lotusinthemud

'pacing' for m.e.

Pacing

 The strategy known as pacing is based on the observation that people with ME tire easily. It’s one of the main characteristics of the illness. The approach is also used by people with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and other medical conditions where fatigue plays a major role. The concept was adapted by Goudsmit for use by people with ME, using information from Drs. Ramsay, Parish and Dowsett. During the nineties, details of this approach were disseminated through the various patient groups, so people were no longer left to discover pacing through trial and error.¹

The advice was further refined a few years ago as a result of feedback and new research.

Basic guidelines

The aim of pacing is to remain as active as possible but to avoid the relapses resulting from over-exertion. Patients may try to increase their activity levels every few days, as long as they remain “within the limitations which the disease imposes” (Ramsay. Medical Update 1990, no. 1).

In practice, pacing means stopping an activity when you feel you have reached that point where pleasant tiredness becomes unpleasant, where arms or legs begin to feel weak, or where one starts to feel unwell or sick. Some might find it more helpful to rest for a while at the first sign of muscle weakness. As Dr. Ho-Yen wrote in his book, “learn to listen to your body. It will tell you when there is a problem”.

Making a rough plan of one’s activities for the day or days ahead is fine as long as you rest when you feel you need to. Pacing does not require you to set goals and achieve targets. The idea is to make limited energy go further. For instance, you can make a list of things which need to be done per week. Make sure you allow some space between the most tiring of the activities. If you still do the housework yourself, wash one day, hoover the next. Also, try to include at least one quiet day after something particularly stressful or exhausting. If you are severely affected, you may require three free days, or even a week or more. You will know from experience how you tend to respond to various activities and what you can manage per day without exacerbating the illness.

Some specialists recommend keeping a diary. This should include details of activities and symptoms, as well as food eaten and any stressful events. As most relapses do not occur at random, diaries can help you to identify triggers and reveal the relationship between exertion and symptoms. In the beginning, it is also useful to include an assessment of one’s emotional state, as stress saps your energy and undermines your immune system.

ajahn sumedho retires

Ajahn Sumedho has retired from his abbotship and duties at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. The Kathina ceremony on Sunday 14^th November was an appropriate occasion which marked his official ‘goodbye’, and the temple was packed to overflowing. He will leave the country towards the end of this month (November) when, as was announced by the incoming Abbot (Ajahn Amaro) he will depart on a one-way ticket to Thailand.

::continue reading

zen in the park

In 1969 I went to Japan in search of Zen. There I met Kosho Uchiyama, abbot of Antaiji Temple. It was neither my first meeting with a Japanese Zen teacher nor was it my first stay at a Zen temple in Japan, but it was a special meeting for me because it was my first meeting with a Zen teacher who seemed to have none of what I will call ‘Zen posturing’. Our discussion was informal and I walked away feeling that I had met someone who could be a friend as well as a teacher. Uchiyama invited me to stay at Antaiji and I did.

Sodo Yokoyama

During my stay at Antaiji I came into contact with five teachers of Zen. Three, I met, and two I learned of through their heirs and their writings. All of these teachers were, in some capacity, connected with Antaiji, a small poor temple in Kyoto that seemed to be a magnet for Zen figures who did not mind breaking with tradition. The most unique of these teachers was a poet monk named Sodo Yokoyama.

Yokoyama sat in a park practising zazen and inspiring travellers. If traditional ­Japanese dance is poetry in motion, Yokoyama’s upright sitting posture was motionless poetry. Many took his photograph and were encouraged by the image of this monk whose practice was to follow his heart. As one woman who brought Yokoyama a coat that her mother weaved for him said, ‘My dad is a Zen priest, but he has a family. He cannot live the life of pure Zen like Yokoyama Roshi does. We wanted to show our appreciation to Roshi for upholding the Way.’

Yokoyama played tunes that he composed by blowing them on a leaf. For Yokoyama, leaf-blowing signified the freshness of youth. He said that only children try to get tunes from blowing into a leaf; adults have no time for such playful activities. As long as he blew the leaf, he was reminding himself that the playfulness of youth should never disappear. He also felt that one would never get a perfect tune from a leaf, that it was an instrument for amateurs, and there lies its charm.

::continue reading

the dalai lama: living compassion

Video of highlights of HH the Dalai Lama's teachings in Nottingham, 2008

attacks on north american buddhist temples

by Maia Duerr

Arun of the blog Angry Asian Buddhist points out a disturbing trend this year–what seems to be increased incidents of vandalism and attacks on Buddhist temples around the U.S. and Canada, including in Iowa, Kentucky, and Minnesota. (See map here.)

Not surprisingly, most of these temples are made up of primarily Asian/Asian American members.

