Avoiding mistakes

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
Mirror
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Avoiding mistakes

Post by Mirror »

Hello, I'm a nursing student and in a few months I'm going to work in a hospital. It's going to be very hard (stress, responsibility, working under pressure, angry people, etc.).
I'm so afraid that I make a mistake and harm someone.

Please do you know any meditation/practice that can help me avoid making mistakes during the demanding job?

Thank you very much for any advice.
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Budai
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Budai »

Some practical advice is to not choose your job over Buddhist Dharmic, Sanghic, and Buddhic morality. Today's hospitals need good nurses but at the same time there are often unethical situations you may run into. Follow your heart, the Love you knew from the start, and power your will to always follow the Noble Eightfold Path. That Way you won't make any mistakes while working such an important job. What you are looking for is the stage of no regression, and it is so. Om Mani Padme Hum.
Mirror
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Mirror »

Könchok Chödrak thank you for your advice.

But maybe you have in mind a different kind of mistakes than I do. I mean mistakes such as forgetting, overlooking something, lack of intuition, etc. Mistakes we all do.
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Budai
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Budai »

Well I personally never stop chanting various Mantras all day, in my mind and outloud and vice-versa. This helps me focus myself greatly and I am able to stay in a decently constant state of meditation on the Buddha because of it, it helps me feel the presence of a Dharmic Consciousness. If you like Mantra Practice I recommend chanting. Mantras such as Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Soha and the Medicine Buddha Mantra can help you focus greatly. In fact because you are doing nursing I recommend the Medicine Buddha Mantra greatly, it is a Sutric Mantra but getting an Empowerment from someone like H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's YouTube Teachings can help you greatly in chanting it. But the secret is constant chanting of any Mantra that focuses on a Buddha, that Way your mind will stay focused on Enlightening Thoughts, thoughts to help others, and the primary job of a Nurse--to help alleviate the suffering of those who need your help. I wish you the Best. :heart:
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Ayu
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Ayu »

Mirror wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:20 am Könchok Chödrak thank you for your advice.

But maybe you have in mind a different kind of mistakes than I do. I mean mistakes such as forgetting, overlooking something, lack of intuition, etc. Mistakes we all do.
I can't think of any special sadhana for this certain problem, because any Buddhist meditation is supposed to be for the benefit of others. You can just focus on the practice you perform already.
If you have none yet I recommend finding a venerable teacher. Meanwhile my personal recommendation is meditation on the breath, like described in Buddhist teachings and/or chanting Om Mani Peme Hung.

I and most of our members are no teachers!
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Könchok Thrinley
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Just be present. That takes care of many mistakes by itself.

The most important thing you can do for yourself is to learn how to 1st be present to avoid mistakes and 2nd be present to apply teachings when mistakes happen. Because they will happen. This is samsara. If a sadhana could solve mistakes or every problem there would be no problems. Suffering will appear and often even when you do not make mistakes. You might be perfect but the patient dies anyway. So understand clearly what is the situation. That things are impermanent, there is no real happiness in the 6 realms and that you are lucky to be a human and that karma really works.

HH Dalailama says that the reason we as buddhists contemplate these 4 thoughts that turn the mind away from samsara is because then we are not surprised when there is suffering.

There is no real "practice" here to do except for doing what we are supposed to do already.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
Mirror
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Mirror »

Ayu wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 10:56 am I can't think of any special sadhana for this certain problem, because any Buddhist meditation is supposed to be for the benefit of others. You can just focus on the practice you perform already.
If you have none yet I recommend finding a venerable teacher. Meanwhile my personal recommendation is meditation on the breath, like described in Buddhist teachings and/or chanting Om Mani Peme Hung.

I and most of our members are no teachers!
Thank you for your kind advice :)
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karmanyingpo
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by karmanyingpo »

Könchok Thrinley wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:03 am Just be present. That takes care of many mistakes by itself.
Agreed and I was actually going to recommend mindfulness as well.
You do what you can... mindfulness helps you maximize what you can do .. to prevent mistakes. Anything outside of your control you let go following Shantideva's advice... you can fix it, why worry? can't fix it then.. also no reason to worry. Simple , but can be hard to follow all the time

Even my teacher says that a huge majority of problems in meditation can be solved by just being present.

Anyhow I would also say, don't fret too much about honest mistakes as long as you are trying your best not to make mistakes. If something is a true error that is beyond your capacities to have avoided then I doubt you will get much if any negative karma from that...

