Question asked by Y. YM
Dear Your HE Tsem Rinpoche, I am a new follower of Master Jin Bodhi following a recommendation from a neighbor following about of vertigo. Following numerous visits to the centre for healing and was taught to do prostrations on a daily basis I have since recovered. Similarly my husband joined me in prostration and surprisingly he has found relief for many of his medical problems. He has since been religiously doing prostration for an hour a day and at the same time did the Om Manni Padme Hom meditation on a lotus position in front of Lord Budhha, The medicine Buddha and Kuan Yin. As we are both English educated we chance upon locating your website and Youtube and have been picking up many wonderful teachings from your HE. We have a son who has been suffering from insomnia and anxieties attacks for years. We have over the years seek various forms of spiritual, traditional and western medicine to find a cure for him but unfortunately the cure is always temporary and then relapses. We have been encouraging him to do prostration and chanting the Om Mani Padme Hom. However as being very impatient he gives up rather easily as he could not find immediate benefit, we have been advising him that this takes time as his problems are decade long. This has also put tremendous strain on the family as he will call us early hours in the morning when he can't sleep or stress over some small stuff. Would deeply appreciate your HE advice whether we are advising him the right way or is there more we can tell him to do to help himself. Sorry for the long mail .Looking forward to hear from you soon. Cheers and have a good day.
Dear Y.YM,
People with untamed minds tend to chase after their thoughts. Unfortunately, if the thoughts are negative, it can lead to insomnia and anxiety attacks. These thoughts or mental objects are not real. They are projections of the mind. I suggest your son practise calm meditation or “shamatha” as well as mindfulness meditation, to learn to let go of the negative thoughts as soon as they arise. With time, he will learn to control his mind. But he must have patience, discipline and diligence. Find out whether there is a meditation centre near where your son is staying. You can also read up on the benefits of calm meditation and talk to your son about it. Good luck to you. I pray that your son recover fully from his condition and lead a normal happy life.