Role of Illness

Similar to Vimilakirti's concept and to Sakyamuni's fundamental teachings, an illness when properly dealt with can serve as a major event that propels one onwards towards higher spiritual attainment. In the case of healings by [the Medicine Buddha], the sincere act of faith by the ill person results in healings granted. During the healing process, insight arises that causes the person to reform the patterns of his deeds, words and thoughts, so that they accord with the quest for enlightenment. (Raoul Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha, p. 69.)