ambereagle642 said:What Buddha experienced was essentially his own personal struggle. Whatever you experience—that isn't YOU! Likewise, to simply be YOURSELF doesn't require some grand epiphany. You exist in every single moment, whether you’re making a massive blunder or just sitting there doing absolutely nothing. The quality of an action is a moral value!
Go ask hiddenpuma75; he's the GREAT-SAGE here!
ambereagle642... when I say Buddha, I am not referring to Siddhartha Gautama. How can you possibly claim to know what you "need" or "don't need" to experience? If you actually think you have it all figured out, then you’ve clearly reached the level of a master master ever... 😉...(and yet you have the audacity to brag about it 😂)
I feel compelled to offer one more observation on this matter. I have noticed that certain self-proclaimed 'Masters' in this forum seem to operate under the delusion that enlightenment occurs the very moment you realize that 'you aren't actually responsible for your experiences.' In my view, that realization is nothing more than a mere illumination of the mind's own limitations.
...how on earth can you judge someone's words to determine if they have actually experienced 'THAT WHICH BUDDHA EXPERIENCED'? I have already posted my thoughts on this very subject several times here on this forum: two different people can speak or write using the EXACT SAME words, yet one could be a 'TRUE BUDDHA' while the other is nothing more than a complete fraud just blowing smoke about it.
By the way, Jonathan Brown6, you really ought to spend some time diving into the works of Rudolf Steiner.
He spent a significant portion of his life obsessively dissecting the very same question that seems to be keeping you up at night. In that volume, *Philosophy, Cosmology, Religion*, there is an entire lecture dedicated solely to his specific insights regarding what actually transpires within our consciousness while we sleep.
First, I suggest you attempt to resolve the fundamental question of where you currently exist and who you actually are in this moment. Once you have achieved that level of clarity, I am certain you will find that settling the mystery of where you go when you sleep becomes an effortless task—or perhaps you'll even find yourself questioning whether you are truly awake at all during your waking hours. 👋
Whether she actually did something to you or not, things are simply going to unfold exactly as they are destined to. We are all just reaping the consequences of our past actions and thoughts right now; everything is already written in stone.
It’s nothing more than a human delusion to think we can exert immediate influence over the universe, when in reality, we are powerless. Fate will take its course, plain and simple.
That being said, when you're dealing with that gut-wrenching feeling that just tears you apart... I honestly believe it’s better to take action. At the very least, you can tell yourself you did "everything in your power," which offers a bit of mental peace. Of course, that really depends on the specifics of the situation at hand.
It’s the exact same arrogant crowd as Dow Chemical and her lot!!! When will you people ever learn to check your ego at the door?!?
Tell me, have any of you actually bothered to study how your own bodies function, or did some lady scientist have to spoon-feed you those facts too?
If we were living in an era where it hadn't been scientifically established that the Earth revolves around the Sun, I’d bet my life that people like you would be the first ones lining up to throw anyone who dared disagree onto a bonfire!
Oh, I’m sorry... I must have missed it in our little elementary school textbooks... clearly, if it isn't printed in one of your precious little books, it simply can't be true, right? What a fool I am for thinking otherwise!🙄
dustypilot2 said:Yeah, sure. Because we all just *crave* those kinds of disasters. Thank God I actually had to go through that mess so I could finally see who I really am, right?? NOPE....👎
At the very least, you’ve managed to uncover just how much bitterness you're carrying around.
Anyway, take care of yourself... there's absolutely nothing you can do to change the past...
Sarah Cruz2, what about your sister? Is she even listening to a word you say? What’s her actual take on all this? She’s a central figure in this whole situation! What is her true condition right now?
I might sound a bit harsh here, but haven't you noticed that you've started focusing exclusively on yourself and your own relationship with your parents lately?
But look, Sarah Cruz2, we are all cut from the same cloth—every single one of us, more or less. I know I am. There's no need to let that spiral you into a dark place. It’s precisely these kinds of situations that life throws at us so we can finally achieve some self-realization.