Another thing is you may make prayers to a buddha or buddhas or bodhisattvas to help you benefit others and not make mistakes. For example there is a Medicine Buddha perhaps you can make a connection with him

KN
ma lu dzok pe san gye thop par shok!
microbodhi
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by microbodhi »

Mirror wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 11:21 pm Hello, I'm a nursing student and in a few months I'm going to work in a hospital. It's going to be very hard (stress, responsibility, working under pressure, angry people, etc.).
I'm so afraid that I make a mistake and harm someone.

Please do you know any meditation/practice that can help me avoid making mistakes during the demanding job?

Thank you very much for any advice.

The best thing is generally an all round focus on lifestyle which supports calm and present moment awareness, try not to be to nervous that will not help you and cause lack of concentration, have some trust in the process of learning and gaining experience as times goes on, ie dont worry to much about the future, try to be in the present and relaxed as much as possible, this will open the mind to naturally being more aware and less reactive.

Take it easy :twothumbsup:
SilenceMonkey
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by SilenceMonkey »

Working with stress is about relaxing the mind.

A bit of shamatha goes a long way.
Mirror
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Mirror »

Thank you so much for all of your advices!

As most of you adviced I'll try to be more present and to practice samatha.

Thank you! :heart:
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AppearanceVoid
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by AppearanceVoid »

THE best thing you can do is ask the buddhas and bodhisattvas for blessings everyday. Their love is so automatic!

Have courage in your job. Be unafraid! Yes, it will be stressful and all you said but view your work from a correct positive perspective will help.

Anyway, I think Jizo is a patron of nurses, too. I'm sure the Medicine Buddha will help you, too. Blessings....Dakini!!
Bristollad
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Bristollad »

Remember, you are a nursing student. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge you still have stuff to learn - you don't have to be as competent as a qualified nurse with 20 years of experience under their belt. When you are unsure, ask for help.

The body and mind are tied together in many ways - to keep the mind relaxed, try and keep your body relaxed. Focussing on the breath and consciously relaxing your major muscle groups is a good way to control the nerves when events start to become overwhelming. Some gentle mindful exercise can be good if you can fit it into your busy day.

Another approach is to focus on the needs of the patients and your team members rather than focussing on your own performance or your supervisors' assessments. Of course, listen to advice and adjust - that's what you are there for.

And after each shift, spend a little time to try and settle and come to terms with your successes and failures. Then, give yourself a break and do something else - watch a movie with friends, do a workout, cuddle up with a loved one, meditate, whatever!
The antidote—to be free from the suffering of samsara—you need to be free from delusion and karma; you need to be free from ignorance, the root of samsara. So you need to meditate on emptiness. That is what you need. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
muni
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by muni »

Mirror wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 11:21 pm Hello, I'm a nursing student and in a few months I'm going to work in a hospital. It's going to be very hard (stress, responsibility, working under pressure, angry people, etc.).
I'm so afraid that I make a mistake and harm someone.

Please do you know any meditation/practice that can help me avoid making mistakes during the demanding job?

Thank you very much for any advice.
Perhaps try to treat all like you wish they do for you. This is not always easy, because of being dragged away by a variety of irritations, fatigue, need for a coffee and so asks mindfulness on that during the work. Failing time by time in this, needs no worries. Try gently gain.

All the best.

:anjali:
avatamsaka3
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by avatamsaka3 »

How can we find work that is an appropriate rather than a harmful challenge? (Some suffering/disturbance is normal, understood.)
SilenceMonkey
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by SilenceMonkey »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 6:49 pm How can we find work that is an appropriate rather than a harmful challenge? (Some suffering/disturbance is normal, understood.)
Maybe don’t set our sights so high. The world doesn’t need so many phd’s and scientists. Maybe the world needs more doctors, but those jobs are very stressful. Dzongsar Khyentse recently made a video recommending people should get ordinary jobs like being a plummer. Society needs plummers. Then we don’t have to invest so much of our identity with the jobs we do. We can just go to work, make some money to put food on the table. And come home to spend time on Dharma.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by avatamsaka3 »

Maybe don’t set our sights so high.
My sights are set very low.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by avatamsaka3 »

It seems hard to find the right opportunity as someone with dharma-oriented goals.
SilenceMonkey
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by SilenceMonkey »

I like the idea of working half the year in some menial job, then the other half go into retreat. Then maybe more retreat as the years go on.
Malcolm
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Re: Avoiding mistakes

Post by Malcolm »

SilenceMonkey wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:57 pm I like the idea of working half the year in some menial job, then the other half go into retreat. Then maybe more retreat as the years go on.
In the real world, taking six months off a year only works if you are in construction or if you are a nurse.
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