Modern Buddhist Healing

by Charles Atkins

  Dr. Rossman's therapy has many similarities with Buddhist meditation practices that use imagery. He introduces readers to the Simonton Method, a simple visualization technique that produces excellent results for seriously ill people. “The technique consisted of relaxing and picturing their immune cells as numerous, aggressive, and powerful, destroying the cancer cells which were visualized as isolated, weak and confused.”7

  Dr. Rossman presents easy-to-use scenarios to help people build their skills in relaxation and concentration. The Simonton Method teaches people to find a safe and peaceful inner place within their minds, then they learn to open up to the appearance of an inner advisor. They are encouraged to establish an ongoing dialogue with that inner advisor and to listen and carefully observe symbols from their meditation. This process enables people to gain an understanding of the true nature of their physical symptoms via their own images and symbols. The patients are then urged to use that imagery to induce self-healing. The Simonton Method has achieved significant results for all types of illness.

  Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Director of The Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts has obtained excellent results using a technique known as “mindfulness meditation.”

  Like other mind/body therapies, mindfulness meditation can induce deep states of relaxation, at times directly improve physical symptoms, and help patients lead full and satisfying lives. But while more familiar forms of meditation involve focusing on a sound, phrase, or prayer to minimize distracting thoughts, mindfulness does the opposite. In mindfulness meditation, you don't ignore distracting thoughts, sensations, or physical discomfort; instead, you focus on them. This form of practice is roughly 2,500 years old, stems primarily from the Buddhist tradition and was developed as a means of cultivating greater awareness and wisdom, with the aim of helping people live each moment of their lives—even the painful ones—as fully as possible. In our clinic, we have found that mindfulness practice can be beneficial for people facing a broad range of serious physical illness.8

  Mindfulness meditation, like all Buddhist practices, has some degree of power, even when used outside the realm of faith and in a non-ecumenical manner for self-improvement. As an adjunct to conventional medical treatment, such meditation and yoga techniques may induce psychosomatic healing. However, they do not address the eradication of karmic illness originating in the alaya consciousness or karmic storehouse because their healing powers do not originate from the amala consciousness of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren Daishonin states in his Gosho, “On Prolonging One's Life Span,” that prayer based on the Lotus Sutra can conquer any illness:

  There are two types of illness: minor and serious. Early treatment by a skilled physician can cure even serious illness, not to mention minor ones. Karma also may be divided into two categories: fixed and unfixed. Sincere repentance will eradicate even immutable karma, to say nothing of karma that is unfixed

  The power of faith and prayer to boost the immune system is indisputable, as demonstrated by Dr. Herbert Benson in his now-famous studies that proved the reality of “the relaxation response,” the “faith factor,” and “remembered wellness.” All kinds of prayer, uttered faithfully, twice daily, produced measurable recuperative benefits. But what lies beyond the relaxation response, the faith factor, and remembered wellness is the province of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and its power to positively transform karma, the inorganic origin of illness.

  Right livelihood, responsible action, and devotion can help us maintain positive personal karma in this lifetime. What is paramount in Buddhist healing, however, is attending the effects of negative karma by drawing on the amala-vijnana—the source of all spiritual functions and the abode of the true entity of by chanting the Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with all your heart.

  1 Herbert Benson, M.D., with Marge Stark, Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief (New York: Scribner, 1996) p. 109.

  2 Norman Cousins, Head First: The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit (New York: Dutton, 1989), p. 243.

  3 Paul Pearsall, Superimmunity: Master Your Emotions and Improve Your Health (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1987), p. 235.

  4 Deepak Chopra, Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine (New York: Bantam, 1990), p. 146.

  5 Larry Dossey, M.D., Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993), pp. 35–36.

  6 Bernie Siegel, M.D., Love, Medicine & Miracles: Lessons Learned About Self-Healing from a Surgeon's Experience with Exceptional Patients (New York: Harper & Row, 1986), pp. 190–191.

  7 Martin Rossman, Healing Yourself: A Step-by-Step Program for Better Health through Imagery (New York: Walker & Co., 1987), p. 127.

  8 Daniel Goleman and Joel Gurin, eds., Mind Body Medicine: How to Use Your Mind for Better Health (Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books, 1993), pp. 260-261.

  9 Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 1999), p. 954.

  CHAPTER 3

  Mantra-Powered Visualization

  The visualization technique is a combination of meditation and imagination. We should remember children's incredible “make-pretend” abilities. A child can pick up a twig and make it into a toy soldier or create a fort out of sand. There is much to learn from a child's imagination.

  In general, mantra-powered visualization encourages us to imagine our bodies producing healing forces from within or, in some cases, attracting healing forces from outside of us, and, through the process of mind-over-matter, expedite the healing process. The idea is to visualize the area(s) in the body where there are problems. If there is a tumor in the bladder, you should learn where the bladder is located and what its basic functions are. If you have an entire system breakdown as with AIDS, lupus, or leukemia, concentrating on every cell in the body, one section at a time, is the suggested therapy.

