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“Oh father I cannot endure this pain any longer!!!…. help me please…find me a cure!!!” Imagine that your loving son or your dear daughter utters these words in your ears. He or she is suffering from a painful disease and going through a toughest time. What would you do? You’ve been to the best doctors. Yet, they give no solution. Experiments! Labs! More and more tests! You feel helpless. Seeing your child suffer this way is unbearable. “Oh what can I possibly do?” you ask yourself. Those who seek for a real solution find a real solution. Disease and sickness are endowed to us with birth. With birth follows aging, sickness and death. It is inevitable. Then what is the solution for this inevitable suffering? Only a being who sees beyond this material world can give us a solution. A Thathagatha – the Enlightened One who brightened this world of darkness with the light of wisdom, saw beyond the material world.

It was over 2600 years ago in the city of Rajagaha, that a father and a son faced this exact problem. A young boy named Deegavu was suffering from a serious disease. Although he was under treatment he did not seem to recover. So knowing a full recovery is of far reach, young Deegavu decided to resort to a better solution. He called his father, who was watching him helplessly and said “oh! Father I am in a lot of pain. Could you please visit the Exalted One, worship the Great One in my name and ask the Exalted One to come and see me if the Exalted One gets a chance.” Young Deegavu’s father who was happy to satisfy his son’s request went to the Buddha and explained his son’s condition. Being the most compassionate person in this world, the Buddha came to see young Deegavu.

The Enlightened One inquired about Deegavu’s health. Deegavu replied, “Oh! Exalted One, i cannot bear this pain anymore. Medication isn’t helping me to recover. The pain is only increasing!” in reply to this helpless cry, the Supreme Buddha did not try to comfort Deegavu with sweet flattery words. Instead, the Exalted Buddha gave him the real prescription to a real cure.

“Deegavu, practice and train in this way;

From an unshakable confidence in the Supreme Buddha! – the Supreme Buddha is indeed an Arahant, who eradicated all defilements – desire, hatred and delusion. The Supreme Buddha attained the enlightenment without the guidance of a teacher. The Supreme Buddha attained a waste knowledge which includes physical power. The Buddha found the noble Eightfold path – the most supreme of all practices in the world. The Exalted Buddha realized and freed from all the worlds- Heavenly world, Human world and Hell. The Supreme Buddha is an incomparable tamer and teacher of both humans and gods. The Supreme Buddha taught what he realized so that others may also become free from suffering. The Enlightened One is most fortunate to hold all these Great qualities. In this way, my great teacher the Supreme Buddha is indeed the most Supreme. May my homage be to my great teacher!”

The Buddha did not ask Deegavu to stop there.

“Deegavu form an unshakable confidecne in the Dhamma. Indeed this Dhamma is well proclaimed! With its beginning, middle and end so wonderful. It explain pure life – Brahmachariya. If this Dhamma is practiced its results can be experienced here and now. This unquie doctrine is timeless – it was applicable in the past, it is applicable now and it will be applicable in the future. It is a doctrain which you must come and see for yourself. It is a teaching to be realized within yourself according to your won level of wisdom. May my homage be to the noble Dhamma!”

The Exalted One continued…

“In the same way Deegavu, develop an unshakable confidecne in the noble Sangha – the Supreme Buddha’s community of monks and nuns follow the noble Eightfold path in order to eradicate desire, hatred and delusion. They strive to realize the Four Noble Truths. Out of compassion to the world they share with others what they have leanred and understood. Hence, the Sangha is worthy of worship, respect and hospitality. They are worthy of giving alms if one wished to collect merits. For Snagha is one of the best sources of collecting merits.”

The Buddha continued and advised Deegavu further…

“On top of these three things, son, protect the precepts you’ve observed perfectly, such they are never broken.”

What the Buddha explained to Deegavu was the four factors of a Stram-entrant disciple. If these four factors are evidant in one’s life, the Supreme Buddha gurantees that he or she will put an end to all suffering within a maximum of seven births.

The Most Compassionate One, didn’t stop Deegavu’s recovery at the level of a Stream-entrant. The Buddha continued to describe the medication to young Deegavu.
“Deegavu, if you develop these four things, then strive further! Try to understand and realize that everything that arise, changes and pass away. Everything is impermanent. Realize that what is impermenant only leads to suffering and what leands to suffering is not ‘I’,’ me’ or ‘mine’, there is no sense on ‘self’ in it.

If you realize these three realities, then strive to eradicate the attachment towards these impermenant things that aren’t under your control. Eradicate the attachment to these things that cause suffering. Strive to live without clinging to these impermenent things that cause suffering. Strive to become free from that clinging!”
The Buddha explained in this way and returned back to the Veluwana Grove. There was no un-naturla healing or wished and blessing for a long life as one would expect in the ordinary world. The Supreme Buddha only taught the noble Dhamma to young Deegavu.

In a very short time after the Buddha retunred to the monastery, Deegavu passed away. When the resident monks heard of the news, they were keen to know the afterlife of young Daagavu. At that moment, the Supreme Buddha, who encompasses the knowledge of seeing the birth and death os all beinns according to their kamma stated; “Dear monks, Deegavu was very wise. He was truly intelligent. He did not tire me out by asking pointless questions. He practiced the Dhamma he learned. When he died, he had attained the fruit of Never-returner -Anagami . He is now born in the Brahma world.”

A real presciption for a real recovery. He may not have recovered from that painful disease, but he recovered from the even more painful disease of sansara – the cycle of birth and death. Never will young Deegavu return back to this world again. He will reach Nibbana in the Brahma world.

If we are born, having to face illness is inevitable. Then what is the real solution to being free from illness? Becoming free from BIRTH, isn’t it? For that is the reason why the Supreme Buddha prescribed to young Deegavu the medication to recover from the real disease of birth and death!

So, when you or your loved falls sick, don’t feel helpless! Even if you cannot find a cure to this material body, find comfort in medication to the disease of birth, decay and death – the noble Dhamma!

Prajapathy Wijesinghe