(Photo source: Envato)
Illness reminds us to stay vigilant of life’s impermanence, alerting us to cherish life – if we do not take action today or this year, can we still do so tomorrow or next year? Hence, we should always remain vigilant and not let one's guard down.
Even the Buddha can fall ill, not just ordinary people! One day, the Buddha and Ananda were out gathering alms. When they were at the border between a forest and village, the soles of Buddha’s feet were pricked by a broken tree root and was in excruciating pain. The disciples hurriedly brought him back to the monastery and used traditional medicine to dress the wounds. However, the Buddha’s foot remained painful and swollen, and he remained unconscious. Many of his disciples were deeply concerned, while the lay devotees were also alarmed. They were very worried that he might succumb to the injury and pass away.
A minister who learnt of the news rushed to the palace to inform the king, “Bad news, the Buddha’s feet were pricked by a tree root and is currently in great danger.” The king was extremely worried. After calming down, he informed his attendant, “Let’s set off to visit the Buddha now.” Upon arrival at the monastery, the king immediately disembarked from the carriage, removed his crown and tidied his clothes, as a form of respect for the Buddha. The king arrived at the Buddha’s bedside and seeing that Buddha remained unconscious, he knelt down, holding the Buddha’s hand and said, “Dear Buddha, I am Ajatashatru, please have compassion for all living beings, all nations of the world need you, you must not leave us!”
Even the Buddha's physical body is not exempted from impermanence
The Buddha opened his eyes, held the king’s hand and said, “Please take a seat.” As the king sat by the bedside, the Buddha also sat up with the assistance of his disciples. When all the disciples have gathered, facing the four groups of disciples, the Buddha said, “Human beings come into this world driven by their own karma, depart with one's karma and come again with one's karma. In the many past lives, although I have lived a life of goodness and righteousness, I have held some misconceptions and done some mistakes. Hence, in every re-birth, I have been joyfully eradicating negative karma. Although I have eradicated some negative karma, there still exist some and I continue to bear the consequences of past actions.
From this short story, we learn that although the Buddha had attained enlightenment, his body was still a physical body born of his parents. Hence, a tree root could injure his foot, and an infection could cause his wound to swell so severely that he even lost consciousness. What more, then, of us ordinary people?
As ordinary people, we ought to know that falling ill and experiencing physical pain is expected and normal. So long as our heart remains pure and peaceful, even though our body is unwell, we should view minor body illness as a natural phenomena. We should always be mindful of life’s impermanence, cherish our lives and devote the slightest strength and opportunity to help others. Giving and serving others is our duty and helping others is also a key to true happiness. If we can all think this way, every bit of effort we make brings its own reward. However, if we harbour the thought that we have already done our bit and question why we still fall ill, then it is not only our body that is unwell; our mind, too, becomes afflicted by endless expectations.
Translated by Andrea Lim
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