It is good to practice when you feel ill, but even better when
things seem fine. There are many reasons for this. First, ordinary health is temporary. No one can be well forever. Someday we will need healing but we may be too ill to ask for it then. So it can be better to prepare for illness when you are well. Just as we generally don’t wait to buy health insurance till we are at death’s door, it is good to think and plan ahead. If we practice Menla when we feel well, then it will come naturally to us when we need it. It will be our second nature. Second, Menla is a social practice. We do this practice for the benefit of all beings. The world needs our help now more than ever. This is painfully clear. We are heading for trouble. The Me Too movement has been a great social cleanser, but the ME FIRST movement that we are seeing more than ever suggests big problems ahead. The practice of Medicine Buddha can help us promote health for all—ourselves, other beings and our world. Even if Menla is not your primary practice, the practice of Medicine Buddha can help bring ultimate wisdom into ordinary life.
