I'd like to begin tonight by telling you one thing I've heard from Eve and the most

long-term and dedicated meditators, which is when I get sick or when I'm struggling with

the chronic illness, the last thing I want to do is meditate. The very last thing I want

to do, it's really, really hard when we have a cold or a flu or a migraine or we're

fatigued. We do not want to get still and pay attention to discomfort. Then people tell

me something else, which is when I'm sick or when I'm dealing with chronic sickness, what

I most need at those times is some self-compassion or kindness, and it's the absolute last thing I

can do. I cannot offer myself any kindness at those times. Second thing I hear. Then the third

thing is, Tara, you talk about radical acceptance. When I'm feeling miserable or again dealing with

chronic sickness, really serious sickness, deep down I'm not accepting it. That's not acceptable.

Those are some of the things I hear. Unless we get knocked off early, really early, there's

really any of us that aren't going to be sick and some for long stretches, some chronically,

then eventually most of us seriously, and then dying. All of us are going to be dealing with

this or already are. There are people in this room right now dealing with chronic and acute

illnesses. Everybody's got this one or most of us, and we can't control it. The inquiry,

and this becomes a really, really important inquiry. This is the Buddha's main inquiry. How do we

find peace? Not only peace, how do we find happiness and freedom in the midst of these changing bodies,

and minds, and midst of this changing life where this body goes, and sometimes very uncomfortably.

Stephen Mavine wrote a book healing into life and death. How do we heal into life and death?

I've been many times asked to talk more about working with chronic illness, working with dying,

so that's what we'll be doing tonight. We'll see how it goes. Just share some reflections. We'll

do a little bit of an exercise. One of the main little phrases you hear, and it's kind of Buddhist

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