Modern Buddhist Healing

by Charles Atkins

  Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo is shot out of a great laser canon at tumors or abnormalities. If you have bone deterioration or broken bones, you can have your lasers shoot rays of Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo that are restorative, bonding, or able to stimulate growth. You can decide what kind of rays to shoot.

  Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo can be the warm and moist wash cloth your mother used to bathe you when you were a child. The cloth can contain mystical healing powers. You can go to any part in your body and soothe the pain and heal the wound.

  Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo can be a vacuum cleaner; a broom, a spray device, or anything that can help you visualize the removing of disease, bringing gentle or acute healing to the areas of concern.

  Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo can be electric charges, beams of light, torpedoes, six-shooter guns, arrows, even your own hands strangling the daylights out of a cancerous tumor.

  Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can cure and reverse any illness without the added methodology of visualization. Chanting based on faith is completely adequate to bring forth all the magnificent benefits of Buddhism. However, many people, even Buddhists experienced in meditation, need to use visualization as a separate and supplemental practice in order to expunge diseases from the body and mind. Here, I am explaining mantra-powered visualization as both a prayer and a spiritual tool to eliminate disease.

  I am reminded of an experience that I had around 1996, when a friend approached me for help. Mr. G. was a 45-year-old African-American who was a sheriff's deputy for our local drug task force. On a daily basis, he was called upon to put his life at risk. He was also expected to protect the lives of his fellow officers. His agility was essential for everyone's safety. He was a big man, over 270 pounds of solid muscle. In his college days, Mr. G. had played football as a starting offensive guard for the University of Illinois and had taken so many hits that, over time, he developed chronic bursitis in his left shoulder. For a week he was in agony. He had received injections of cortisone for years and his physician was now recommending surgery if the pain came back. Being a devout southern Baptist, he had gone to his reverend for healing, but the problem persisted.

  Despite his religious beliefs and reservations, he asked me to help him. I told him to close his eyes, concentrate on my words, and imagine the source of his pain. I told him to imagine that the area where the pain originated was being bathed in healing light. I put my hand on his shoulder and began to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, imagining its cosmic energy flowing through my hand into him. He also said daimoku in a quiet voice. Never had I been more entranced in the power of prayer. I had never tried to lay on hands before, but adapted my approach to an expedient means that he could readily relate to as a Baptist. I felt powerful currents of vital energy flowing out of my hand into him. After five minutes, I disengaged the healing and told him to come back the next day. When Mr. G. saw me the next day, his shoulder was back to normal with no pain whatsoever. I have seen him perhaps a dozen times over a five-year period, and he insists that the pain vanished that day and never returned.

  I ascribe Mr. G.'s recovery to his desire to be healed, not to any supernatural ability of my own. He wanted to be healed and chanted with me; his personal faith in God and his religion never wavered.

  PRAYING FOR OTHERS

  One of the most important aspects of mantra-powered visualization is its power to affect a loved one, even if they are unable to use it for themselves. We can use mantra-powered visualization to direct healing powers at a loved one and in so doing improve the disposition of that person, while helping them to bring forth strength and benefit from within themselves.

  You may wonder how using this meditative technique for another person can work? People frequently describe their chanting as being able to beneficially influence the life of another person, even thousands of miles away, without that person's knowledge. Repeating daimoku into someone's ear if they are in a coma or using visualization to guide the mind into the sphere of consciousness and induce healing can be learned with practice and an open mind.

  HOW TO WORD YOUR PRAYERS

  The prayers and good thoughts for someone suffering from illness are a potent force that can affect the condition of a person on the other end of the world without the slightest delay or impediment. Not only is prayer “nonlocal,” it is an act of our will and an aspect of cosmic energy that interpenetrates all phenomena according to that will. Prayer can also be seen as an expression of quantum consciousness from the depths of life that has the power to heal, help, and even harm. The mystic organizing force of the universe that responds to our prayers is completely nonjudgmental and quite literal. For this reason, the scientific experts on prayer, such as the prayer research group Spindrift, herald the efficacy of nonspecific and open-ended prayers for a variety of reasons. The most obvious reason to use open-ended, nonspecific prayers is that we don't truly know what is best for our lives. Another reason is that since prayer is answered literally, if we phrase our prayer the wrong way, we may get exactly what we asked for, but in ways we did not expect or want. Dr. Larry Dossey encourages people to preface their prayer with “Thy will be done.” Another more neutral prayer approach he suggests is “May the best result happen.” It is truly difficult to know what is best for ourselves or someone else when viewed from the standpoint of the eternity of life.

  As a practicing Buddhist in the Chicago area for nearly three decades, I have constantly been around people who pray a lot. I have listened to hundreds if not thousands of personal faith-based experiences of people praying for their desires and to overcome their problems. In all that time, I have never heard anyone proclaim that they had a problem or a goal in mind and prayed for the best result, leaving their fate up to Buddha, God or the universe. Invariably, everyone's experience that I heard or learned of secondhand had a specific target or desire in mind and prayed for a specific result. When they prayed in that way, the best result for their life naturally occurred.

