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Re: Buddhism and Traumatic Life History
@Jeroen
It is not so much about letting go as it is about attaining a different perspective.
I am a Viet Nam Veteran War veteran, I have had to endure the near death and subsequent paralysis of a son, the death of another son in a tragic accident, the death of my wife, and other not so pleasant issues. I did not "let go" of the various hardships and losses. The are all still with me.
However, I was able to change the way I relate to each and all of them. Instead of allowing the pain and the suffering to envelope me, to turn me into a victim, I used my Buddhism to turn these stumbles and losses into sources of positive actions. I was/am able to help others who have their losses, to encourage them, Buddhist and non-Buddhist , through my experiences and my overcoming the very real pain and suffering. To turn suffering into challenge, victory and joy.
No, I do not forget or let go, I rose above and let the each pain, each suffering pass through. I then filled each void with the spark of determination, of empathy, compassion, of hope. By overcoming the negative, by enduring the pain and allowing it to pass through instead "letting go", I have emerged wiser, stronger, better able to encourage, aid and lift others. I am able to nurture my gratitude, to find joy in both loss and gain.
Your friend is searching, seeking. it is her way of finding solace, of mourning, of healing. That is her chosen path to heal. Her experience will always be a part of her it will always be with her. But it can be a base from which she can grow positively.
In another view, in the Buddhist sense, we might say the "letting go" is really "letting flow". Allowing the pain and grief to pass through the discovering the path to grow and rise out of that loss and grief.
At least, that has been my path.
Peace to all
Lionduck
Buddhism and Traumatic Life History
So, I have an elderly friend who was abused at an early age and found her father’s body after his bloody suicide. I corresponded with her for quite a while, and she often referred to this biographical fact and mentioned that she would like to get in touch with people with a similar history. She carried a lot of pain from this. But when I started telling her about Buddhist philosophy regarding suffering and letting go she suddenly started talking about wanting distance.
It reminds me of a section in Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘The Power of Now’, where he talks about people who identify with their suffering who will go to great lengths to preserve that thought pattern or habit. These are usually people who have invested a great deal of thought energy into their suffering.
It’s very sad, I think, that she spends so much time enveloped in the suffering and thought of her youth. And also very sad that she discards techniques that could help her.
Jeroen
Re: The Plant Medicine Path
I haven't heard much from Pollen in a few years, but I remember liking what he had to say back then. His guidelines for food is what I try to follow to this day.
person
Re: Sense and sillyability
im almost all talk out. i will touch on my mu um philosophy. mu is u. so mind u=self care. your do is you um,u mind your mu.
now my stupid daozen dogstar scooby do method. be and do. simply be u and do things that um, u mind. so i mu on and um milk on.
well i think ill end this thread and say life is what we make it to be. meaning can be found. be and do is everyones life. thanks for listening. bye.
Re: Daily meditation changes you
Listening to an interview today the teacher Matthew Brensilver said something that I thought shed some light on the idea to not get hung up on meditation progress. He said your meditation practice is none of your business. It was a kind of Zenny clever way of putting it, but he explained its kind of like doing bicep curls and constantly checking to see if your muscles are getting bigger. It happens slowly and almost imperceptibly, with exercise we see enough examples to have confidence that it will work. At the moment meditation is still fairly new in the West and its harder to have faith that our efforts will bear fruit, so we keep looking for affirmation.
He also shared something from his own teacher, can't remember her name, about not getting hung up on success or having good meditations. Her advice was along the lines of treat it like a job, just show up, punch in, punch out, and do the work.
person
Re: Not biting the hook
Nice, @Ren_in_black … it makes a lot of sense that a deep understanding of the metaphor also makes you more mindful of your own life choices.
Jeroen
Re: What movies are you watching?
What movies are you watching?
The one called "LIFE" . It's in 3D, a real up close and personal movie, so many twists and turns, ups and downs, joys and disappointments. It has you laughing out loud, crying buckets full of tears...never a dull moment. I highly recommend it, but be warned...It's not for the fainthearted.
Shoshin1