Dear Brothers and Sisters,

When you’re sick, you’re tired. The body doesn’t want to move. It wants to stay in bed and sleep. Because it’s out of energy? Obviously. But the truth is that, your body is not out of energy – it is using all its energy to fight against your illness and help you recover. In short, your body is using every bit of your energy to help you recover. It wants you to sleep, not wasting energy on anything else, so that it can work on your recovery.

So, my friends, when you’re sick, you need to rest, so that your body has enough energy to heal you.

Same thing with spiritual illness. When you sick, rest.

But, how do we know that we are suffering a spiritual illness?

We all have constant spiritual illness or, at least, weakness, flowing in us as a subterranean river. Once in awhile, the river flares up, such as an explosion of anger from a business argument that sends us into stress attack. The stress attack is an outward symptom of the permanent spiritual illness/weakness inside.

A spiritual flare can be fear, worry, anger, hatred, desperation, heavy stress… In summary, the flares that bring pain, sorrow or suffering to us are the outward symptoms of our spiritual sickness/weakness.

Actually, they are blessings in disguise, because they show us clearly our spiritual state so that we can take care of it.

So, each time you have a flare, do nothing. Forgetting everything and sleeping is the best way to deal with the flare. The Dalai Lama has said: “Sleeping is the best Zen.” So, sleeping Zen is the best medicine for you – it quiets you down, gives you time to rest, gives your spirit time to heal the wound, and better yet, it gives the Time Fairy some time to work her wonders to solve for you whatever worldly problems you are facing.

Praying is also the best Zen I know. When you’re down, pray to God, Allah, Heaven, Buddha, Ông Trời… Let me remind you again: Ông Trời doesn’t care if you don’t know him, or don’t care about him, or don’t like him… He loves you nevertheless, because you are his child. He is happy every time you talk to him, like mom is happy every time her baby talks to her.

So, talk to Ông Trời: “Ông Trời ơi, I am so sorrowful to the point of death. Please help me. Give me your peace. And lift my spirit up.” And you shall see miracles.

You know, the solutions to all our heavy-dosed spiritual illness are much simpler and easier than people imagine. Just trust me and do what I show you. Nothing I say is not from my own experience.

With compassion,

Hoành

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