  If we accept the experts' methods of using nonspecific prayers, we relinquish control of our destiny to an external power that seems greater than ourselves. It is very difficult to pray for the best result when we have a strong determination for a specific outcome. For this reason, I firmly believe that nonspecific and open-ended prayer is in some respects unnatural, as it overrides the object of our desires for whatever God the universe deems us worthy to receive. I am quite sure that in the long run we get what we need. Since the universe is nonjudgmental and responds accordingly to prayer, it is best to give deep thought to how our prayers are structured and what is truly in our heart. Nichiren gives a fine example of praying for someone's health with a specific result in mind:

  When the steward of this district sent me a request for his recovery from illness, I wondered if I should accept it. But since he showed some degree of faith in me, I decided I would appeal to the Lotus Sutra . . . I was sure that they [protective forces] would consider my request and show some sign. Certainly they would never forsake me, but would respond as attentively as a person rubs a sore or scratches an itch. And as it turned out, the steward recovered.3

  In 1264, Nichiren learned that his mother was critically ill. He later wrote about praying for her recovery after he had returned home from visiting her: “When I prayed for my mother, not only was her illness cured, but her life was prolonged by four years.”4

  MANTRA-POWERED VISUALIZATION FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT

  The pain of disease and injury is a serious problem for both patients and clinicians. Although pain protects us by alerting us about a problem, no one wants prolonged physical pain. Mantra-powered visualization can be an important tool in pain management because it helps us induce the brain to produce more of its own pain-fighting chemicals, such as endorphins.

  To use mantra-powered visualization to relieve pain, you direct your attention to the localized areas and “send” Nam-myoho-renge-kyo there with powerful bursts of energy. When generalized pain is present, you could imagine torrents of fresh spring water cascading down your bo
dy, from head to toe, providing cooling relief. In the case of traumatic pain from a serious injury, the mind is often overwhelmed and can think of nothing else. However, you can block out pain just as if a shot of morphine had been administered. By not ignoring pain, but focusing on it with the mantra, you can eventually bring that pain under control to a tolerable level.

  You can accomplish pain management by using the same technique of directing the mantra toward the corresponding areas of the body. When you have a headache, which is in the area of myo, you would emphasize myo; and if your feet hurt, you would add energy to kyo. By visualizing the area of pain or discomfort and directing healing energies there, even intractable pain can be neutralized.

  The following ten points are a summary of mantra-powered visualization:

  Make the determination to win against disease by using mantra-powered visualization based on faith.

  Learn the pronunciation of the words and commit them to memory.

  Find the right place and right time to begin your exercise.

  Thank your body, its systems, and organs.

  Repeat Nam-myoho-renge-kyo while concentrating on your body one section at a time.

  Allow the sound of the words to vibrate in the corresponding body areas.

  Eliminate distractions by continually chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

  Visualize a preselected scenario and attack your disease by using your imagination and meditation.

  Use mantra-powered visualization ten minutes at a time, twice daily, increasing the time of usage according to your ability.

  At night, when you go to bed, while you are between wakefulness and sleep, quietly commune with your body, going through the different sections one at a time, like a CT (computer tomography) scanner might do. Congratulate your body for its marvelous work.

  Because the Mystic Law works on a seemingly incomprehensible level, chanting frequently produces conspicuous results for the benefit of those people closest to the person who harnesses it. In other words, a person who is very ill and faithfully takes up mantra-powered visualization to the best of their ability may die in their brave battle, but the heroic nature of their struggle and their disposition at the moment of death will produce greater results in those surrounding them than a thousand scholarly books of eloquent theory. With their own eyes, loved ones will witness the profound effect that the Mystic Law has on someone fighting for their life.

  Mantra-powered visualization is a technique that directs the focus and control to the latent powers within. Because that force originates within all people, it can be used by anyone regardless of their beliefs.

  At the moment a person intones daimoku, their negative karma is sent through a veritable rock crusher, and their dominant life condition is challenged. If their typical life condition was Anger, the cause of the Tenth World of Buddhahood (enlightenment) is seemingly placed on top of that Anger, driving it into latency. When the person stops chanting the mantra, their dominant life condition reacts with the environment and tries to emerge once again. Each time a person uses the Mystic Law, the foundation of the dominant world of Anger is transformed into its enlightened aspect, eventually giving way to the elevated conditions of Learning, Realization, Altruism, and Enlightenment.

  The emergence of the higher life conditions of learning, realization, altruism, and enlightenment has a marked influence on the person's outlook and ability to gain perspective on their illness and inner life. Physical, mental and spiritual benefits frequently begin to appear in the improvement of health and attitude. As the person begins to change inside, their optimism in overcoming illness grows.

  1 See Takehisa Tsuji, “Buddhism and Medicine,” issue no. 206, pp. 48–50 and “The Key to Revitalization,” installment 1, pp. 37–39 and installment 11, issue no. 243, pp. 40–42, in the Seikyo Times.

  2 Nichiren Daishonin, “Explanation of the Hoben-bon, Part 3,” in Gosho Zenshu (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 1952), p. 716.