William Booth2 said:It’s just immature to sit there judging everyone else. We are all individuals here, and frankly, we are talking about a girl fighting cancer, so there is absolutely no point in continuing this conversation if it’s going to be handled with such hostility.
Let’s be honest: most things people do are driven by their own interests. No matter how much they try to wrap it up in fancy packaging labeled "self-sacrifice," the truth remains the same. Once we actually recognize those underlying motives in ourselves, everything becomes a lot clearer.
William Booth2 said:Every single person like that needs to wake up and admit to themselves that their pain actually stems from their own sheer selfishness. Because if we're being completely honest, when a patient is suffering through it, death is essentially a gift to them. __________________________________________________ _
This is nothing more than empty philosophizing. You’re sitting here talking about theories instead of actual reality.
Look, my own mother passed away recently, so unfortunately, I have plenty of firsthand experience to draw from. 😢
The fact that some people simply CANNOT wrap their heads around this—that is also a reality I've witnessed. Those types just end up swallowing piles of tranquilizers and sedatives to cope.🙄
William Booth2 said:I think sometimes the "environment" is just harder to manage, especially for parents when their child is sick—it's true. It's rare for them to stay composed, which is exactly what they should be doing instead of whining about the person who is actually ill. But honestly, it’s hard to judge; the patient knows exactly what they’re going through, while the person standing right next to them is enduring an immense psychological agony, which can sometimes feel even worse...
...the patient has an entire army of doctors looking after them, and every single patient finds some inner strength to battle their illness. And in the end, those who are passing away are often heavily medicated with morphine.
As for those left behind, suffering through that mental anguish, hardly anyone looks out for them while the patient is still alive.
Every person in that position needs to step up and admit to themselves that their pain essentially stems from their own selfishness. Because if we are being honest, when a patient is suffering, their death is ultimately a gift to them.
When someone passes, it doesn't hurt us because they left this "wonderful" world; rather, we feel that they have finally found relief. It hurts because we are the ones left feeling abandoned, struggling to find the meaning of our own lives, and realizing there is absolutely nothing in this world we can truly hold onto.
Kyle Nelson2 said:It strikes me that cancer isn't contagious.
If you find yourself in a situation where someone is terminally ill and desperately needs support, but they are surrounded by people who constantly play the victim and act like they are the ones suffering, you simply have to cut those people out...
And yes, I’ve personally seen various friends battling cancer...
But how on earth are you supposed to cut an environment like that out?
Ultimately, everything hinges on the patient. They are the one who has to speak up and set the boundary. In my own experience, when I was sick, I found myself being the one who had to calm everyone else down, while they all sat there pretending they were trying so hard not to "disturb" me.🙄
Back when I was traveling through the States, there was this unsettling urban legend making the rounds about a guy working at a local pizza joint. Apparently, he was living with AIDS, and the story goes that he actually spat on a pizza ordered by a group of nurses, then had the audacity to call them up later just to brag about what he’d done... regardless of whether you can actually contract anything that way or not: 🙂
dustypilot2 said:From everything I’ve gathered, chemotherapy isn't actually a cure for cancer; rather, it’s administered when things have progressed beyond surgical options, or perhaps very early on if it isn't strictly necessary... but the moment a doctor tells you, "We can't operate," you know exactly what comes next...
Of course, it all depends on whether we're talking about an aggressive strain or... how much it had already metastasized by the time they caught it...
It happens quite often where someone goes in for surgery without even knowing if it's actually cancerous.
In the most severe instances, they simply open you up and then close you right back up again.
I ended up having chemotherapy myself because the doctors weren't 100% certain that every single malignant cell had been successfully cleared out during the surgery. There is always that lingering risk that something remains behind. I’ve noticed that doctors tend to be significantly more cautious with younger patients compared to the elderly.
If the cancer has spread extensively, the standard protocol is usually to start with radiation or chemo first to shrink the mass before they even consider surgery.
The very fact that they are performing surgery means there is still hope; if the situation were truly hopeless, they wouldn't even bother with an operation, let alone discuss chemotherapy.
