How to alleviate personal suffering?
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In direct experience where one is totally absorbed, there is no 'self', only mere seeing/tasting/smelling/etc. There is no self but pure awareness. In direct experience a person also does not grasp on what he sees as a persisting entity, therefore empty, and is 'one with the flow'.Originally posted by Thusness:This is so well expressed but just to be picky, how do the doctrine of anatta and emptiness apply in this context ?
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Yes but only serves as the condition for prajna wisdom to arise. The abeyance of the self might be understood merely as a state but not as a seal in Dharma. Even when absorption gathers strength, the wisdom of emptiness need not arise. However the mere strength of absorption will result in a state of bliss.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:In direct experience where one is totally absorbed, there is no 'self', only mere seeing/tasting/smelling/etc. There is no self but pure awareness. In direct experience a person also does not grasp on what he sees as a persisting entity, therefore empty, and is 'one with the flow'.
This is not necessary the case.In direct experience a person also does not grasp on what he sees as a persisting entity, therefore empty, and is 'one with the flow'. -
If certain bad things happen and if there is absolutely no way to rectify it. Have a mentality of acceptance of the inevitable situation helps. Learn to make the best out of the situation.Originally posted by ICanOnlyHope:Hello, can you all share how to alleviate a person's suffering? If someone is suffering greatly bcos of certain bad things that happened & there is no way of rectifying it, what can he do to help or change the situation to lessen the suffering?
Also how to alleviate severe depression & psychosis? Thanks.
Usually a person who have depression & psychosis do not reveal others their problems and tend to think too much which lead to misuse of their own imagination {worry}.Sometime it's due to chemcial imbalance in the brain, it better to consult a professional doctor/psychologist to seek help.
sometime, in this kind of battle, u can't really fight alone cos u will get entangled with your own negative emotion and can't see the facts clearly. Try to communicate your problems if you haven't or read up postive self-helping books.. or dharma books or books written by sangha.. ect etc
Be more thankful that you can see, hear, talk and walk while some physically and mentally handicapped can't. I have been to a home of severe physically and mentally handicapped. Trust me, we are considered very much lucky than them. I have also known some blind people who are more cheerful then me, whom give the heartiest laugh i have ever seen, who amazingly possess a cheerful and strong disposition despite their handicapped. i once read a guy who lose both legs who manage to conquer mountain everest.
Attending dharma talks or reading 'power of now' help prevent depression and lighten some sufferings cos enlightened teachers in dharma talk give very wise teachings.
My past experience in my own 'personal suffering', buddhism helps to alleviate my own sufferings at a certain stage of my life, that is when i start learn to learn more about buddhism, broaden my understanding and starting to integrate some aspects of buddhism teachings into my life. If you are keen to change the way u see the world, or how the world see u, start to change within yourself and the rest will happen.
Some people cultivate through different ways. There are 84000 dharma doors. Some chant to gain peace. Some meditate.
Some snap out of their depressed mood by taking things easy and a postive mental attitude. Start today by being be cheerful, making someone their day, live as if today is ur last days, always encourage urself when you are down and never give-up.. =)
Cheerz.. -
If things have happened and there is no way of rectifying it, why not pray and trust that God will make things right? The results may not come immediately but if u have faith anything is possible.Originally posted by ICanOnlyHope:Hello, can you all share how to alleviate a person's suffering? If someone is suffering greatly bcos of certain bad things that happened & there is no way of rectifying it, what can he do to help or change the situation to lessen the suffering?
Also how to alleviate severe depression & psychosis? Thanks.
Severe depression and psychosis is best treated by a doc. Praying and going to church helps. Find out about any support groups available. -
The layman Vimalakirti said, "Because the world is sick, I am sick. Because people suffer, I have to suffer." This statement was also made by the Buddha. Please don't think that because you are unhappy, because there is pain in your heart, that you cannot go to the Buddha. It is exactly because there is pain in your heart that communication is possible. Your suffering and my suffering are the basic condition for us to enter the Buddha's heart, and for the Buddha to enter our hearts.
