Michael writes: I had to go to the hospital last week for an inguinal hernia. I said a sort of Buddhist chant of “MBO, MBO, MBO, MBO, MBO” going in. I was in real pain. The surgery went very well, and I was sent home.

I went back yesterday because there was a lot of swelling. I thought the stitches had failed. I chanted: “MBO, MBO, MBO, MBO, MBO.” It turns out that they hadn’t failed, and they sent me home the same day.