::continue reading article, which includes suggestions help you can offer

amida newcastle meetings, 30 november - 14 december 2010

Here is news of the meetings during the next few weeks:

Tuesday 30th November* and Tuesday 14th December - the sangha will be led by Reverend Kuvalaya

(Time: 7 - 9 pm, Venue: Amida Sanctuary)

Note: There will be no meeting on Tuesday 7th December**

We will begin and end the evening formally, there will be a period of Pureland practice and we will also have tea and biscuits.

All are welcome - no experience necessary. You do not need to be familiar with any of the elements of the evening - we will show you what we do so that you can join in!

* NB No meeting on 30th November due to adverse weather

** Rev Sujatin and Rev Kuvalaya will be at The Bodhi Retreat at The Buddhist House. Do visit the Friends of Amida site during this time so that you can watch the events that will be filmed during the retreat If you join the site, become a member of the Amida Newcastle group and look around for discussions, recordings and special interest groups. It's a great way of getting to know others from around the world!

Updated 28th November

amida buddhism in newcastle upon tyne: sangha meeting on tuesday 23rd november

At our Amida Newcastle meeting on Tuesday 23rd (7 - 9 pm, at Amida Sanctuary) we will look at the Contemplation Sutra. We will begin and end the evening formally*, there will be a period of Pureland practice and we will also have tea and biscuits.

*All are welcome - no experience necessary. You do not need to be familiar with any of the elements of the evening - we will show you what we do so that you can join in!

dharmavidya is in korea

He writes:

I arrived yesterday and will be here until the end of the month lecturing on Buddhist psychology and giving Dharma teachings. You can follow my progress on my weblog . My hotel is just across from Chogye Sa, which happily means that it is easy for me to join the devotions there.

the bodhi retreat begins with 72 hours of chanting

Every year during the Bodhi Retreat (the most important event in the Amida year), which is held at Amida's Buddhist House, Narborough, we chant the Nembutsu continuously for a period of time. We will be chanting the Nembutsu for 72 hours and would like to invite you to come and participate/experience some or all of it. The aim will be to keep it going for 72 hours between all of us therefore we do not expect anyone to chant continuously without taking any breaks. The practise will be shared and so people are welcome to dip in and out according to their needs for rest and food.              

It would be lovely if you could join us. Along with the three days of chanting there will be special ceremonies on the 9th.

Timetable:

Noon 1st to noon 4th December
72 hour continuous nembutsu chanting

Sunday 5th December
Refuge and Admission Ceremonies for people becoming or confirming their Buddhist commitment or entering or confirming membership of the Amida-shu.
Evening session of Other Power Life Dance

Monday 6th December
Day of Silent Contemplation (Quan)

Tuesday 7th December
Meetings for Practice, Devotion, Sharing and Instruction

8th December - Bodhi Day
Ceremonies for Ordination, Admission to the Amida Order, or Admission to Aspirancy or Postulancy.

The retreat is a wonderful occasion for entering into the heart of the sangha, its community and its practice.

Please pay for your accommodation and give a suitable donation toward the work of the Trust and the Order. Thank you.

Click here for further details of the event.

our shared fears and 5 ways to overcome them

by Steve McSwain

In life, we experience two kinds of fear: real fear, and psychological fear. Or, as I prefer to think of the latter, ego-fear.

In the words of Immanuel Kant, the ego is “our precious little self.” Or as Eckhart Tolle calls it, “the voice in the head.” It isn’t who you really are, but the you that you think you are.

Each day, what you see in the mirror is the reflection of your physical being, and within, you may get glimpses of your unique personality in that reflection too, in between your laugh lines or furrowed brow. Still, it’s not really you.

Same thing with the roles you inhabit each day, and how they are reflected back to you: As friend, lover, parent, child, worker, boss. These are different selves we pick up each day as needed, as the situation or relationship summons them.

But knowing that these roles, as well as your reflection in the mirror, are not who you actually are is an important distinction to which all enlightened, sentient beings become aware.

With this background, we can better understand our shared fears and how to overcome them.

What is Real Fear?

Real fear is the body’s natural response to a threat.

Let’s say, for example, you’re proceeding cautiously through a green signal at an intersection when the driver of another car suddenly disregards his red signal, and drives through without stopping. Because you drive defensively, you’re able to maintain control and avoid a collision.

To do so, however, you are required to slam on the brakes, turn the wheel, and steer your car into a nearby ditch. To compound the seriousness of the situation, the driver of the other car never stops.

In an instant, your life flashes before you. Your heart pounds rapidly.  Perhaps you even shout an obscenity or two at the driver and shake your fist at him for being so stupid and irresponsible.

What are you feeling and experiencing?