"Meditation Saved My Life" - Phakyab Rinpoche (Sofia Stril-Rever)

Meditation Saved My Life - Phakyab Rinpoche (Sofia Stril-Rever)

I borrowed this book long time ago from the library, weeks before my dear friend Tashi Chenzom left the world. She suffered from cancer. That time the doctor already told us that nothing could be done to save her. Then while visiting library, I saw this book on the Religion shelf, and the title made me picking this book up and I thought I should read this. Who knows it could bring any help for her. I often heard from people that disease could be cured by doing meditation, although never really met such person before or whether I could see it on my own eyes that it was a true case.

However with her condition became worsening, I could not help but losing my hope that this book would give any assistance for her recovery. She felt pain every day and injection only made her feeling sleepy and lethargic. She could not focus doing anything as the pain was the only thing that occupied her mind.  And only weeks after she left, I finally had time to open up and read this book.

Cover and back page of Meditation Saved My Life

"In 2003, Tibetan Lama Phakyab Rinpoche was admitted to the emergency clinic of the Program for Survivors of Torture at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital.

After a dramatic escape from imprisonment in China, at the hands of authorities bent on uprooting Tibet's traditional religion and culture, his ordeal had left him with life-threatening injuries, including gangrene of the right ankle. 

American doctors gave Rinpoche a shocking choice: accept leg amputation or risk a slow, painful death. An inner voice, however, prompted him to try an unconventional cure: meditation.

He began an intensive spiritual routine that included thousands of hours of meditation over three years in a small Brooklyn studio. Against all scientific logic, his injuries gradually healed.

In this vivid, passionate account, Sofia Stril-Rever relates the extraordinary experience of Phakyab Rinpoche, who reveals the secret of the great healing powers that lie dormant within each of us."

(Source: Meditation Saved My Life)

One of the Thirty-Seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva

The first half of the book gave us an overview about the Phakyab Rinpoche, his story of who he was since childhood time, his dream meeting Maitreya and Je Tsongkhapa that he had when he was 13 years old, how he was found out to be the incarnation of the seventh Phakyab Rinpoche - as confirmed by Dalai Lama, how he landed himself to America, how he got gangrene on his ankle, and so on. With it, I could find out a clearer view on who he is.

Dalai Lama replied to Phakyab Rinpoche's letter (From: Meditation Saved My Life)

When doctors and professors were all giving him more or less the same advice, which was to amputate his leg, he had the same inner voice in his head telling him not to amputate.

He went through a difficult period with such dilemma and it led him with asking advice from Kundun or Dalai Lama by writing letter - written together with Pema Dorje, the first and only monk he met in New York city at that point of time.

And soon after, he received the reply - twenty-five words long (in Tibetan) - that sealed his fate, "Why do you seek healing outside of yourself? You have within you the wisdom that heals, and once healed, you will teach the world how to heal."

"The mind is the best doctor; the best remedy." (, From: Meditation Saved My Life)

With it, he left the hospital and started doing meditation on his own with the help of the pecha given by his teacher, Geshe Ake Gyupa, at Golok Monastery. He was given the transmission of tsa lung inner science, since his teacher felt that he was mature enough to receive it, as if his teacher knew really well that one day, it would be very useful for him.

The pecha and the transmission were given only to him and as he started practising, his teacher's words kept playing into his mind to remind himself, "The mind is the best doctor. The mind is the best remedy."

Love and compassion (From: Meditation Saved My Life)

In the book there is more descriptions on what kind of meditation, yoga practices, mantra chanting, and other activities he did every day. Combination of Tsa Lung, tong-len, plus his enormous amount of love and compassion had helped a lot in his process of recovering.

It took him three years of the healing retreat until he was able to walk back normally and recovered from his gangrene, bone tuberculosis, and pleurisy. And with suffering, he had learnt so many things as to achieve liberation from it.

"Everything happens for a good reason." I always remember this quote. Be it good or bad thing happens to us, there is always good reason behind it.

"Accepting suffering is no longer painful. It becomes strength, a power that transforms." - Phakyab Rinpoche 

Final healing (From: Meditation Saved My Life)

This book and his story is so inspiring. I get to know about him better as a person. Although it seems that not just anyone could heal from sickness by doing meditation, but he simply made it not only from his 20 years of meditation practice that he did earlier on (plus the transmission and teaching from his teacher), but also the amount of love and compassion that he had towards all sentient beings.

