beings are connected through that spirit - it is not for me to convince or convert. But in those moments when transition seems near, it is reasonable to talk about those strengths and connections by which the patient and the family have lived. Those who make simple affirmations of faith seem to suffer less, if at all.
Whether Sensei Mikao Usui was a Christian or a Buddhist, and if a Buddhist a Tendai or Pure Land follower, he lived a secular life and passed to the world a very non sectarian message that without religion allowed for connection to a Universal spirit through simple method.
These 5 affirmations seem consistent with most of the major religions, and seem to help reduce suffering.
1. We will not worry just for today (since we Affirm faith in a Creator)
2. We will not be angry just for today (since we ask the merciful Creator to forgive us all our errors just as we forgive others)
When we return to that which we all have in common, rather than focus on that which makes us distinct, we are more able help others through a difficult part of their journey.
Visiting Usui Sensei's resting place in Tokyo, one finds oneself at a peaceful, meditative place which is a Pure Land (Jodo sect) Buddhist cemetary. In biographies about Mrs Takata, an "Archbishop of the Jodo sect" is mentioned, but one cannot know with certainty exactly what this realtionship represented. Many of Mrs Takata's stories were allegorical, and she was writing at a time of intense prejudice in America.
Respected sources record Usui Sensei as a Tendai monk, and suggest that he was originally laid to rest in a Tendai cemetary and then moved to his current site. Others have recorded Usui Sensei as Christian, which is doubtful, or Pure Land Buddhist. The truth in history is beyond my grasp, but the fact is that Usui Sensei lays to rest at a Pure Land cemetary and that fact led me to reflection on the serenity and connection of Pure Land thought. I am not a Buddhist, but, people in moments of need seek a connectivity that seems to me best represented by what the great religions have in common, not in the qualities that make sects distinct.
Recently I was caring for a patient with cancer. Randy was unsconscious, he had suffered through surgery and chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Every conventional modality had been tried. He had been rejected for stem cell treatment (though I have had patients who have been through even that in their struggle). We were able to control Randy's pain, but his family family were suffering. They looked to the hospice team for help and support. Time and again in hospice, we are faced with patients and their families who look to us for guidance and for caring, when we have no tools for curing. What do we do? It just doesn't feel right to button up the "white coat" and walk away in these moments.
In these moments, all members of the hospice team become equally important. When all we can do is connect and support at a human level, there is no hierarchy. Every member of my Team is valued.
Honen was a Buddhist monk who lived from 1133 to 1212 Common era in Japan. He studied at Mt Hiei and was ordained a Tendai sect Monk at age 15. He founded the Japanese Pure Land or Jodo sect. Usui Sensei is laid to rest in a Pure Land cemetary in Tokyo. It is likely that Usui Sensei was a well educated man, aware of the teachings of many sects of Buddhism, and of Christian, Jewish and Muslim teachings as well.
One of Honen's principal teachings occurred when followers of his Jodo Shu sect saw both Honen, and his student Awanosuke, studying the meaning of "Nembutsu." "Of course," one said, "Honen's Nembutsu practice is better than Awanosuke's." Honen answered, "there is not the slightest difference between the two, because both of us have the same intention of wanting to attain birth in the Buddha's Pure Land."
What was the nature of this practice "Nembutsu?" It is repeating the affirmation, "Namu Amida Butsu" often translated as "homage to Amida Buddha," - a simple statement of faith. I have also seen this described as "save us oh Amida Buddha"using the term of Buddha as a manifestation of God the creator who is still active with compassion in the world.
There is a comparable Jewish prayer in the mystical "Hallel." It is a most basic affirmation of faith. "Ana (and then a Hebrew name for God) ho-shi-a na." It translates "please God (creator and ongoing ruler of the universe) save us."
In hospice, at moments when science has failed, a simple reaffirmation of faith and acknowledgement of a higher power that connects us can mean so much to patients and their loved ones. So much often pours out, "we didn't think we could talk about this with you." At a time when people need connection the most, and when more surgery is not an option, science should not "sterilize" the discussion of a creator from the room.
Honen was known for another teaching, and that was his belief that attainment of enlightment was not limited to the rich or to fellow Monks. Honen believed that women and men, rich and pure, fisherman and Samurai, Monks and laypersons, could all attain enlightenment, and this was revolutionary in his time at Mt Hiei. Honen defended his position based on stories and teachings from the historic Buddha, Shakyamuni.
