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Originally Posted by kelly4519
(((BedofBones)))hi, and Hermit, I just want to ask, is that from a book of Buddhism, someone at the womens shelter last year let me borrow it. I also like a book called "the power of now" by Eckhart Tolle. Its kind of the same idea. The moment we are in now is all there is. I really don't get that "wherever you go there you are" though. I guess, if we dwell on the past or future of our own lives, that's where we are. Nothing new under the sun, well that can be true in whatever moment you find yourself in. A doctor put it to me this way once, when I'm having a very difficult moment, just make it simple, like think, the coffee is hot, I enjoy the smells of spring etc. I find a lot of help for myself just trying to stay present with the moment I am in, even if its an anxious or depressing thought, and then let it happen, then let it go. It doesn't always work so easily.
BedofBones, I hope you get medication that helps you feel better, and
YES people will object to the idea of you killing yourself. I do. I was there several times in life, attempting that.
I wish I could help. Sometimes directly saying things even though it sounds critical, can be helpful just to get you thinking about yourself. Best wishes with your troubles, kelly
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Hello Kelly: Thanks for commenting on my post! The book "Wherever You Go, There You Are" was written by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. Jon is the founder, essentially, of the mindfulness meditation movement. I say "essentially" because the whole idea really started with the Buddha centuries ago!
But Jon took Buddhist principles & applied them to working with people who were struggling with intractable chronic pain. As it went along, the idea of mindfulness, or living in the present moment, spread to working with all sorts of people including people who have no particular problems at all but just want to learn how to live a calmer life.
I've read most of Jon's books & participated in a couple of mindfulness meditation seminars over the years. I'm about as thoroughly familiar with the precepts of mindfulness as it's possible to be, short of being a mindfulness meditation teacher, I would guess. There are many videos on YouTube of talks Jon has given over the years. I have 2 playlists of these talks on my YouTube channel. You can access them if you're interested. My YouTube user name is Naonunai.
I also have a playlist of videos by the Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahm. There are also many videos on YouTube of talks he's given. The videos in my playlist are the ones where he addresses specifically issues related to mental health. He was born in England but now lives in Australia. He has a rather "wry" sense of humor which I love!
The idea behind "wherever you go, there you are" is simply that the past is gone & the future cannot be predicted. So the only time we really have is now. So wherever you go all you really have is where you are at that moment. It's essentially the same notion taught by Eckhart Tolle I believe, although I'm less familiar with him.
Another person I very much like who is more-or-less in the same vein is Pema Chodron. She is a Buddhist nun. There are also many videos on YouTube of talks she's given. I don't have a playlist of her talks on my channel. But I plan to assemble one soon because I keep referring to her both on PC & on YouTube.
So ask me, with all of this mindfulness experience I have, why I'm throwing in the towel & deciding to rely on med's from now on. Well... that's a good question! One answer is, as Pema Chodron has observed: "enlightenment", or perhaps you might say "deep peace" is a journey, not a destination. Secondly, I recall once, many years ago, reading a comment by an Indian mystic who said that some people's lives are just so difficult that the reality is they must wait for their next incarnation to seek enlightenment. All they can do in this life is to try to position themselves as best they can for that next incarnation. Personally, I don't believe in reincarnation. But I do think that there is a valid point there. Enlightenment, or deep peace, or equanimity, or whatever you want to call it is enigmatic. It is a scalpel, not a hatchet. My personal experience has been that it is just too delicate ( for lack of a better term) to break through all of the layers of depression & anxiety I have. At least that has been my experience.