For forty-five years, the Buddha said, over and over again, "I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering." When we recognize and acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha - which means the Buddha in us - will look at it, discover what has brought it about, and prescribe a course of action that can transform it into peace, joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free.
The ocean of suffering is immense, but if you turn around, you can see the land. The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.
When one tree in the garden is sick, you have to care for it. But don't overlook all the healthy trees. Even while you have pain in your heart, you can enjoy the many wonders of life - the beautiful sunset, the smile of a child, the many flowers and trees. To suffer is not enough. Please don't be imprisoned by your suffering. If you have experienced hunger, you know that having food is a miracle. If you have suffered from the cold, you know the preciousness of warmth. When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present.
If you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, but don't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for your sake and for the benefit of many beings.
- By Thich Nhat Hanh -
When one tree in the garden is sick, you have to care for it. But don't overlook all the healthy trees. Even while you have pain in your heart, you can enjoy the many wonders of life - the beautiful sunset, the smile of a child, the many flowers and trees.Originally posted by paperflower:The layman Vimalakirti said, "Because the world is sick, I am sick. Because people suffer, I have to suffer." This statement was also made by the Buddha. Please don't think that because you are unhappy, because there is pain in your heart, that you cannot go to the Buddha. It is exactly because there is pain in your heart that communication is possible. Your suffering and my suffering are the basic condition for us to enter the Buddha's heart, and for the Buddha to enter our hearts.
For forty-five years, the Buddha said, over and over again, "I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering." When we recognize and acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha - which means the Buddha in us - will look at it, discover what has brought it about, and prescribe a course of action that can transform it into peace, joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free.
The ocean of suffering is immense, but if you turn around, you can see the land. The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.
When one tree in the garden is sick, you have to care for it. But don't overlook all the healthy trees. Even while you have pain in your heart, you can enjoy the many wonders of life - the beautiful sunset, the smile of a child, the many flowers and trees. To suffer is not enough. Please don't be imprisoned by your suffering. If you have experienced hunger, you know that having food is a miracle. If you have suffered from the cold, you know the preciousness of warmth. When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present.
If you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, but don't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for your sake and for the benefit of many beings.
- By Thich Nhat Hanh
Do not be imprision by ur pain..
nice nice.. =) -
that was a piece of great sharing from you, Isis. good spirit of encouragement.
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Buddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.Originally posted by ICanOnlyHope:Hello, can you all share how to alleviate a person's suffering? If someone is suffering greatly bcos of certain bad things that happened & there is no way of rectifying it, what can he do to help or change the situation to lessen the suffering?
Also how to alleviate severe depression & psychosis? Thanks. -
How do we proceed from that state of absorption?Originally posted by Thusness:Yes but only serves as the condition for prajna wisdom to arise. The abeyance of the self might be understood merely as a state but not as a seal in Dharma. Even when absorption gathers strength, the wisdom of emptiness need not arise. However the mere strength of absorption will result in a state of bliss. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Jesus did say not to worry abt tomorrow & to forgive the past hurts & to live in the NOW.
quote:
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
[b]The Power of Now; Eckhart Tolle, Excerpt:
All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by to much future, not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, not enough presence.
Most people find it difficulty to believe that a state of consciousness totally free of all negativity is possible. And yet this is the liberated state to which all spiritual teachings point. It is the promise of salvation, not in an illusory future by right here and now.
You may find it hard to recognise that time is the cause of your suffering or your problems. You believe that they are caused by specific situations in your life, and seen from a conventional viewpoint, this is true. But until you have dealt with the basic problem-making dysfunction of the mind - its attachment to past and future and denial of the Now - problems are actually interchangeable. If all your problems or perceived causes of suffering or unhappiness were miraculously removed for your today, but you had not become more present, more conscious, you would soon find yourself with a similar set of problems or causes of suffering, like a shadow that follows you wherever you go. Ultimately, there is only one problem: the time-bound mind itself.
I cannot believe that I could ever reach a point where I am complete free of my problems.
You are right. You can never reach that point because you are at that point now.
