身罹重疾意消沈，自閉不振病更深；
轉念邁進來奮鬥，經歷風霜梅綻香！
跋
佛友來示，其友人罹癌症而沮喪，不知如何慰勉。平日易談﹕「有生必有死，當利用餘生努力念佛，求生極樂」，或「人體被侵害，亦大自然中食物鏈之一環」等達觀之論以自勉。遇到無心修行之患者，真不知如何勸起。
世間少有十分健康者，一般人的身體狀況都要靠種種保健、治療的努力以謀求平衡與進步。這些努力都需要身心兩方面的配合才能有效。因此，遭遇疾病時，心理上要振作起來，積極從事於治療及復健。若是心中放棄、沮喪、自閉，則不只是使病況加重，更易感染周遭的親友們，使皆陷入絕望的陰影中。我為許多人祈禱，因而得以親見許多在重病裡奮鬥的例子。他們靠著信佛、念佛、拜佛來撐過長期的孤苦，一步一步的安渡開刀、化療、骨髓移植等折磨。他們的家庭也因為團結奮鬥而更親密。
對深陷病苦中的人，任何言說可能都太空洞、無助。上述的勸慰或許可以試試。至少，對還沒面臨重病的人，這是提供了一條有益的思路。
二○○○年五月十九日
養和齋 於加州
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Not to Yield to Sickness
Not to Yield to Sickness Yutang Lin
The body burdened with severe illness, the spirit sinks low.
Remaining lifeless and closed within just makes it worse.
Changing attitude toward bold struggle and improvement,
Plum blossom weathers snowstorms to spread its fragrance.
Comment:
A Buddhist friend wrote me, saying that his friend who got cancer was very depressed, and yet he had no idea of how to comfort the patient. In ordinary time we as Buddhist could easily remind ourselves of lofty ideas such as "Death is certain to life, hence we should make good use of the remaining time to chant 'Amitabha' diligently in order to attain rebirth in the Utmost Joy Pureland," or "Human bodies being attacked by sickness is just one chain in the universal food chain of nature." Now in the face of a patient, who has no interest in religious practices, it is beyond our knowledge as to where to start to talk to him.
In the world there are but few who are in perfect health. Ordinary people's physical conditions are maintained and improved through efforts made in health care and medical treatment. All such efforts would be effective only with one's physical and mental cooperation. Therefore, when one falls sick, one should drum up the spirit to actively engage in healing and therapeutic processes. If one were to give up the fight, become depressed and closed, then not only would it render the illness more difficult to treat but also cast the shadow of despair over the surrounding relatives and friends. Over the years I have prayed for many people in all kinds of illness. Consequently I have witnessed many examples of struggling through severe illnesses. Relying on faith in Buddha, chanting Buddha's name and prostration to Buddha, many have passed their lonely days of suffering, and step by step they have safely gone through the ordeal of surgical operations, chemotherapy, spinal marrow transplant, etc. Struggling together through such ordeal only brought their loved ones closer.
To people who are waist-deep in the suffering of illness anything verbal could be just vain and helpless. Nevertheless, the above thoughts could help change their attitude toward how to face the illness. At least, the above thoughts could help people to adopt a positive attitude before they ever encounter severe sickness.
Written in Chinese and translated on May 19, 2000
El Cerrito, California
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