Question:
I suffer from ? anxiety-conflict with others, myself, my environment etc.,
depression, procrastination and self-esteem, etc.
Can any one recommend Suttas or gathas dealing with these ailments or the
desiring, or craving and comparative mind which tells me others have it better
than me
Answer:
try NLP, it worked for me......... NLP? Neuro-Linguistic Programming.......... Hey, I did NLP too for a few years. Did the Masters certificate. and did you find it a useful tool? why not stop now when you realize that the only sculpture
that you're working on is polishing your ego? change your perspective and think of it more as falling
into a bucket of pre-existing paint, climbing out of that
and then recognizing the true nature of the paint. you write as though you think the ego is a bad thing.....the ego is as
natural as shitting....... changing one's perspective is just adding (polishing) the ego.....when
perspectives flow without effort then all is well.........
old statues are worth more when you leave the old patina on them...
the continued polishing of the type Dean engages in is mental
masturbation, seeking approval for the way he experiences
living from some faceless peers... I believe I am saying he should
just get on with realizing that what he seeks has been there all along
and eventually one has to drop the polishing cloth for the ego and
get on with it... it was not a critique of ego, just a comment that from where I'm
sitting, the shine from the statue is blinding from all that polishing.
to that I say good endeavor but also add that perhaps change would
be both necessary and good before he becomes further attached
to processing his feelings and experiences in a the internet internet.
as a good example, perhaps Dean should look again at the pictures
of the large Buddha statue in his own photos of his Samu Weekend
that are on his website. the thing most telling to me was that outwardly
the statue is unpolished and unformed... just taking on the general
outline of what one might interpret to be a sitting Buddha statue.
the artist had a keen insight. perhaps Dean's just missing the point
the artist was trying to convey that I seemingly picked up on instantly.
(http://stoli.one.net.au/~hopp/dean/theextras.html)
as usual - your mileage may vary,
Sure did. It really helped. But then I moved onto meditation. It also
is a useful tool. Eventually I'll finish working on this peice of art, put down my tools,
step back and just admire the beauty. our ego's are our biggest obsticiles on the way to peace. the ego is the
place where all clinging (anger, greed love, hate) arises. I wouldn't disagree with you here Jarry......my original point was that many
seem to think that the ego needs destroying or supressing somehow and think
that is what zen is about........ But this is futile, just like hiding something under your bedsheets
(supressing) and thinking it has gone away, or a gun trying to shoot itself
(destroying).
The mind is a part of what it is to be what we are, like any tool, it's how
we use it that needs assessing......
