this is a good selection of english-language instructions & teachings, and their application to dealing w chronic illness and disability

the book has a MAJOR issue w class consciousness, but that unfortunately goes for most western buddhism (and much asian buddhism) ( )

On a vacation to Paris with her husband, the author came down with what she hoped was just jet lag, but when the fatigue continued, she went to a doctor who diagnosed her with the grippe. Yet she remained mostly bedridden until it was time to go home. As she puts it, “In May of 2001, I got sick and I never recovered.” As she describes the effects of the disease, it is like:

"…having the symptoms that accompany a severe flu, including the dazed sick feeling and the aches and pains, but without the fever, the sore throat, or the cough. To imagine it, multiply the fatigues and aches and pains of the flu by an order of magnitude. Add in a heart that’s constantly pounding with a kind of wired, oppressive fatigue that people associate with severe jet lag, making it hard to concentrate or even watch TV—let alone nap or sleep at night. "

She had to leave her job as a law professor and stay home. Her condition is Myalgic Encephalomyetis, more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or ME/CFS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there is no cure.

Although filled with Bernhard’s own personal experiences, this is not a book about the disease. It is about how to cope with chronic illness. It is a practical guide filled with Buddhist techniques for dealing with the recurring issues of pain, self-blame, fear, stressful thoughts, uncertainty, fatigue, burnout, loneliness and feeling ignored that come with chronic illness.

Starting from the Buddha’s first noble truth, that life is dukkha, the Pali word usually translated as suffering. Bernhard explains that this is a natural part of every human’s experience because it will include times of “birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, pain, grief, getting what we don’t want, not getting what we want, and losing what we cherish.” She goes on to explain the psychological and spiritual techniques used in Buddhism to alleviate the suffering associated with these aspects of life, and how she has used them to alleviate the suffering that she has experienced with ME/CFS, which can be used by sufferers from other chronic diseases and by their caregivers. ( )

Very helpful. I have studied Buddhism for years and this is a great resource for chronically ill people. ( )

Fantastic book. From loneliness to solitude. From suffering to equanimity. Great ideas for all of us not just those with chronic illness. ( )

Written for people with chronic illnesses from which, at this time, there are no cures,
the author shares many of her own experiences after learning that getting better and
being her old self was no longer possible.

She does not spare details of the darkest and saddest hours, months, and years as she
slowly finds hope for acceptance and dealing with her life in a more actively positive way
with inspirations from Buddhist precepts.

For readers not familiar with Buddhist terms, it helps to make a bookmark with brief definitions.
This would be welcome in future editions.

Many of her ideas will be valuable resources for both sick people and their caretakers,
yet, like the Dalai Lama and Swami Pranayomama, she does not embrace basic
Buddhist compassion for all animals and so references animal experimentation results. ( )