{"id":78767,"date":"2019-10-17T13:07:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T11:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=78767"},"modified":"2019-10-17T13:11:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-17T11:11:19","slug":"the-blessings-of-illness-and-facing-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=78767","title":{"rendered":"The downside of stereotypes and black and white thinking in relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkarnamrita.das%2Fposts%2F10217704562599285&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"541\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkarnamrita.das%2Fposts%2F10217558638911284&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"679\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<!--Karnamrita Das: What a difference a day, month, or a year can make\u2014whatever the period of time, it can change one's life in a moment with an accident, event, or medical diagnosis, and certainly time gradually, imperceptibly changes our life and body\/mind. I wrote this article in 2012 and reposted it in a blog a month before my cancer diagnosis. I am reminded of Ramdas (famous author of the American '60's counterculture who wrote the cult classic, \"Be Here Now.\") in one of his books, \"Still Here,\" where he recounts not being able to make much progress in one of his chapters. Then he had a stroke, which gave him perfect experience to speak of disease and its possible spiritual benefits.\n\nI have written much on the subject of facing death and dealing with disease since the cancer diagnosis in late November 2015, and yet, I don't think I have exhausted the subject, even though readers may be. To me, it will always be current and relevant, though naturally some of my writings and topics may better hold your interest. Still I write for us all, yet especially to remind myself not to become spiritually complacent or materially distracted, and to keep the urgency to revitalize my spiritual practice. It is never too late to be what we could have been. As we breath our last, we don\u2019t what to have any \u201cIf only I had done this,\u201d that consume us!\n\n[adapted from 9-26-2012]\nNone of us want to be sick, and yet we all experience the occasional cold, flu, or something more serious. Some persons, like my wife, who have a weak immune system, deal with a body that is prone to catch whatever bug is going around. Having such a delicate bodily instrument, if they don\u2019t eat and sleep properly, they become more susceptible to illness. Thus, my wife is a much greater expert than me in understanding the benefits of sickness to her spiritual life and how the body can be a great teacher.\n\nNever the less, I have a few experiences that have helped me appreciate the value of illness. Having a background in Krishna consciousness and a trained philosophical eye and heart helps us see everything\u2014even great reverses\u2014in relationship to Krishna and bhakti. Illness and pain can bring us to our knees in surrender and teach us the smallness of our existence (even Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur glorified ill health for this very reason, and he underwent many bouts of sickness in his life and saw that played out with his family).\n\nI was reminded of this after I ate something at Radhastami that didn\u2019t agree with me, and have had the runs for the last 3 days. While not a pleasant experience on one level, I also practically experienced how sickness can be a helpful part of our spiritual journey.\n\nWe have the saying that, \u201cIf you don\u2019t have your health, you don\u2019t have anything.\u201d While there is relative truth in this, I would say that \u201cIf you don\u2019t have Krishna consciousness or a spiritual perspective on life, you don\u2019t have anything.\u201d Certainly we should all endeavor to be healthy, and not fall sick, yet regardless of the condition of our body it\u2019s important to understand our soul beyond the temporary body.\n\nIf we have no spiritual standing or a philosophical outlook, when illness comes we\u2019ll tend to identify with our condition. We may also be perplexed to understand why we are suffering, especially if our illness is severe or frequent, and we consider ourselves a \u201cgood\u201d or religious person. I know there are stoic atheists who deal with reverses well, yet few of them can see physical difficulties as anything extremely beneficial, or meaningful to their lives.\n\nDuring my mom\u2019s finally few days, she seemed to deal with her pending death in hospice by not really facing it. Though living was miserable during her last years, she still didn\u2019t want to die. And she had no ultimate shelter, though she was happy to have her son with her\u2014and I made sure she had a good spiritual send off when she left her body behind at death.\n\nThe most dramatic demonstration of the blessings of illness occurred during my first visit to Mayapur, the birthplace of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in West Bengal. It was February 1974, the first international celebration of this festival, and I was a young person of a tender 23 \u00bd, and a devotee for only 4 years. I knew next to nothing about India or West Bengal, as did most of the other devotees. We had our faith in Shrila Prabhupada, the holy name, and in Shri Chaitanya. Other than that essential spiritual ingredient, we were green in every sense of the word, and weren\u2019t prepared for what was to come.