Happiness: A Prelude to Healing
Author: Blair Lewis, PA

Untitled Document

By Blair Lewis,
Author of "Happiness: The Real Medicine and How it Works"

“A happy mind is the source of all healing powers. A person with a happy mind is full of enthusiasm, courage, and self-motivation.”

I have been practicing medicine for twenty-five years, and my expertise is in the area of Homeopathy and Ayurveda. A while ago, a medical student came to visit me. He was a bright-eyed, brilliant medical student brimming with details of physiology and biochemistry. And he came with a question—a real question that would change his perspective forever.

“I am studying to be a doctor, but how do I become a healer?” He looked down at my office floor and bashfully asked again, “Is there really such a thing as a healer? Nobody at school talks about these things.”

Hearing the sincerity and vulnerability of his plea, I answered with a question, “Do you want to be helpful, or do you want to know that you are helpful?”

A few moments passed, and then I repeated my question a second time. The room was as silent as the early dawn. Our eyes met, and his face brightened. His grin broke through the silence. “I just want to be helpful,” he said. “That is plenty enough for me.”

I waited, knowing the forthcoming question he was about to ask.

“How do I become helpful? How do I become a real healer?” He was ready for the answer now. His eyes told me that he clearly knew the difference between those who want to know how great they are and those who want to help. I motioned him to a chair.

For the next hour, we spoke of both the importance of healing and the importance of academic life. On the academic front, I told him he needed to demonstrate mastery to his peers and examiners. “You must celebrate and honor academia but also have a thorough understanding of healing.”

I began my explanation of healing by relating the words of my own teacher, Swami Rama, years ago: “A happy mind is the source of all healing powers. A person with a happy mind is full of enthusiasm, courage, and self-motivation. All human beings are equally in need of happiness. Teach them how to be happy.”

In the spirit of his message, I discovered that if you really want to help others get well, you must first attain happiness for yourself. When you are happy, then you are at ease. Those who are not at ease can become ill, literally dis-eased.

Cultivating a joyful mind requires quietude and inner purity – the immortal fruits of meditation. These traits will help you discover and awaken the infinite potentials that normally lie dormant in the mind. The yogis say that one who understands the mind and all of its mysteries knows everything that can be known.

None of the finest medical schools—allopathic, homeopathic, naturopathic—can truly teach how to solve the dilemmas of our time. No church or temple can ordain you with healing powers. Healing, in many regards, is still a great mystery.

Sometimes, healing appears in the form of accepting life without the slightest change – finally making the wheelchair your ally. Other times, healing hides in apparent tragedies bringing sweeping tumultuous changes that are initially difficult to assimilate. Rarely does healing bring about a miraculous rebirth of new tissue or an exalted lifespan. Many so-called “healers” remain unaware of these forms of healing and try to seduce the forces of metabolism and nature to behave according to their design. Their innocence many times disappoints themselves and their clients.

Healing the pains and tragedies in someone else’s life is the second most difficult feat in the world. The first and foremost difficult feat is healing your own pains and tragedies. You must know the anatomy of the mind. When you unveil the mysteries of the mind, happiness reveals her hiding place and admits you to the inner circle of brilliance. It is the place where all great men and women have found both their inspiration and their solutions.

The young medical student was beginning to understand where I was going.

The mind is an energy field with unlimited capacity and intelligence. It has a creative capacity to solve any problem and bring forward new forms and fancies. To break unwanted habits and attain unshakeable happiness requires extensive knowledge of the dictum of karma. To set new wheels into motion, to travel in a new and brighter direction, to pull your mind completely out of the past—this is healing in action.

Any deep-acting healing therapy that does not empower the patient will only create dependency and weaken the autonomy of the patient. We want to help them, but in reality, our patients must heal themselves. To downgrade their independence and self-reliance is to diminish their self-confidence and their determination.

I was taught that “happiness is the most personal virtue of your soul. If you have not learned the art of happiness, then no matter what else you have achieved in life, you are no more than a beggar.”

You can learn how to be happy without inflating your ego or harming others. Your own contemplation and self-reflection will prove to you that happiness comes from pure, unconditional love. Love without any condition allows you to share without hesitation, to help without expectation, and to enjoy life without an approving commentary from others.

As Swami Rama spoke years ago, “Be happy with what you have; aspire to obtain what you need; and use everything to attain the highest purpose in life.”

“Do this,” I told the medical student, “and you will be the healer you are seeking.”

And then our hour was up.