  When used to its highest degree, visualization is very much like the modern technology of virtual reality. With the inner eye and imagination, the body becomes a miniature universe where the voyager consciously travels throughout that domain, combating disease and restoring order through images and mental commands. Guided imagery used by therapists and medical professionals harnesses the power of suggestion and imagination to directly confront disease. The mind has the power to heal the body through the power of suggestion—of that there is little doubt.

  Lotus Sutra based, mantra-powered visualization brings into focus the conventional therapeutic practices of visualization used by healthcare professionals, but it also provides its users with a mystic power that originates beyond the senses in the ultimate depths of being. Mantra-powered visualization is a precise, deliberate exercise that will produce extraordinary results in both body and mind. Moreover, it is a doorway to a spiritual path of enormous benefit. Putting our preconceptions aside, all we need do is break loose from the dogmatic fetters that impede new knowledge and spiritual growth.

  For me, mantra-powered visualization was a powerful tool against illness, when I wasn't even strong enough to pick up a hammer. Words have power. Some might scoff at the ability of some strange sounding words to produce such exciting results. Just the phrases “I love you,” or “I hate you,” have a powerful effect on our psyche. It is imperative that we strengthen our ability to take firm control of our mind through the determination of our spirit, especially when our body seems to be doing the opposite of what we consciously want it to. At the core of our being is a master physician, a “medicine king,” if you will, who can quicken recovery with the help of your doctor.

  The use of mantra-powered visualization advances meditation from a placid void into a dynamically active meditative force. Focusing the mind on chanting minimizes outside distractions, and helps us attain and maintain concentration. Many Buddhists in America first learned of mantra-powered visualization through reading a lecture series called “The Key to Revitalization” in the Buddhist journal, Seikyo Times by Soka Gakkai Internatio
nal Vice-President, Takehisa Tsuji.1 Mr. Tsuji is far too humble to take credit for melding the modern medical therapy of visualization with the essence of the Lotus Sutra, but the fact is that his guidance on fighting illness with daimoku (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) and visualization has helped thousands of people all over the world. In one of his lectures, he quoted from Nichiren Daishonin's orally transmitted teachings, “Ongi Kuden,” to make his point that daimoku is our body and life itself: “Our head is myo, our neck is ho, our breast is ren, our stomach is ge, and our legs are kyo. This five-foot body of ours is the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.”2

  THE MANTRA PRONUNCIATION AND VISUALIZATION

  Each syllable of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo corresponds to a specific area of the human form in relationship to the life energy conduits or spiritual energy centers known in Vedic cosmology and Tantric Buddhism as the chakras. Nam can be envisioned as originating above the head at the seventh level of the sahasrara chakra, like a crown of light that emanates toward the heavens and cascades down, surrounding the body like a golden robe of holy light. Myo is located between the eyes at the level of the ajna chakra. Ho is in the throat, corresponding to the visuddha chakra. Ren is the anahata chakra in the center of the chest, and Ge is the manipura chakra at the point of the navel. Kyo embodies both the svadhisthana chakra at the level of the genitals and muladhara chakra at the base of the spine.

  Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is pronounced:

  Nam as in Tom

  Myo as in me-oh

  Ho as in go

  Ren as in the bird, “wren”

  Ge as in gay

  Kyo as in key-oh

  Each syllable of daimoku corresponds to a specific area of the human form:

  Myo head

  Ho throat

  Ren chest

  Ge abdomen

  Kyo extremities (arms, legs, hands, and feet)

  Nam does not correspond to a specific part of the anatomy but surrounds the body and spirit, connecting it with the universe. You repeat the words Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo out loud, slowly at first. While chanting, you formulate a mental picture of an attack upon the disease.

  The easiest method of mantra-powered visualization to begin with is concentrating only on the words and the corresponding place in the body. Start by thinking: Myo (head), Ho (throat), Ren (chest), Ge (abdomen), Kyo (extremities). When repeating the words, create a mental picture of placing each word's sound at the corresponding area of your body. Where you have medical problems in your body, increase your emphasis and concentration on the corresponding word and place.

  For example, if you have a polyp in the colon, when you get to that area you would exert increased mental and spiritual energies in pronouncing the word Ge. It's like adding torque when trying to finish tightening a nut and bolt. Every time you get back to the word and area of Ge, you add emphasis to that pronunciation.

  HOW TO CHANT

  Before we advance into specific techniques, it is important to understand that prayer is not a technique—it is the natural action of desire. We pray because we desire to get well or express our appreciation to the absolute. We pray for certain things to happen in our life. Prayer is a simple act that is available to everyone. Exactly how we pray is in many cases very different.

  If you are ambulatory and can sit up, do your chanting while seated in a comfortable chair. If you are bedridden, lying in whatever position is most comfortable for you will suffice. Place your hands before your chest (or on your chest if you are lying down), with all your fingers touching in the prayer position (or, if lying down, place one hand over the other on your chest). Begin repeating Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and out loud (if possible).

