Even for people with relatively healthy upbringings the spiritual path is a lifelong process, there isn't a quick bit of advice. Or if there is its probably well above the sort of thing anyone here is able to offer. I do hope you are able to seek and receive professional help sorting out and healing your trauma.
I think I might say that the individual of past lives isn't the same as the individual of this life. The child and the person you are now didn't cause the suffering you endured and isn't responsible for it.
Reminds me of some of my mental health manuals.
Are you studying the Abhidharma? It does include a fascinating and interesting analysis. It is surprisingly missing in most psychology books (not even one mention..), yet Buddhism sometimes does not like to mingle or receive the label of "philosophy of mind".
Good day!
@person said:
I think feelings and emotions kind of fall into this dynamic as well. Thinking and feeling are linked, feelings lead to certain thoughts and those thoughts reinforce and give rise to feelings, on and on.When we're aware and can see the patterns happening we have the opportunity to step back and reconnect with the breath or body, or redirect our mind elsewhere.
"feeling" a thought is part of our brain inventory of experiences. also a thought takes you back to an experience. how wonderful our brain storing our brain experience from craddle to grave.
@IdleChater said:
1. Everything conditioned is impermanent.
2. Everything influenced by delusion is suffering.
3. All things are empty and selfless.
4. Nirvana is peace.
how wonderful. dharma life. as a daozen observant we not only know these facts in us and around us we e^3 power be the Dharma state of nirvana soup.E^3 power is simply
in my brand of daozen empathy,enternity(in /out space)enlightenment. in this space we are the living dharma do be do in our lives. granted practice makes perfect in your dharma walk. but if you continue the e^3 power aproach you will bear fruits. the mantra how wonderful, with breath will open your heart to the all around us we zen call dharmakeya our mother or m.o.m--mother of means.this dharma seal is in plain sight in the object of meditation of dao : buddha tree.
@lobster said:
Are these ideas things?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_precepts_(Taoism)
The further I go in the spiritual life, the more I leave all precepts behind and just live a simple, natural life with an extra helping of kindness and compassion. It just seems that the energy behind forbidding yourself things is naturally somewhat violent, it’s like you do yourself an injury.
I think in a way this is true for the Five Buddhist Precepts as well. Take “do not kill”, in a way any animal kills other animals from time to time, a cow’s tail is a built-in fly swatter, an elephant will step on ants from time to time. Even plants can be said to be alive, and without eating plants the whole animal kingdom would vanish. So it is natural for human beings to also kill from time to time, but living with kindness means that you do not want to.
In essence I think instructions of the kind “don’t live with anger or hatred in your heart” or “don’t feel envious” which are in the Ten Taoist Precepts are not helpful. They lead to denying emotions and thus repression, which will lead to a buildup of negative energy in the unconscious. If you can explain to people the thought patterns of the ego, the bad sides of my-making and identification, you can arrive at states of growth where these things drop away naturally and much more easily.
It’s better to develop one’s natural patterns of life, than to adopt a series of rules about how one’s heart and mind should behave, which you then have to struggle to keep. Better to think of these Taoist precepts as goals one can try to grow towards, and in the process mindfully examine the roots of for example your anger or hatred.
Wow, I never heard of the Swiss Method of treating green coffee beans to make decaf. You learn something new everyday, although I think this is real “coffee nerd” knowledge, haha 😂
Are these ideas things?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_precepts_(Taoism)