There is no salvation in time. You cannot be free in the future. Presence is the key to freedom, so you can only be free now.
Finding The Life Underneath Your Life Situation
I don't see how I can be free now. As it happens, I am extremely unhappy with my life at the moment. This is a fact, and I would be deluding myself if I tried to convince myself that all is well when it definitely isn't. To me the present moment is very unhappy; it is not liberating at all. What keeps me going is the hope or possibility of some improvement in the future.
You think that your attention is in the present moment when it's actually taken up completely by time. You cannot be both unhappy and fully present in the Now.
What you refer to as your "life" should be more accurately be called your "life situation." It is psychological time: past and future. Certain things in the past didn't go the way you wanted them to go. You are still resisting what happened in the past, and now you are resisting the is. Hope is what keeps you going, but hope keeps you focused on the future, and this continued focus perpetuates your denial of the Now and therefore your unhappiness.
It is true that my present life situation is the result of things that happened in the past, but it is still my present situation, and being stuck in it is what makes me unhappy.
Forget about your life situation for a while and pay attention to your life
What is the difference?
Your life situation exists in time.
Your life is now.
Your life situation is mind-stuff.
Your life is real.
Find the "narrow gate that leads to life." It is called the Now. Narrow your life down to this moment. Your life situation may be full of problems - most life situations are - but find out if you have any problem at this moment. Not tomorrow or in ten minutes, but now. Do you have a problem now?
When you are full of problems, there is no room for anything new to enter, no room for a solution. So whenever you can, make some room, create some space, so that you find the life underneath your life situation.
Use your senses fully. Be where you are. Look around. Just look, don't interpret. See the lights, shapes, colours, textures. Be aware of the silent presence of each thing. Be aware of the space that allows everything to be. Listen to the sounds; don't judge them. Listen to the silence underneath the sounds. Touch something - anything - and feel and acknowledge its Being. Observe the rhythm of your breathing; feel the air flowing in and out, feel the life energy inside your body. Allow everything to be, within and without. Allow the "isness" of all things. Move deeply into the Now.
You are leaving behind the deadening world of mental abstraction of time. You are getting out of the insane mind that is draining you of life energy, just as it is slowly poisoning and destroying the Earth. You are awakening out of the dream of time into the Present.
[Pause and meditate]
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Very good point.Originally posted by paperflower:The layman Vimalakirti said, "Because the world is sick, I am sick. Because people suffer, I have to suffer." This statement was also made by the Buddha. Please don't think that because you are unhappy, because there is pain in your heart, that you cannot go to the Buddha. It is exactly because there is pain in your heart that communication is possible. Your suffering and my suffering are the basic condition for us to enter the Buddha's heart, and for the Buddha to enter our hearts.
For forty-five years, the Buddha said, over and over again, "I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering." When we recognize and acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha - which means the Buddha in us - will look at it, discover what has brought it about, and prescribe a course of action that can transform it into peace, joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free.
The ocean of suffering is immense, but if you turn around, you can see the land. The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.
When one tree in the garden is sick, you have to care for it. But don't overlook all the healthy trees. Even while you have pain in your heart, you can enjoy the many wonders of life - the beautiful sunset, the smile of a child, the many flowers and trees. To suffer is not enough. Please don't be imprisoned by your suffering. If you have experienced hunger, you know that having food is a miracle. If you have suffered from the cold, you know the preciousness of warmth. When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present.
If you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, but don't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for your sake and for the benefit of many beings.
- By Thich Nhat Hanh -
Yes indeed... in fact if Buddhists were to read the bible one may even find that Jesus is in fact enlightened also. See Eternal Hope's topic: What is An Eternal Now?Originally posted by Repented John 2:Jesus did say not to worry abt tomorrow & to forgive the past hurts & to live in the NOW.
