Afflictions and Diseases Are but Projections of the Mind

Carefully contemplate the illusory nature of our consciousness, and meticulously observe the arising and ceasing, the illusory and impermanent nature of all phenomena in the world. Then, the mind's tendency to grasp and cling will diminish, fantasies and chaotic thoughts will lessen, mental illnesses afflicting people will decrease, neurasthenia and insomnia will ease, and all kinds of ailments will reduce. Where do illnesses come from? One source is the karmic retribution from past actions, and the other is the afflictions and deluded thoughts generated in the present life. Sentient beings bring suffering upon themselves. When the principle is understood, the mind is free from afflictions; when the principle is not understood, afflictions multiply, and suffering is boundless—all self-inflicted, not given by others. All illnesses are illusory, without a real origin; when an illness ceases, there is no place of cessation, because it is illusory. By thoroughly understanding these principles, one can cure all illnesses. No need for any physicians, whether physiological or psychological; all disease obstacles arise and cease like illusions. When the Buddhadharma is understood, all phenomena are understood. Mastering the Buddhadharma means mastering all worldly phenomena.

Physical illnesses of worldly people, mental illnesses, all family troubles, worries about work and career—all such problems are the result of being entangled by one's own ignorance and karmic obstacles. Those who have not studied Buddhism do not understand these principles; those who have studied Buddhism but have not yet comprehended them deeply, without engaging in profound contemplation and practice, are obscured by their own ignorance. To truly comprehend the truth of the world, one must first understand oneself; thereafter, all phenomena will be understood. Therefore, the failure to understand worldly phenomena is due to knots and bonds in the mind. What needs to be untied is one's own mental knots, not the resolution of external circumstances.

We should not complain that external sense objects are so troubling, that they insist on disturbing our minds. Instead, we should reflect on why our minds are attracted by external forms, why they are seized by them. Why do we insist on clinging to external states? Is it the external states that seek to bind us, to cling to us? No, it is our own minds that insist on grasping or rejecting them, and as a result, we become stuck by the states. Originally, we intended to grasp the states, but instead, we end up being grasped by them. The five desires and six dusts bind us, causing us to suffer the pains of poverty and rebirth through countless lifetimes. In this way, we are bound by all phenomena within the cycle of the six realms, bound within this vast ocean of afflictive birth and death.