\n\nTo me, everything was new and exotic, yet strangely familiar. The plane to India was filled with devotees who had kindly brought great quantities of Prasad, or spiritual food. While thoughtful, I became sick eating it on the plane (my first overseas flight), and continued to be sick for most of the month I stayed in India. I am sure other devotees know more specific details than me, but I do remember my agony and ecstasy. I couldn\u2019t seem to get better for long from dysentery, and I wasn\u2019t the only one. I remember being on the roof of the only building there\u2014the 3 story one with Prabhupada\u2019s quarters on the first floor, and seeing lots of other sick devotees laid out.\n\nI wore a hood and scarf, sometimes had a fever, and as we walked to the holy places in Mayapur and then Vrindavana, I remember feeling so uncomfortable, and having to frequently answer the call of nature at inconvenient times. In fields, or sometimes beside roads, around holy places we were visiting, I would have to squat and pass my running stuff. It was such an embarrassing condition to be in. I couldn\u2019t find relief and was both miserable and very blissful by being in the holy dhams.\n\nI found that my ill body also weakened my false ego, and for probably for the first time in my life, I felt some real humility or at least my tininess and vulnerability. I wasn't burdened by the false ego, or to try to defend it, or my so-called honor, or to try to enjoy the body\u2014I couldn\u2019t do anything well, and I had a sense of relief that I didn\u2019t have to cut a profile or be anything. I was just a fallen jiva, trying to be a devotee. This was a very profound experience for which I was, and am grateful. I lost about 40 pounds on the trip and when I returned to the Hawaii, devotees hardly recognized me. [Currently here in Vrindavana, I am also about 40 pounds less than I was just before cancer visited me 4 years ago. Mr. Cancer has proved a difficult guest to get rid of! He or she, or it, is having too good of a time hearing the holy name and taking prasad!]\n\nAlthough the last few days haven\u2019t been as profound as that India trip, I was still reminded of how dependent we are on material conditions, and how, in a second, all our material facilities and supports can be withdrawn. Then we really have no choice but to surrender to Krishna. In between my japa in front of our Deities, the toilet became my place of intense prayer. Actually, it usually is for me. The naked truth of the body is always on display, though more so in illness. Being aware of my material tendencies, I lament, and pray to come to the spiritual platform.\n\nDuring illness I tend to continue my regular prayers to our many Deities, or forms of God and his energies, along with devotees of Krishna. I pray that they will allow me to be a real, or pure devotee, to have true spiritual humility and standing, and to be able to share whatever I have been blessed with. In my best moments I know that there is nothing else in life to aspire for, even though there may be specific details which extend from this, like for me, speaking, writing, or promoting my books.\n\nCONCLUSION FROM MY CURRENT RESIDENCE AND TREATMENT IN VRINDAVAN:\nI, or you, or anyone, could die today, or while passionately arguing with another devotee on Facebook which, most likely, won\u2019t be important at all at the time of our death! Ah, what we devotees give energy to is astonishing to me, still! In fifty, or a hundred years or more, will anyone even know or care about this or that controversy or conspiracy? My frequent question for myself and all of us, if you would indulge me, is: Where is my consciousness or absorption right now, and would that be how I would want to be fixated on at the time of death, or for a long period of time?\n\nThe essence of spiritual life is being a surrendered loving servant of the servant of the Lord and His devotees. Having to face possible death, sooner than later, can accelerate this spiritual desire and sense of urgency to take full shelter of the Lord of our hearts, as it becomes obvious that there is no other shelter. At least this is how I see it, as I contemplate the value of life, and to have a good death after a life well lived by spiritual dedication and endeavor.\n\nActively and regularly facing my possible death has truly been a great boon for me, and has put everything in perspective. Truly amazing grace, or we could say, a loving kick in the butt meant to wake me up! I am praying to every tree, Vrindavana herself, my Deities and whichever Deity I am blessed to behold, to make significant spiritual progress, and never just coast again. Positive change and transformation are not optional!<!-- --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karnamrita Das: What a difference a day, month, or a year can make\u2014whatever the period of time, it can change one&#8217;s life in a moment with an accident, event, or medical diagnosis, and certainly time gradually, imperceptibly changes our life and body\/mind<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-thoughts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78767"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79253,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78767\/revisions\/79253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}