  3 Nichiren Daishonin, “The Izu Exile,” in The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 1999), pp. 35–36.

  4 Nichiren Daishonin, “On Prolonging One's Life Span,” in The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 955.

  CHAPTER 4

  Experiences of Challenging Illness

  Chanting frequently and with great passion is the key to absolute victory, especially when confronting chronic illness. The following are some experiences from people who used Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and visualization to overcome illness.

  PAIN OF FIBROMYALGIA

  At 44 years of age, Ms. J. was diagnosed, after six months of medical evaluation, with fibromyalgia syndrome. Fibromyalgia is an all-pervading ache in the muscles, accompanied by local pain that occurs when pressure is applied to specific body areas. Some of the conditions she routinely suffered from were chronic rhinitis, easy bruising, night cramps, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, dry eyes and mouth, bruxism, photophobia, PMS, many infections, hair loss, generalized muscular stiffness, “foggy” brain, dyslexia, panic attacks, mood swings, irritability, a feeling of her hands and feet being swollen without evidence of fluid retention, and widespread muscular pain.

  Having been told that there was no cure, she decided the best approach was to first manage the pain, then work on the other symptoms. Ms. J. used an approach to visualization that encompassed her whole body. She first got herself into a relaxed position, either sitting or reclining. She then visualized her whole body and, slowly reciting the mantra, concentrated on individual parts. Her technique was as follows:

  While saying Nam she visualized her whole body encompassed in a soft, white, cloud-like light.

  As she said Myo she visualized the area of her head becoming brighter, and then with Ho, her throat area became bright.

  Because she suffered from severe pain in the neck, chest, and back, she visualized Ren as a brighter, warmer light in those areas.

  Moving on to Ge for the hip region, she felt the light continue to become brighter and warmer.

  Her arms, hands, legs, and feet experienced the most pain to the extent that she could not walk across the room sometimes without holding on to furniture, or had no feeling in her hands or feet. While concentrating on Kyo, she saw the bright, warm light travel throughout her extremities and pulse like gentle hands massaging her painful limbs.

  After rhythmically repeating this mantra-powered visualization, she could actually feel her skin become warm and her muscles relax. She practiced this technique over a period of several months, at which point she became so attuned to her body that sometimes, literally within minutes, her pain would disappear. After about six months of practicing this form of pain management, she was virtually free of the fibromyalgia symptoms.

  BATTLING CANCER

  Mrs. T., a 50-year-old woman, had been a Buddhist for more than twenty years. She was the mother of two teenagers and had lived in Connecticut for many years. Mrs. T. was under a considerable amount of duress between 1993 and 1994. She was slowly recovering from a severe head trauma, her husband was suffering from two polyps in his colon, and her older brother, Mr. P., was experiencing a recurrence of a rare and often deadly lymphoma in his upper spine. I taught her how to use mantra-powered visualization so she could teach it to her brother, who was about to begin his first round of a new experimental chemotherapy called ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide).

  Mr. R, who lived in New Jersey, was not a religious person but was open to spirituality. Expressing a willingness to try anything to get rid of his cancer, he allowed his sister and brother-in-law to teach him how to use the techniques they had learned. Together, and according to their respective capacities, each one began using mantra-powered visualization. Each person subsequently experienced some degree of benefit relative to their condition. Mrs. T. was able to quicken the healing process of the soft tissue in her neck, as well as of her skull and nerves. Making remarkable progress, she began assisting other severely injured and impaired patients in her neurological clinic, teaching them t
o use mantra-powered visualization—with the full cooperation of her doctor and therapist.

  Mr. P. used mantra-powered visualization to fight his cancer, although he was inexperienced in chanting. Thanks to excellent medical treatment and mantra-powered visualization, his lymphoma went into remission. Although his cancer returned, Mr. P. had put his affairs in order and faced the end with dignity and courage. With his sister by his side, they both chanted to his final moment. Mr. P. died without pain or distress, completely in control of his mind, and in a state of tranquillity.

  Mr. W., a 68-year-old African-American who lived in central Illinois, provided another example of how using mantra-powered visualization can help us to deal with cancer. He had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer that had invaded his bones. He was declared terminal by his doctor, sent home with pain pills and vitamins. After reading an article about Buddhist healing, as a last resort, his son brought Mr. W. to my office. At that meeting Mr. W. was jaundiced, emaciated, depressed, and in extreme pain. He impressed me as a brave man who knew he was going to die. But he was determined to spend quality time with all of his five children who were returning home from all over the country to visit him, one at a time.

  I taught Mr. W. and his son how to chant and use visualization, and counseled them on the eternity of life and how life could possibly be prolonged, so he might be able to die with dignity, at a time of his own choosing. Mr. W., who had been a devout Christian all his life, saw no conflict with his religious beliefs in chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to fight the pain of cancer, and end his life with dignity, on his own terms. He confessed that he was depressed because he thought his time would run out before he could see all his children. Two months later, Mr. W. called to set an appointment to see me because he had something important to discuss.