Course II - Teaching 13: Diseases

Then sorrow is a companion of all men in every aspect and form. Mental forces are continuously hindered and oppressed by physical deficiencies and diseases. A physician said Mankind is sick, and he was right, since no man is free of suffering from certain type of evil. Since our early years, this hidden and bitter struggle takes place between the destruction principle and the resistance principle as a whole.
When physical strength seems more necessary to win, an enemy –so far ignored– appears as a disease to crush man. Here two important factors come into play: fear, which effectively helps to destroy, and the spirit of Sacrifice, which helps to resistances as a whole.
Nothing is more beautiful than conformity and stoicism before diseases. He who takes his disease, which sometimes seems incurable, as a way to perfection, with true spirit of Sacrifice sometimes can overcome it. The great General San Martin, when he was completely overwhelmed by bleedings produced by stomach ulcers, thought it was useless to deal with his own body and completely devoted himself to his military tasks, saying: “I want to finish my work before my death; neither my disease nor advises of physicians are important”. So he recovered.
In some cases, if the thought power or the spirit of Sacrifice cannot overcome a disease because it is too serious, they localize it in such a way that form around it a defense and prevent it from going out of its citadel. Sometimes a physical pain not only keeps a man awakened but also stimulates him to go on forward.
A disciple asked a friend that was suffering from a very painful lumbago whether he was suffering much, and his friend replied: “Not much; this pain serves me as a concentration point”.