Overall I really love this book and hope one day you - the reader - may be able to read this too :)

Fyi, Phakyab  Rinpoche currently resides in Jackson Heights, New York, where he has established a Buddhist Educational and Healing Center. He has also established Menla Jambtse Choeling Center outside Paris, France and his Meditation Center in Sera Mey, Bylakuppe, India.

It is not spring, but simply time to grow...

Favorite place to have breakfast or tea :)

As you have already known, there is no spring season in Singapore. We have only either hot weather or rainy day all year long. Since Covid-19 had been declared as pandemic by the WHO, we kept ourselves safe by staying mostly at home. One of the activities I love doing every morning is to prepare breakfast - of any kind. Be it Western style - from wraps, soup and salad, egg, sausage and hash-brown, sandwiches or Asian style like noodles, fried rice, dim sum, porridge, and so on. And all that, I love having it at my balcony.

It has a view of the blue sky and white or black clouds, depending on the weather. The position makes it protected from the direct sunshine. So even if I woke up late and have a late breakfast, the sun will not shine directly on me. Therefore, it is cooling and nice :)

Money plant (19.03 vs 25.04)

On the table I have put a pot of plant. It is called money plant. I bought it many years ago when I was still working, perhaps 7 to 8 years back, where I put it on my working table. It represents a meaning of good wealth luck :D See the photo above :) And as I eat or drink, I keep looking at it and see it growing - see the difference in one month's time. Beautiful, isn't it?

At the balcony there are little space where my hubby does the gardening. It is his hobby to plant something new from the seeds of fruit or vegetable that we eat. Oh, I am a tea drinker too - green tea and black tea. After finishing my tea, I will take out the tea leaves from the tea bag and spread it on top of the soil. Tea leaves are known to contain nutrients and minerals that promote healthy growth in plants - a good natural fertilizer.

Every time I will put it at different pots and as I have the meal there almost every day, without fail I will notice the growth process of the plants there and slowly develop the interest on it.

Chili plant (23.03 vs 25.04)

The above is the comparison of chili plant. See how tall it is now compared with a month ago. Too bad, no chili has grown yet, only flowers. I really can't wait to harvest it and cook it. Hahahaha.... :D

Now it is not spring here, but really the time for the plants to grow. The sun and rain are such a perfect combination to let them grow. Plus one more thing, a very important thing to let them grow beautifully. Do you know what it is??? Say positive and beautiful words to the plants - like 'I love you', 'You are beautiful', 'You are healthy and strong', etc. It really helps in making them growing wonderfully :)

Most important ingredients for growth - Love and positive words :)

Sometimes hubby just anyhow throw any seed into the soil. That is why he is often unsure what plants we are having even though the leaves have grown up tall. We can only know what it is until the fruits are appearing (pray for the fruits to come).

Plant we do not know what it is :P On growing process :)

Growing buds :)

Anyone knows what plant is this??? :D Looks like decorative plant

With spikey leaves. Is it papaya???

Don't know the name of the plant. I think it is more like decorative plant :D

Below are the rest of the plants we have at home :)

Tomato plants :)

Baby Aloe Vera :)

Baby pomegranate :)

Growing up baby leaves - still young and fresh green :P

The last but not the least - my home grown Shanghai Bok Choy (Chinese vegetable)

Hahaha... The last one was grown by me. This is one of my favorite vegetables as it is easy to cook with anything (especially with noodles). One day when cutting it, I thought of dumping it on the soil and trying my luck to see if it could grow. I saw it from Facebook or Youtube last time that usually people use water to grow it. But since there was empty space in one of the big pot, I thought of trying to put it there. I put 2 pieces but only one manages to grow.

One time after pressing the lime to be mixed with chili, I too took the lime seed and dumped it into one of the pots that looked empty. Hubby found it out and immediately removed it as he said he had put something else in it and it took time to grow. You know, sometimes he can be so possessive about his garden hahahahaha..... 

And since one of the Bok Choy grows successfully, it encourages me to try more and put it on empty space. When he saw it, again he complained and asked me not to overcrowd the plant in his pot. Hahahahahahaha..... 

