In 1975, when I was thirty years old. I was diagnosed as having progressive muscular dystrophy. This disease attacks the muscle cells so that the protractile muscles gradually weaken and degenerate. The patient loses control of his limbs and is forced to live as an invalid confined to bed. No cure has yet been found for this painful malady. The news of my illness threw me into turmoil. A future of unrelieved darkness seemed to await me, and faced with this prospect I developed great tensions within.
In desperation I tried all sorts of treatments—ayurvedic, homeopathic, and nature-cure—but nothing gave me any relief. Instead the malady worsened day by day. By 1979 I had trouble standing up, walking, and using my hands. It was clear that I would soon be bed-ridden.
At this point some friends who had learned Vipassana urged me to join a course, and I did so in November 1979. The ten days’ work produced slight but unmistakable signs of improvement in my condition.
Greatly encouraged, I undertook many courses in succession. The process of revivification became all the more clear, inspiring me with hope. I struggled hard to meditate as I was told, in order to gain a new lease on life.
Now, after several years of meditation practice, the changes that have come seem almost miraculous. Previously, walking a few steps had been a painful ordeal. Now I can easily walk as much as a kilometer, though at a slow pace. Climbing stairs had been very difficult; now I can easily climb flights of 25-30 stairs. Traveling by bus or train for two or three hours used to exhaust me; now I can take much longer journeys without becoming tired. The circulation in my legs has improved. The atrophy of bodily extremities has been reversed. The joints of my legs have expanded and the muscles have begun to regenerate and gain in strength, rendering me capable of easier movement.
Doctors are baffled by the improvement in my condition, but I have no doubt that it is the result of the process of Vipassana at work within me. I can describe the process only in terms of my experience in meditation. As I sit with eyes closed, I feel a flow of subtle vibrations like wavelets, a mild and soothing electric current throughout the body, including
the parts affected by my disease. Wherever there are blockages, these waves seem to strike against the ipediments in the muscle fibers, nerve tissues, and bony structures, causing them to open and expand. It is like the current of a river striking against a rock that blocks its course. The rock deflects the water, causing it to flow over, around, or under the obstruction. Gradually, however, the water succeeds in shaking and moving the rock, in pulverizing and finally disintegrating it. When it is gone the river flows smoothly, unimpeded.
The process of Vipassana has affected me in other ways as well. Mental tensions have subsided to a great extent, and my dread of the future has lessened. I used to become agitated when I encountered difficulties in life, making myself more and more unhappy. Now I have acquired the strength to face problems smilingly. Within me there is a constant feeling of good will for others. My tolerance and working efficiency have increased greatly. Relations with my family, which had been strained, now have improved as Vipassana has improved my behavior pattern.
All these changes add up to a greater feeling of happiness. It is as if a dead person has come to life again, and all through the blessing of the Dhamma.
I am deeply indebted to my great benefactor Goenkaji for giving me the Dhamma and guiding me on the path.
Now I strive to the best of my ability to lead a life of Dhamma.
May all sentient beings of the world be happy and peaceful!
(Vipassana International Newsletter. June'87) posted by SD
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