Honen taught that in seeking enlightenment it was not enough to seek just for oneself. The search for enlightenment required assisting others. It was a similar dilemma that led the great Jewish scholar Hillel to teach, "if I am not for myself, who will be for me? but if i am only for myself, who am I?"
For those who do not believe in the revelation that there is a God who created and still cares for the world, and that all human beings are connected through that spirit - it is not for me to convince or convert. But in those moments when transition seems near, it is reasonable to talk about those strengths and connections by which the patient and the family have lived. Those who make simple affirmations of faith seem to suffer less, if at all.
Whether Sensei Mikao Usui was a Christian or a Buddhist, and if a Buddhist a Tendai or Pure Land follower, he lived a secular life and passed to the world a very non sectarian message that without religion allowed for connection to a Universal spirit through simple method.
These 5 affirmations seem consistent with most of the major religions, and seem to help reduce suffering.
1. We will not worry just for today (since we Affirm faith in a Creator)
2. We will not be angry just for today (since we ask the merciful Creator to forgive us all our errors just as we forgive others)
3. We will work hard today (since human beings of all stations in life can reach enlightenment, we all need to do our own share)
4. We will be grateful just for today (for what the Creator does for us)
5. We will do kindness just for today (to enlighten and connect oneself one must attempt to help others - we send ripples of compassion into the world)
When we return to that which we all have in common, rather than focus on that which makes us distinct, we are more able help others through a difficult part of their journey.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sometimes Life seems hard
Sometimes Reiki meditation helps us in keeping a perspective, and understanding what it means to "be grateful." Right now, it is difficult to be a primary care doctor in this country, and in talking with colleagues every day, I hear and am aware of the frustrations. And this Blog is not intended to enumerate these concerns, nor to minimize them, when young physicians are choosing not to enter primary care, and experienced physicians are leaving their careers prematurely, it is a cause for concern, but the intention of this Blog is to reflect on other stories, of people who overcame tough challenges in life, and made a difference.
Reiki as we know it in North America became widespread due to the efforts of Mrs. Hawayo Takata. People are seeking to understand more about her allegorical stories about Reiki, and to understand more about her life. Much is private and some that was taught in allegory is not clear, but certain things are clear. Mrs Takata had many difficult challenges in her life. Things did not always come easy.
Before she was 30 years old, her beloved husband passed away of lung cancer, and she raised two children as a single parent. She had to work hard. She had health challenges herself. When she was 40 years old, her Reiki mentor died, and she was alone in Hawaii as a widow with children, an American of Japanese decent, at a time when Japan and America were going to war. Perhaps the truth most important to keep in mind as we seek to understand what she gifted the world with, was the simple fact that in the face of personal hardship she worked very hard, and gifted the world. Her biographies mention some of her hardships, and some of the prejudice that she faced, but do not dwell on them. The common thread to the stories about Mrs. Takata is that she maintained a cheerful countenance, used her talent to help other people, and sent forth ripples of compassion that still spread.
This past week, I had the honor to hear another such story. A nurse, Deb and I were making a home visit together to meet a new hospice patient. We went to her home, where her husband was caring for her, as she continued her long struggle against Alzheimers Disease.
With all the stresses on our time, we feel it is important to take the time to get to know our families, and in this case her husband gifted us with his story. He is a retired fellow physician, and the story of his life as a healer is one all doctors today need to keep in mind.
He went to Meharry Medical College, until the early 1970's, almost 25 years after Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, African Americans were only admitted to 2 medical colleges in America. It is hard to believe. But true.
He shared that his father was also a physician. And he remembers when his brother's high school was closed down, his brother had to walk 7 miles a day each way to go to school. His father, in 1947 began a lawsuit against the school district, but things moved slowly, and they lost at local court levels, with the justice system permitting racial segregation in schools and lack of equal opportunity in education. As a child, he remembers then NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall, coming to their home, and listening to his dad and brother's stories. When lawsuits from several states were "merged" to be presented by Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, this case was one of the cases which became a part of what was named "Brown vs Board of Education." And in 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that segregated schools were illegal.
Sitting in that room I felt a sense of awe and honor. I came to help this family, but his story was helping me. It was placing the challenges of my own day in perspective. My patients husband was facing life as he had always faced life, as his father had taught him to face life, without worry or anger, but with a determination to be a physician and spread kindness to others.
Deb and I were sitting in a room connected to a moment of history most important to our country, but we were being gifted as well with a perspective on how to face challenges.
When things are difficult as a health care provider, all I need to do is see the challenges my patients are facing. They are so often stories of courage.
