Right View 3 / The Illness of a Follower

Recently, one of our devoted followers, Mrs Akashi passed away. She was 86 years old. She had undergone surgery for subarachnoid hemorrhage ten years ago. The surgery was successful, but her recovery was not as expected. A shared his experience from that time.

At that moment, I had an excruciating headache, and I had to call an ambulance for help. I was rushed to St. Mary's Hospital for emergency treatment. My life was saved, but the doctor told me, 'While we were performing the surgery, two other blood vessels in your brain ruptured, causing significant bleeding. That's why the surgery took a long time. Honestly, I thought it might not work out.'

Then, several years later, A was hanging laundry in the yard and stumbled, becoming immobilized. She had broken her leg. She had to endure the pain for several hours until his son came home. In the evening, her son arrived, called an ambulance, and took him to the hospital. The doctor's diagnosis was a femoral bone fracture. 

She described the situation like this:

'I couldn't move for about six hours in the yard. If it had rained at that time, I would have died.'

People barely survive in life. However, understanding this truth is difficult, even if we know it intellectually. 'Life is suffering' is a teaching of the Buddha. She conveyed this teaching to her family through her own experiences.

Written: Giken Yoshitomi

Translated: ChatGPT

坐禅会　毎週土曜日午前6：25～8：00　
久留米市宮の陣町大杜1577-1　圓通寺　
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 Understanding life as suffering is called 'Right View.'"