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Re: Meditation and mental health
@Jeroen said:
it is a fact that the intersection of mental health and meditation is not an area that is well served with knowledgeable doctors at the moment.
Not a fact at all jeron, and it's irresponsible to make any statement that would erode confidence in modern medicine, especially in the area of mental health.
There are plenty of psychologists and psychiatrists that are familiar with Buddhist meditation methods and are able to integrate that into more traditional modalities.
There are schools that include this in their curriculum. Naropa has a complete program around it.
Lemme ask you a question - if someone, with diabetes, came in here with questions about what insulin dosage they should use, what would you prescribe?
Re: Meditation and mental health
An awful lot of medical advice being given, by people unqualified for it.
@Tavs: If you're having mental health issues, take them to a doctor and not a forum like this.
Re: Meditation and mental health
Exactly so! @Ren_in_black
You will never have an absolutely 'clear' mind/body/emotional vehicle but if your spice rack is either simple or multi-varied, you can cook.
It depends on how committed and serious you are in your art/practice/changing understanding...
For example: Being 'mindless' denotes the idiocy of many people. It is also a form of samadhi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi
lobster
Re: Meditation and mental health
In my experience I have found rest, beach walks, contemplation and Buddhist literature to be conducive to restoring mental health. I enjoyed sutra anthologies a lot in this space, as long as you keep in mind that not every goal the Buddha sets his monks needs to be a goal for you. Relaxation and rest should be the primary concern, letting the body and mind heal themselves.
Jeroen
Re: Some troubles with new sila efforts
It seems like most people got 'hooked' by the examples and lost track of the questions.
For me, the most important thing is to build moral courage and integrity.
The examples I gave are, I believe, very good to do in their own right, but even more importantly are, for me, 'training grounds' for moral courage and integrity.
marcitko
Re: Some troubles with new sila efforts
@person said:
@Angus said:
Youd be some kind of dumbass to pay taxes you dont need to....but well done for considering it. With a bit more maturity hopefully you will see the folly of your action.I suppose this is an example of a rebuke. Care to elaborate on why you consider people dumb for paying taxes and how maturity will change someone's view? I think for myself it would be important to make a case for why it wouldn't be considered stealing.
Wanted to wait for @Angus to respond, but he seems to pop in infrequently.
Looking into tax avoidance a bit. Sentiment varies quite a bit by country, it depends on many factors like what you feel you're getting in return, how corrupt or efficient your government is, how visible the tax is (a VAT isn't as noticeable as a yearly income tax).
From a game theory point of view its kind of like a large scale prisoner's dilemma. The prisoner's dilemma, for anyone unfamiliar, is a simplified example of cooperative/selfish dynamics that play out in life and society. If you act selfishly, while others act cooperatively you win, if you both cooperate you both win but by not as much and if you both act selfishly you both lose the most.
So if I avoid paying taxes while others do, I get the benefits of a well funded society and keep more money for myself. If tax avoidance becomes the norm things get worse for everyone.
person
Re: From Seeker to Scholar, and Back Again?
@person said:
I'd argue that there is much less innate wisdom in knowledge today compared to ancient wisdom traditions.
I think that is a good observation. Most wisdom traditions contain a certain teaching knowledge, they are not purely for entertainment. Whereas a lot of books today are written without such high ideals.
Jeroen
Re: Some troubles with new sila efforts
@Angus said:
Youd be some kind of dumbass to pay taxes you dont need to....but well done for considering it. With a bit more maturity hopefully you will see the folly of your action.
I suppose this is an example of a rebuke. Care to elaborate on why you consider people dumb for paying taxes and how maturity will change someone's view? I think for myself it would be important to make a case for why it wouldn't be considered stealing.
person
Re: From Seeker to Scholar, and Back Again?
What do you think? Does wisdom and an understanding of meaning come automatically? Does book learning help?
I'm under the impression that karma and rebirth plays a part. For some, wisdom and an understanding of meaning come simply from observing life’s flow. Ancient people acquired wisdom and a sense of meaning without having to read books or study the thoughts of others.
For most so-called modern human beings, we fill our minds with the ideas of others through reading, and then, if we are lucky, meaning if our karma allows, we too begin to study life’s flow using the knowledge gained from the books of others as reference points for our own experiential understanding.
Shoshin1
Re: From Seeker to Scholar, and Back Again?
This was a clarifying question for me. I've looked at teachers and practitioners who have left everything behind and devoted themselves to practice and wondered what was different about them, why did they make that move but I avoided it?
I think perhaps I'm not really a seeker. The reason I got into a spiritual practice was all about getting myself together and then finding I had an aptitude and appreciation for the practice and view. It wasn't about a quest for some ultimate meaning or enlightenment for me, and I suppose it still isn't. Maybe another way of putting it is I didn't pursue spirituality out of a passion, rather I found a level of passion about it after I gained a deep appreciation for the practice. I think these days I find a decent amount of meaning in the attempt to be an example of someone trying to live a balanced, spiritual life in the world. I can say for certain I've made, and continue to make an impact on the world around me.
Regarding knowledge, I suppose for myself I have a generally high degree of curiosity about the world and a passion for learning. But for spirituality I think its accumulation has more value for others than oneself. Its like the Buddha's leaves in the hand, we really only need a small set of knowledge to be able to go within and, as the Tibetan phrase for enlightenment San Gye, enter into a clearing away and bringing forth for ourselves. Knowledge is seen as a sort of skillful means to point the way for others. I see knowledge in this sense as a sort of toolbox, everyone has their own interests and dispositions, what helps yourself along the path might not be helpful for another and what helps one person might be an obstacle for someone else. The bigger the toolbox, the better chance of having the right tool.
One's relationship to knowledge is also key. Someone like the Dalai Lama is very knowledgeable but still deeply spiritual. Whereas there are plenty of examples of scholars with little spiritual development. Its a finger and moon problem, is knowledge concrete or ephemeral in your mind?
person