Anyway you may want to read The Power of Now or The New Earth from Eckhart Tolle. His work (it is not a buddhist book) is not biased towards any religions and is a very inspiring and transformative book that teaches how one can be completely liberated from all stress and anxiety and live in Presence. You may see it as a very transcendental psychotherapy. -
One can't just accept Jesus is only enlightened bcos if u accept some of His teachings but disregard others as fake, then He can't be enlightened like what u said. Either He is a mad man or He is a liar or He is really God & Saviour. You can't treat Him anywhere in b/w or as a great teacher or enlightened bodhisattva etc.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Yes indeed... in fact if Buddhists were to read the bible one may even find that Jesus is in fact enlightened also. See Eternal Hope's topic: What is An Eternal Now?
Anyway you may want to read The Power of Now or The New Earth from Eckhart Tolle. His work (it is not a buddhist book) is not biased towards any religions and is a very inspiring and transformative book that teaches how one can be completely liberated from all stress and anxiety and live in Presence. You may see it as a very transcendental psychotherapy. -
Well we can...Originally posted by Repented John 2:One can't just accept Jesus is only enlightened bcos if u accept some of His teachings but disregard others as fake, then He can't be enlightened like what u said. Either He is a mad man or He is a liar or He is really God & Saviour. You can't treat Him anywhere in b/w or as a great teacher or enlightened bodhisattva etc.
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=6599&t=1&c=1
Exerpt:
Christ's integrity
In our interview, we devoted considerable time to the identity and integrity of Jesus. The Dalai Lama seemed at ease with the questioning, even while admitting that this was possibly the toughest area for exploration between evangelical Christians and Buddhists.
I reminded him of his belief that Jesus is "a fully enlightened being" and asked, "If Jesus is fully enlightened, wouldn't he be teaching the truth about himself? Therefore, if he is teaching the truth, then he is the Son of God, and there is a God, and Jesus is the Savior. If he is fully enlightened, he should teach the truth. If he is not teaching the truth, he is not that enlightened."
As the Dalai Lama felt the momentum of the question, he laughed more than at any other time in the interview. He obviously understood the argument, borrowed from C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.
"This is a very good question," he said. "This is very, very important, very important." Even in Buddha's case, he said, a distinction must always be made between teachings that "always remain valid" and others that "we have the liberty to reject."
He argued that the Buddha knew people were not always ready for the higher truth because it "wouldn't suit, wouldn't help." Therefore, lesser truths are sometimes taught because of the person's ignorance or condition. This is known in Buddhist dharma as the doctrine of uppayah, or 'skillful means.' The Dalai Lama then applied this to the question about Jesus.
"Jesus Christ also lived previous lives," he said. "So, you see, he reached a high state, either as a Bodhisattva, or an enlightened person, through Buddhist practice or something like that. Then, at a certain period, certain era, he appeared as a new master, and then because of circumstances, he taught certain views different from Buddhism, but he also taught the same religious values as I mentioned earlier: Be patient, tolerant, compassionate. This is, you see, the real message in order to become a better human being." He said that there was absolutely no lying involved since Jesus' motivation was to help people. -
My personal favourite gospel is Gospel of Thomas. I personally do believe that there are higher teachings taught by Jesus Christ apart from the others. Like all Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, all dharmas are taught as 'skillful means' according to the causes and conditions to preach different dharmas.
Anyway this is just my personal belief, others may not have to share my belief. -
If you believe that Jesus is a fully Enlightened being, then there is another method to enlightenment as taught by Jesus.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:7)
One can then say that the "Kingdon of God" is enlightenment.
Faith in God = Complete Detachment -
You can say so.Originally posted by casino_king:One can then say that the "Kingdon of God" is enlightenment.
However we must first realise what kingdom of god is -3 Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you.
Gospel of Thomas will be a good read.
When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty." -
Not just a belief, but Total submission to God - that is the Christian's practise. Not a good topic to discuss especially in the Buddhist forum, but I have posted on that. You may have noticed my posts.Originally posted by casino_king:Faith in God = Complete Detachment -
there r saying tat jesus was learning buddhism during his 'lost years'Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Not just a belief, but Total submission to God - that is the Christian's practise. Not a good topic to discuss especially in the Buddhist forum, but I have posted on that. You may have noticed my posts.