In a prior Blog I wrote about one of my patients who was brought to my in patient unit, with the intensive care facility of a referring hospital expecting him to die in a day or two. He was bowel obstructed, and medically we saw no hope. We cared where we could not cure and our chaplain prayer with him, and did Reiki with him, and somehow, he did not die right away. After a month, we agreed to send him home, and he lived another five weeks - it seemed whenever we talked with him he was praying for other people he loved, Blessing other people, or thanking God for what he had been gifted with in life.
Some people see the challenges they face, and do not allow themselves to absorb the worry and anger of the moment. A doctor who had to face terrible prejudice just to be a doctor, persevered and took part in a quiet action that changed the soul of America, and Mrs Takata, a facing personal loss, and at times prejudice in her new land, left a legacy of compassion that has a very wide impact today.
Whatever the details of the stories, and however they are written or not written by history, there is a precious human lesson - we are gifted when we listen to it.
Reiki as we know it in North America became widespread due to the efforts of Mrs. Hawayo Takata. People are seeking to understand more about her allegorical stories about Reiki, and to understand more about her life. Much is private and some that was taught in allegory is not clear, but certain things are clear. Mrs Takata had many difficult challenges in her life. Things did not always come easy.
Before she was 30 years old, her beloved husband passed away of lung cancer, and she raised two children as a single parent. She had to work hard. She had health challenges herself. When she was 40 years old, her Reiki mentor died, and she was alone in Hawaii as a widow with children, an American of Japanese decent, at a time when Japan and America were going to war. Perhaps the truth most important to keep in mind as we seek to understand what she gifted the world with, was the simple fact that in the face of personal hardship she worked very hard, and gifted the world. Her biographies mention some of her hardships, and some of the prejudice that she faced, but do not dwell on them. The common thread to the stories about Mrs. Takata is that she maintained a cheerful countenance, used her talent to help other people, and sent forth ripples of compassion that still spread.
This past week, I had the honor to hear another such story. A nurse, Deb and I were making a home visit together to meet a new hospice patient. We went to her home, where her husband was caring for her, as she continued her long struggle against Alzheimers Disease.
With all the stresses on our time, we feel it is important to take the time to get to know our families, and in this case her husband gifted us with his story. He is a retired fellow physician, and the story of his life as a healer is one all doctors today need to keep in mind.
He went to Meharry Medical College, until the early 1970's, almost 25 years after Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, African Americans were only admitted to 2 medical colleges in America. It is hard to believe. But true.
He shared that his father was also a physician. And he remembers when his brother's high school was closed down, his brother had to walk 7 miles a day each way to go to school. His father, in 1947 began a lawsuit against the school district, but things moved slowly, and they lost at local court levels, with the justice system permitting racial segregation in schools and lack of equal opportunity in education. As a child, he remembers then NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall, coming to their home, and listening to his dad and brother's stories. When lawsuits from several states were "merged" to be presented by Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, this case was one of the cases which became a part of what was named "Brown vs Board of Education." And in 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that segregated schools were illegal.
Sitting in that room I felt a sense of awe and honor. I came to help this family, but his story was helping me. It was placing the challenges of my own day in perspective. My patients husband was facing life as he had always faced life, as his father had taught him to face life, without worry or anger, but with a determination to be a physician and spread kindness to others.
Deb and I were sitting in a room connected to a moment of history most important to our country, but we were being gifted as well with a perspective on how to face challenges.
When things are difficult as a health care provider, all I need to do is see the challenges my patients are facing. They are so often stories of courage.
In a prior Blog I wrote about one of my patients who was brought to my in patient unit, with the intensive care facility of a referring hospital expecting him to die in a day or two. He was bowel obstructed, and medically we saw no hope. We cared where we could not cure and our chaplain prayer with him, and did Reiki with him, and somehow, he did not die right away. After a month, we agreed to send him home, and he lived another five weeks - it seemed whenever we talked with him he was praying for other people he loved, Blessing other people, or thanking God for what he had been gifted with in life.
Some people see the challenges they face, and do not allow themselves to absorb the worry and anger of the moment. A doctor who had to face terrible prejudice just to be a doctor, persevered and took part in a quiet action that changed the soul of America, and Mrs Takata, a facing personal loss, and at times prejudice in her new land, left a legacy of compassion that has a very wide impact today.
Whatever the details of the stories, and however they are written or not written by history, there is a precious human lesson - we are gifted when we listen to it.
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