Best Wishes,
Blair Lewis

Blair Lewis is the author of Happiness: The Real Medicine and How it Works

By Blair Lewis,
Author of "Happiness: The Real Medicine and How it Works"
“A happy mind is the source of all healing powers. A person with a happy mind is full of enthusiasm, courage, and self-motivation.”

I have been practicing medicine for twenty-five years, and my expertise is in the area of Homeopathy and Ayurveda. A while ago, a medical student came to visit me. He was a bright-eyed, brilliant medical student brimming with details of physiology and biochemistry. And he came with a question—a real question that would change his perspective forever.

“I am studying to be a doctor, but how do I become a healer?” He looked down at my office floor and bashfully asked again, “Is there really such a thing as a healer? Nobody at school talks about these things.”

Hearing the sincerity and vulnerability of his plea, I answered with a question, “Do you want to be helpful, or do you want to know that you are helpful?”

A few moments passed, and then I repeated my question a second time. The room was as silent as the early dawn. Our eyes met, and his face brightened. His grin broke through the silence. “I just want to be helpful,” he said. “That is plenty enough for me.”

I waited, knowing the forthcoming question he was about to ask.

“How do I become helpful? How do I become a real healer?” He was ready for the answer now. His eyes told me that he clearly knew the difference between those who want to know how great they are and those who want to help. I motioned him to a chair.

For the next hour, we spoke of both the importance of healing and the importance of academic life. On the academic front, I told him he needed to demonstrate mastery to his peers and examiners. “You must celebrate and honor academia but also have a thorough understanding of healing.”

I began my explanation of healing by relating the words of my own teacher, Swami Rama, years ago: “A happy mind is the source of all healing powers. A person with a happy mind is full of enthusiasm, courage, and self-motivation. All human beings are equally in need of happiness. Teach them how to be happy.”

In the spirit of his message, I discovered that if you really want to help others get well, you must first attain happiness for yourself. When you are happy, then you are at ease. Those who are not at ease can become ill, literally dis-eased.

Cultivating a joyful mind requires quietude and inner purity – the immortal fruits of meditation. These traits will help you discover and awaken the infinite potentials that normally lie dormant in the mind. The yogis say that one who understands the mind and all of its mysteries knows everything that can be known.

None of the finest medical schools—allopathic, homeopathic, naturopathic—can truly teach how to solve the dilemmas of our time. No church or temple can ordain you with healing powers. Healing, in many regards, is still a great mystery.

Sometimes, healing appears in the form of accepting life without the slightest change – finally making the wheelchair your ally. Other times, healing hides in apparent tragedies bringing sweeping tumultuous changes that are initially difficult to assimilate. Rarely does healing bring about a miraculous rebirth of new tissue or an exalted lifespan. Many so-called “healers” remain unaware of these forms of healing and try to seduce the forces of metabolism and nature to behave according to their design. Their innocence many times disappoints themselves and their clients.

Healing the pains and tragedies in someone else’s life is the second most difficult feat in the world. The first and foremost difficult feat is healing your own pains and tragedies. You must know the anatomy of the mind. When you unveil the mysteries of the mind, happiness reveals her hiding place and admits you to the inner circle of brilliance. It is the place where all great men and women have found both their inspiration and their solutions.

The young medical student was beginning to understand where I was going.

The mind is an energy field with unlimited capacity and intelligence. It has a creative capacity to solve any problem and bring forward new forms and fancies. To break unwanted habits and attain unshakeable happiness requires extensive knowledge of the dictum of karma. To set new wheels into motion, to travel in a new and brighter direction, to pull your mind completely out of the past—this is healing in action.

Any deep-acting healing therapy that does not empower the patient will only create dependency and weaken the autonomy of the patient. We want to help them, but in reality, our patients must heal themselves. To downgrade their independence and self-reliance is to diminish their self-confidence and their determination.

I was taught that “happiness is the most personal virtue of your soul. If you have not learned the art of happiness, then no matter what else you have achieved in life, you are no more than a beggar.”

You can learn how to be happy without inflating your ego or harming others. Your own contemplation and self-reflection will prove to you that happiness comes from pure, unconditional love. Love without any condition allows you to share without hesitation, to help without expectation, and to enjoy life without an approving commentary from others.

As Swami Rama spoke years ago, “Be happy with what you have; aspire to obtain what you need; and use everything to attain the highest purpose in life.”

“Do this,” I told the medical student, “and you will be the healer you are seeking.”

And then our hour was up.

Best Wishes,
Blair Lewis

Blair Lewis is the author of "Happiness: The Real Medicine and How it Works"







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