Sickness What is the message?

Your experience of illness Checking In Your experience of illness Bill leads – 5 minutes Illness that you have or have had or What was it like to “Choose one common disease each day: cancer, stroke, pneumonia, heart attack, dementia/Alzheimer’s and reflect on how you would live with this if it happened to you.”

We all should .... Eat right Exercise Manage stress Get the right amount of sleep The truth is we are not going to be able to avoid all illness Bill leads - 1 minutes Diet, exercise, stress, ... faith

When did you realize that illness and injury can happen to you? Ayya leads – 3 minutes What’s your story

Experience of Illness WHAT ARE YOU ATTACHED TO? ANXIETY: CAUSE, TREATMENT, OUTCOME EXISTENTIAL WORRY: WHY ME INCONVENIENCE DEPENDENCY LOSS OF CONTROL UNCERTAINTY WHAT ARE YOU ATTACHED TO? Bill leads – 3 minutes

A wise patient Learns from any illness Examines assumptions Discerns between wants and needs Does what they can to stay healthy Utilizes verifiable information Prepares for dependency by living a life of kindness Bill leads - 8 minutes (total 20 minutes) Wise pt mindful of little illnesses learns and grows wiser. Is mindful of assumptions about doctor, illness, self. Recognize WANT is different from NEED. Does what they can to stay healthy. Looks critically at source of information: fact, opinion, hidden agendas.

Navigating the Medical System How to talk to your doctor How does your doctor best receive input? Taking notes and verify that what you heard is what was said Electronic communication before a visit Goals of the visit Bring or send the info the provider needs/wants, i.e. test results Being part of the medical and support “team” Bill leads –5 minutes (total 25 minutes) electronic communication before a visit – goals of the visit, bring the info the provider needs/wants, i.e. test results, find out how the provider best receives input, taking notes and verify that what you heard is what was said

The Role of Caregiver Assessing what the patient needs from you Respecting that this is a very emotional process Pacing yourself – knowing your limits Assembling a team Steve can take the lead here - 5 minutes

The message of sickness Am I relating to this as a problem? Acknowledging fear, worry ... and caring for the heart Do what you can and then let go Mindfulness of the body Being with feeling as feeling Arising and ceasing Not me, not mine, not myself Urgency for spiritual awakening Ayya – 8 minutes For states of mental suffering – not letting them invade the mind and remain

From Suffering to Peace Knowledge and vision of things as they really are brings peace Going way beyond coping Ayya – 2 minutes

Practices for Awakening Forgiveness for ourselves and others Loving kindness and compassion for ourselves and others Letting go of attachment to possessions, people and who we think we are Serenity meditation – developing joy, happiness and tranquility Insight meditation – seeing the way things actually are Keeping a journal of kind and generous actions Developing faith Ayya leads – 2 minutes Should end at 45 minutes

Meditation Ayya Santussika Should end at 55 minutes Mindfulness of the body Our constantly changing health/illness Body scan

Ground Rules 25 minutes Confidentiality Mindfulness of time The “no enlightenment rule” Showing up 25 minutes

Small group discussion What did you discover as you reflected on how to live with common illnesses? What did you discover as you meditated on letting go of roles, abilities, or independence? 25 minutes

Discussion 30 minutes

Parting Instructions What makes your life worth living? If you knew you were going to die one month from today, what would you do? Chant the 5 recollections Meditation: Contemplation of your own death or charnel ground contemplations from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Readings Filling out “5 Wishes” Bring images of death and dying … and spiritual development 10 minutes