Just for laugh (Pic source: Facebook.com)

Oh man, I wish we have more space to grow more plants in our house. With the extra space in balcony, we are lucky and grateful enough that we can grow it there. But sometimes we feel that it is never enough :P 

Anyway, I am not a passionate gardener like my hubby. Can say that this Bok Choy is the second plant I ever grew other than bean sprout that I did as an experiment during primary school time. Hahahahaha.... :P With this, I think I will let him grow it and just let me enjoy to view the beautiful results :D 

Letter to Tashi - Updates on CCB (Extended till 1st June 2020)

Too many first time (Instagram: rimareyka.writes)

Page 1

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P.S. Pardon me for the handwriting. Hope your eyes not suffer much :P

Day 5 CCB - Coronavirus Circuit Breaker in Singapore

What should I make today? (Pic source: Facebook)

Today is Saturday and it is only the fifth day since Singapore gahmen implemented Circuit Breaker or CB all over Singapore, and I have already expanded my stomach like the picture above. Hahaha... (I do not know if I should laugh or cry....)

For the past 4 days, I had obediently stayed at home except two days ago, where I had to go to nearby grocery shop to buy the weekly food and grocery stuffs.

Some friends thought that I would suffer badly since travelling was no longer possible at this point of time and this would go on perhaps for the next 3 to 6 months, or even longer.

Also, for someone who used to travelling quite frequently, they felt that I should have difficulties of staying put at home. Nah, it is not true. In fact, I could actually adapt to the situation pretty well.

My room is my sanctuary (Insta: rimareyka.writes)

Perhaps it is due to my nature and personality that has grown since younger time. I was and am still an introvert person who love being alone, doing things that I love doing, such as: reading, listening to music, writing, sleeping, daydreaming, and so on.

And with the CCB, I am in fact not alone. Everyone in the country is advised to do the same.

For the past few days I heard hubby and sister-in-law grumbling after they reached home from work, saying how so many Singaporean did not understand the meaning of "stay at home", take the coronavirus too easily and take their health for granted.

Both of them witness many people still crowd the supermarket and wet market - be it as couple, families with young children (as if they are on holiday), elderly (who is more vulnerable)
every single day. I mean, since they have no other place to go (retail business and non-essential services are not allowed to open), the only entertainment areas left are mainly those two places. Some are not even wearing a mask.

CCB Safe Distancing Rules (Pic source: CNA)

Fyi, food court, hawker centre, restaurants are still allowed to open but limited for takeaway and delivery only. No dine in is allowed. Many people feel lost as they have a habit of meeting friends over breakfast, coffee, lunch, dinner, and drinking with their khaki (friends). It is now prohibited by law, not even to eat under the void deck.

I feel lucky that I know how to whip up simple dishes and often eat at home. But I definitely miss eating mala and drinking beer with my mala partners (after CCB is over, we definitely have to celebrate it with mala and Tsingdao :P)

Many people posted video on how to cook and posted photos of their food in social media. Some looks easy and delicious. However, I need to refrain myself from practising it. Hahaha.... :D

First, if I cook too delicious, I will end up eating too much and gain weight tremendously. Second, buying too many ingredients are not good for the pocket. Haha again :P

One of simple dishes I often cooked

At the end, I stick to simple meal (yet still nice), take less sugar food (pancakes and waffles are so tempting!!!), and try not to waste food (cook leftover or whatever available from inside the fridge). Just by doing this, I have already gained weight. Imagine if I follow cooking those recipes *nightmare....

Apart from eating, many people are doing more exercise too, be it at home or outdoor (roadside, parks, etc.) If do it outdoor, just ensure do it individually, maintain safety distance, and not disturbing the passersby. I try to do some "guang chang dance" at home with sis-in-law just recently, and hopefully can maintain this habit (an hour a day is our goal). Lol!!!

And another good habit comes from meditating (before sleep and after wake up). Recently I follow this YouTube link, a 3-type of guided meditation - relaxation, Metta Bhavana or loving kindness, and healing - by Bhante Pannananda - in Indonesian language. I found it by one search (a fate indeed) and it is really good and helpful :)

As for Friday, Singapore has reached 2,108 cases with 7 death and 492 fully recovered. Recently the case happened at foreign workers dormitories (mainly people from India and Bangladesh).

Do not feel discouraged by the figures though. Apart from maintaining the good physical health, we also have to maintain a good mental health. Always think positive and be grateful for what we have are the keys to let us feeling hopeful that this too shall pass... Remember always, it is all in our minds!!! It is all depend on ourselves!!!

It is all in our minds (Insta - rimareyka.writes)

There are still so many days to go. This is just the beginning. Hopefully more people are able to stay at home more, go out only when necessary, limit social contact, maintain safe distance when queuing, and everything else that are necessary so that Covid-19 spread will be over soon, just like Wuhan and Daegu. Let's hope!!! We can do it Singapore!!!!