Lao Tzu once said that having a material body brings with it numerous sufferings. We’re always figuring out ways to stay healthy—but, despite our best efforts, we can’t avoid diseases, old age and death.
Scientists brag about how they have eliminated certain diseases by discovering medicines or vaccines. The exact cause of some diseases remains unknown, however—like cancer. Getting rid of it isn’t as simple as cutting off body parts—we must understand its underlying causes:
The material world allows us to seek enjoyment away from the Supreme Person. We’re envious of Him, so we’re given freedom to be “little gods.” Out of love, He respects our free will.
A material body enables us to experience birth, diseases, old age and death, which remind us that we aren’t meant to be our own gods.
This temporary world is our hospital, and checking out of it is a matter of shifting our priorities—from selfish love to loving our Supreme Friend.
Living for our material enjoyment earns us a karmic reaction that leads to good or bad consequences.
Cleansing also comes by way of chanting the purifying names of the Supreme.
Let’s choose the best and most effective treatment of all: Our return to the spiritual world will rid us of our physical and material miseries!