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Is there any truth in the fact that only depressed people 'write' and keep journals.. ?
zenmyste
Veteran
It seems as though if one was really content and living in the 'now', why would you have to keep a journal...
It always seems that people write for a reason, and that reason is to help 'find' themselves..
Basically,the question is; would An enlightened person like buddha keep a journal? If so, why? If not, what are your thoughts on it?
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To answer the title question: many people keep journals, depressed or otherwise. Thich Nhat Hanh, for example, kept journals for many years, and published them in a volume called Fragrant Palm Leaves. Many of the dharma talks you hear teachers give had their beginnings as journal-like musings. Many of the posts on this forum are essentially journal entries and have helped people gain clarity and perspective in their practice.
Mindfulness (sati) has been greatly misconstrued and oversimplified, IMO. It is more than just "living in the now." We establish presence in the now not as an ends, but as a means. Present-moment awareness is necessary for proper sati, but it's meant only as a starting point. By establishing ourselves here in the now, we arrive at a proper vantage point from which to observe anicca, anatta, and dukkha. IME, that observation needs to occur through some form of mental articulation -- i.e., most people will have to put it into words even if the words are just fingers pointing at an ineffable experiential insight. This is why many teachers emphasize that samatha/samadhi/jhana are meant to bring clarity and precision to the mind, but are not ends in themselves. You're then meant to apply that clarity to gain vipassana/insight into the nature of the mind and experience. Much of the work of vipassana happens off the cushion: in thinking and analysis that occurs after your meditation has led to a radical shift in perspective.
Journaling has been very helpful for me, personally. I use journaling in a different way than many people: rather than as a chronological account of happenings in my life or as a way to vent frustrations, etc., I use it as a means of self-inquiry and elaboration of practice. I write about ways in which I may be failing to act compassionately or musings and misgivings I may have about practice. I analyze what the implications of certain spiritual teachings may be -- both psychologically in myself, and socially in the larger world. It has helped me to articulate and elaborate on the insights of my meditation practice. It also helps me become aware of behavioral and cognitive hang-ups that I often have.
It is my experience that many people who poo poo journaling (or therapy or other forms of self-inquiry) often lack a degree of self-awareness. They don't realize their own subconscious motivations, ego-traps, psychological projections, etc. That isn't to say that you HAVE to journal. Simply that journaling would likely be helpful for bringing awareness to such situations. That said, journaling can become counterproductive when you don't approach it with an attitude of mindfulness -- that is, one must keep in mind that anything your mind conjures up are just thoughts, are not you (anatta), and that you are journaling simply to bring awareness to situations and verbally work through pitfalls, rather than make your feelings or thoughts go away or change yourself. An attitude of honesty and self-acceptance is important. Without that, journaling can easily become an avenue to simply galvanize your self-concept.
XD not always, but the depressed peoples poems sound just about the same.
Although I used to write like that, now my poems are more based in spirituality. A highly spiritual person might write to inspire positivity in others, and describe enlightenment feelings to the unenlightened. Here is a haiku of my own for example:
Finding the Universe in a Budding Lotus
The universe touched
Every moment of every day
By touching the now
see it doesn't always have to be about loss or the inevitability of death
Blissful beating heart
Beats only to beat for now
Beats with cosmic soul
~*Just wrote that now
ॐ
I agree with Glow. Journals are not only for depressed people. They are perfect for reflection and contemplation ( on ANYTHING), even for Buddhists, and just about anything else you want to use it for.
Also, you can write about your mistakes and how you can correct them in the future. That is an example of also being mindful. Yes, we have to live in the present, but we also must be aware of how we are living in the present for there may be consequences (because of your actions) of the past in the present.
This is my journal. It is a Dharmic exploration of my relationship with this moment.
No depression required.
I think anyone can keep journals. Some of the most interesting reading I've ever done have been journals, of sorts. The journals of Louis and Clark, and the Journals of women on the westward expansion and so on.
I personally have never been able to get into it. I've done a little, here and there. My mom has been writing in journals since she was a teenager (she is now almost 60). Recently she has told me she doesn't do it much anymore. That for her, it kept her going in circles about why things weren't what she wanted, and that they were often a way for her to hide her head in the sand. She kind of flits from thing to thing in trying to find herself, so that is where she is now. But as a grown up, I find it fascinating to read her older journals, to know what she was like as a newlywed, and a new parent, and stories about me as I grew up. Not so much to focus on living in the past, of course, but it gives me insights to who I am today. I've heard more than once that we tend to develop the core of who we are at a young age, and that as we go through school and life we lose it and then find it again. I've found that to be true for myself, and I find it interesting to read her journals because they take me to who I was then, and that is pretty close to where I am now. And very far from where I was 10 years ago.
Anyhow, no, you don't need to be depressed to keep journals. It's a way of expression.
I just have to laugh at the title of the thread: "Is there any truth in the fact..."
I agree with Glow (in other words, perhaps) that journalling is a wonderful tool for soul-searching and self-awareness. It's an empowering activity. What is better than getting to know yourself better? Who said it was depressing?
I have tried to keep a journal many times in my life but it never lasted long. I just never had the desire.
There is one exception though, when i go to the monastery I write every day for the most part. I have come to find recently that monastics are encouraged to keep a journal for themselves and others. A novice monk i know at bhavana society, where i will be going to hopefully ordain, has been requested by bhante g to keep one and he posts snipits on the Facebook page.
I suspect the next year will see the most journaling ive ever done, both privately and publicly on blog/Facebook etc. I think it helps codify thoughts and imprint them in your mind as you write.
I keep a journal of voices in my head. Seriously. The reason is to document how non-benevolent they are and how they are non-sense. Then if I have an attack I read the crapola that they were spewing in the past.
Haha, i forgot to delete the word 'fact' , i was going to write is it a 'fact'...
But then ended up writing is there any truth in .....
You wouldn't "have to", you'd choose to. Because you're a creative writer, and you enjoy having an outlet for your creativity. Or because it helps you in your mindfulness. Or maybe you view it as a form of meditation. Or because it helps you process the events of the day, and supports psychological health in that way.
Any number of reasons.
Probably not because a journal is usually about "my, myself and I", which are things a Buddha does not have.
Journaling actually has a lot of health benefits and there is quite a lot of research demonstrating it's value, I studied this at uni and read a lot of Pennebakers research
http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling/000721