Meditation as cancer therapy

Courtesy : Eastern HoriZon

Bhante P. Kassapais the founder of the Rockhill Hermitage (RH), an international forest meditation centre in Kandy. He is a senior disciple of the late Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya, one of Sri Lankans renowned meditation teachers who passed away at the age of 102 years in 1998. RH has facilities for monks, nuns and lay people and is situated in a cosy, cooling and beautiful mountainside spread over 15 acres with many rock caves and a large meditation hall.

Under his guidance, about 15 Westerners and 15 Sri Lankan monks have been ordained including 10 Buddhist nuns (dasa sil mathas). Bhante Kassapa was in Malaysia in June 2007 for two months at the invitation of the Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields, to give Dhamma talks and conduct retreats as part of the K. Sri Dhammananda Memorial Lecture series. The following interview with Venerable Kassapa was conducted by Sumananada Premasiri for Eastern Horizon.

Eastern Horizon: Could you tell us how you became a monk and your focus on the practice of meditation?

Kassapa: I became a monk in 1963 and was ordained in a temple known as Rassagala Maha Vihara, close to the town of Balangoda. I received my higher ordination in 1968. My teacher was the late Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya, one of Sri Lanka’s foremost meditation teachers.

My first education was at the Balangoda Vidyaloka Pirivena. I then decided to seek various Sri Lankan and Burmese meditation masters in Sri Lanka to learn the different techniques of meditation from them. I also studied for some time under the late Ven: Sumathipala Mahanayaka Thera at the Kadugoda International Meditation Center (KIMC).

EH: You have done much research on the effects of meditation palliative care in Australia. Could you elaborate on it?

Kassapa: Yes, I have taught meditation since 1995 to cancer patients at Austin Hospital in Melbourne and involved in research on its impact with the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research in Melbourne. They would conduct medical test on the cancer patients before and after each meditation session. They tested both the quantitative as well as qualitative aspects of the patients who went through meditation. For instance, they checked their pulse rate and blood pressure, lethargy levels, and sleeping order. On a scale of 1-10 they would ask the patients to state their pain levels before and after each meditation session. They study showed that blood pressure levels improved after meditation. Usually, the patients were tensed before the meditation, but after the session, they felt relaxed.

Encouraged by the positive result the doctors expanded this pilot project as part of their clinical research. The results subsequently proved satisfactory. Thereafter, I was appointed as honourary meditation consultant for the hospital. Besides cancer patients, I have also introduced meditation to their family members and friends, and hospital staff. In 2005 as many 316 people benefited from learning how to meditate. Today meditation sessions are introduced to complement existing cancer therapies and related health services available in Australian hospitals.

EH: So you are much encouraged by the efforts in Australia?

Kassapa: Yes, I am happy that meditation is able to help the cancer patients. Many patients experience not just the pain of the physical illness but emotional distress such as anxiety and depression. By developing a sense of calmness and awareness, meditation has helped many of these patients. Those who practise meditation often describe improvement in their pain, sleeping patterns, and a general sense of well-being.

When I am not in Australia, my lay students would continue the weekly sessions. I also run stress management for the doctors, nurses, and other staff of the hospital. Having taught

meditation successfully to various types of cancer patients in Melbourne, I have started to introduce a similar program to hospitals in Sri Lanka including the cancer hospital in Maharagama.

EH: Why do you include family members of cancer patients in your meditation session?

Kassapa: When the patient has cancer,the family and friends share in the sadness and anxiety. It is difficult for them too but we need to help them release their tensions and fear of cancer, many people are traumatized by cancer. Their immediate reaction is, “Is he going to die?”, ‘WHen”, “Why must he die so young?” etc. I always explain to the family members that cancer is just another illness.

People not only die of cancer but also of many other illnesses. I also tell them that death could come anytime anywhere. For instance a very healthy person could meet with an accident and die instantly.

I share with the family members and friends of the patients that the Buddha taught that when we are born, we are already heading towards death. Depending on their Karma, some die at the age of five and the some live to a hundred years. Sickness is just a part of life that we have to face at anytime. Eventually death takes place when our lifespan comes to an end.

EH: What do you usually deal with cancer patients?

Kassapa: I tell my patients they are more fortunate than those who die from heart attacks. Those who die from heart attacks do not have time to prepare for their death. When one dies of cancer, one has time to prepare for a future life. It is actually a good opportunity for them to know they have cancer. They can do meritorious deeds to ensure a future life free from pain. They have a clear and focused opportunity to be the master of their next destiny.

Many cancer patients discover that mental development is the best friend they have. Through meditation and spiritual teaching they become more relaxed and kinder and more generous. They know how to let go of petty issues that caused them unhappiness. I advise against developing negative thought as this will only cause them more frustration. I encourage them to be mindful and to observe any negative thoughts that may arise. In this way, they can be calm and relaxed. They will then feel a sense of well-being within. In the west, many medical centres conduct mindfulness clinics. Even at Schipon Airport in Amsterdam, they have a meditation room for air passengers to calm their minds.

EH: Which is a more conducive environment to practise meditation a forest or a meditation centre?

Kassapa: There is no hard and fast rule. It depends on many factors. For example, you cannot expect a cancer patient to travel to a forest meditation centre far away. His home or the hospital becomes his environment to practise meditation. But a good teacher is more important than a particular place.

EH: But a peaceful environment is crucial for meditation, right?

Kassapa: A peaceful environment is always helpful. Much positive energy comes from the natural environment. For instance, a meditation centre or a hermitage would be more conducive than one’s home because of the spiritual atmosphere and the simplicity of the place. But it is also good to spend time in a hermitage as one will be able to meditate even better after returning to one’s home after a long and quiet retreat.

EH: As there are many types of meditation, which method do you use for your patients?

Kassapa: In Buddhism, there are two main types of meditation Samatha and Vipassana. Samatha is the development of the mind in concentration, Vipassana is the development of wisdom that realises the true nature of existence. There are two popular methods - rising and falling of the abdomen, and mindfulness of breathing.

I teach both methods as they help us to see the true nature of existence. The mindfulness of breathing method is also beneficial.

If we wish to practise Vipassana we must start with tranquillity meditation because wisdom does not arise in an upset or disturbed mind but in a calm mind. When one practises Anapana, it provides an avenue to Vipassana. Breathing meditation helps us to attain deeper absorptive stages such as jhanas. The rising and falling of the abdomen only provides enough concentration for Vipassana realization but cannot lead to meditative absorptions. Meditation on elements will only lead to Vippassana, but not jhanas. If one wishes to experience Vipassana through Jhanas, one has to practise breathing meditation.

EH: A meditating monk is always regarded as a serious person. But you seem to portray a jovial nature. How is this possible?

Kassapa: This is the rapture of happiness (piti sambhojaga). You must feel it. You can see this in the smiling Buddha image. We need to create it in our hearts, so that when we think, speak or act, this inner happiness will emanate from within us. If we are happy, it will overcome all the tensions within us. That simple smile brings relaxation to the mind and body, a sense of calm that I totally enjoy. I encourage people to have a smiling nature and to practise it.