  To begin mantra-powered visualization, concentrate on getting the pronunciation and rhythm of the words right. Begin chanting with identical emphasis on each word, as if you were a steam engine train starting out: chug (Nam)...chug (Myo)...chug (Ho)...chug (Ren)...chug (Ge)...chug (Kyo). Your speed will naturally increase, just like a train gathering momentum. With experience, you will decide upon the pace that is most comfortable for you. I recommend that your chanting should eventually have the same rhythm and speed as a galloping horse.

  You might feel you can't say the words out loud because you fear you might disturb others, or you might be too weak or incapable of speaking. If you are in a situation where you can repeat the words out loud, you should. However, it's okay if you can only whisper the words. If you are not able to say the words aloud or whisper them, you can still obtain complete benefit by using your inner voice to loudly proclaim the words.

  At first, repeating words that sound strange or foreign may seem awkward. In the beginning, you might have to exert considerable effort to visualize a scenario, repeat the words correctly, and maintain that vision for any sustained length of time. Whenever possible, try to perform mantra-powered visualization for at least ten minutes at a time. After you build up endurance and stamina, you will benefit most from sessions of twenty minutes or longer, performed twice daily. The ideal times to chant are in the morning and in the evening. However, any time of the day, when distractions are minimal, is fine.

  MANTRA-POWERED VISUALIZATION EXERCISE

  The following breaks up the techniques of mantra-powered visualization into easy-to-learn exercise segments. Experienced chanters will spend only a second on each syllable of the mantra. If you are weak or have chronic breathing problems, you will probably have difficulty doing that. It's okay—just hold each syllable for as long as you can.

  Either sit upright or lie down to begin the exercise, depending on your physical condition, and what's most comfortable for you. Whenever possible, sit upright without slouching, placing your hands in front of your chest and joining your fingers together in a prayer position. If you must lie down, place your hands, one over the other, on your chest in a mummy-like position, then relax.

  Close your eyes and quietly visualize the inside of your body. Thank your body and its components. The purpose of this process is to help you become more in tune with your own body and facilitate the concept that the body and mind work together with your spiritual nature to restore health. By cultivating this dialogue between the mind and body, both come into harmony.

  Say the first part of the mantra, Nam. Nam is the beginning word and the vibration that motivates incredibly powerful forces. Chant the word Nam, imagining your body surrounded by golden light.

  Moving from Nam, strongly chant the word Myo, holding that sound for about one beat. The light you imagined in Nam now moves to Myo, which corresponds to the head. Everything associated with the head is included in the word Myo. The sound, vibration, and light of Myo resound inside and about your head.

  After holding and intoning the word Myo for one beat, you move to Ho, holding that for one beat. Ho governs the throat. Imagine the sound vibrating there. As your visualization skills improve, you might imagine light radiating inside your throat, ready to stream down throughout the rest of your body.

  After saying Ho, take a new breath and say Ren. Allowing the sound of Ren to expand in the area of the chest, hold that sound for a beat, imagining the sound and light growing in strength. Inhale.

  Exhaling, say the word Ge. Ge is the stomach area and everything inside it. Hold that sound for a beat, imagining the light that has been moving down from your head and chest is now resting in your stomach, glowing radiantly. Inhale.

  After exhaling again, inhale and say the word Kyo with strength and vitality. Kyo is the legs, feet, arms, and hands. Allow the light to move through your body. Once again, go to the top and say the word Nam and begin the process over.

  USING VISUALIZATION

  The mastery of visualization combined with chanting is not a prerequisite of healing yourself. At first it may be far too difficult to remember how to create a healing image and how the words correspond to the body. Chanting is the first priority, creating the image is secondary. Chanting is prayer. What your hopes and fears are will emerge.


  As I teach people who have difficulty with adding visualization to their prayer, I have witnessed that they automatically create their own unique approaches. For example, a person who begins to chant and can just manage to remember the words and pronounce them correctly might begin by seeing his or her diabetic ulcer or tumor in his or her mind's eye. An image of that problem area will appear and the person might then spontaneously imagine that the words and thoughts have automatically centered on those areas with a corresponding image. In effect, they have jumped right to the essence of how to perform the therapy.

  For many people, visualizing heavenly light, imagining vivid disease-fighting scenarios, or concentrating on anything complex will be very difficult. At first, it may be impossible to do much of anything beyond mastering the pronunciation of the words. As with anything new, it is important to learn the basics and move at your own speed toward developing greater skills.

  Producing results with mantra-powered visualization is not predicated on the complexity or the greatness of your imagery. The benefits derived from this form of visualization are based on effort, sincerity, and an inquisitive mind. This is not like an exercise regimen that builds body muscles based on resistance and repetition. Because daimoku is spiritual in origin and mystic by nature, the results emerge from a different sphere.

  Although there are countless visualization scenarios that you can create, choose a scenario that has some kind of emotional impact for you. Once you “build” the visualization, let go of the image and your illness, and let healing happen. The following are visualization scenarios that people have used successfully.

  Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo is like the raging sea. The pounding waves crashing into the shore are the force that wears away a tumor or washes out body poisons. The undertow of the powerful waves pulls out toxins or suctions out cancer cells.