Sarah Cruz2 said:I am at my wit's end. Dealing with elderly parents is absolutely exhausting, and my mother has taken to playing the "martyr" role. Just the other day, she had the nerve to claim that everything is hardest on her. My father actually thought I was going to start suffocating her because of how I was acting—as if it isn't my sister who is carrying the heaviest burden here. It is just unbearable.
That is exactly what I was trying to tell you before. At the end of the day, it often turns out that the environment surrounding the patient is a much bigger issue than the illness itself.
It is truly vital that you remain a steady, rational presence right now—someone your sister can actually lean on when things get chaotic.
I spent a significant amount of time hospitalized, surrounded by patients facing circumstances almost identical to what your sister is enduring.
Patients frequently reach a breaking point where they think, 'I might as well just die,' simply because they see how much everyone around them is 'suffering.' But let’s be honest: that perceived 'suffering' is usually just pure selfishness; most people are really just preoccupied with their own stress.
Don't let your sister fall into that kind of mindset.
Let’s be perfectly clear: there is no such thing as some magical herb that miraculously cures cancer. All these herbal supplements can be quite beneficial when used for prevention or to bolster the body's immune system. However, one must exercise extreme caution; what serves as a remedy in small doses can easily become a toxin if you overdo it.
From my own personal observations, however, I am convinced that one of the most critical elements in this entire battle is the psychological factor. I have personally encountered patients facing devastating diagnoses where doctors were absolutely stunned—they couldn't believe their eyes when they looked at the test results compared to the person standing before them. These individuals possessed an incredible sense of spirit and unshakeable optimism.
Tragically, I have also met those who simply could not shoulder the crushing weight of their illness and chose to end their own lives, even when a path to recovery might have actually been within reach.
If someone is dealing with a much milder form of the disease than what is being discussed here on the forum, yet they "give up," retreating to bed and refusing to move even when they are physically capable... well, it is only natural that their physical health will decline as a result.
This is especially true regarding the exhaustion caused by chemotherapy, where the mental state plays such a vital role. It is startling how quickly you can feel weak just by thinking about a certain food, or even just glancing at those IV bottles or needles. That is why it is absolutely essential not to dwell constantly on your illness; if you do, you are merely feeding the sickness and making it stronger.
I honestly haven't slept for two whole days and nights... just thinking back to my time in the ICU—there were six of us crammed together under those harsh, blinding fluorescent lights that stay on 24/7. It was pure chaos; one person was being difficult, another was losing their temper, someone else was throwing up... the pain, the thirst, the sheer exhaustion...
It hasn't happened again.
I completely understand where you're coming from. 🙂
...And then there was that night when I couldn't sleep at all, and it felt like the universe was mocking me because everyone else was sound asleep, snoring away while I just lay there wide awake. 😱
banderas said:🙂 , actually, it’s quite the opposite. The issue isn't really about "sleeping" while you're under anesthesia; rather, it's that deep, heavy slumber lasting 12 to 16 hours after you finally wake up. That happens because the intense muscle relaxation from the procedure 😁 can cause some real issues during recovery.
I honestly can't say for sure, but I know from my own experience that when I had a minor outpatient procedure, I couldn't sleep a wink all night. However, when I went under for a much larger surgery, I ended up sleeping for nearly an entire day straight—once they finally brought me back around from the anesthesia, of course.
Whether that's a direct side effect of the drugs or just my body being completely wiped out from the stress of it all, I haven't the slightest clue.
Betty Rivera14 said:I honestly don't even know how to put this into words... I was just in the ICU recovering from surgery, and I saw some patients who were vomiting uncontrollably. The nurses insisted they definitely hadn't eaten anything beforehand. Of course, when medical staff say "nothing by mouth," they aren't just talking about skipping a single meal; they mean that total, grueling systemic purge that lasts for days.
Look, you really have to take everything those nurses say with a massive grain of salt because they can be completely wrong sometimes...
...because personally, I hadn't eaten a thing, and yet there I was—throwing up nothing but fluids, obviously.
Haha... maybe I was actually right there in the ICU with you! 🙂 😁 😉