# Buddhism



## DomNapoleon (Jan 21, 2012)

1. Is it in any way helpful for depression or anxiety? 
2. Can it be used as a tool for self-growing? 
3. Is it insightful? 
4. Have you ever used budhism in your life?
5. Do you have any recommendation of books on the subjects? 
@Vajra


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## Tezcatlipoca (Jun 6, 2014)

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. I really enjoy The Mountains and Waters (or Rivers) Sutra by Dogen however, at this time it may be a bit opaque to you. I think what most Buddhists would recommend would be to go to a temple and take part in meditation. An important part of Buddhism is practice, not just words on a page, etc but how your mind changes with spiritual practice of which meditation is regarded quite highly. One of the whole points of it is to empty your mind. I would recommend this movie on zen master Dogen as well which honestly is just a well done movie and can get you to appreciate the mindfulness that he had.






If you want something peaceful to meditate to, I recommend this:






Obviously not for the full time period. Perhaps 20-30 minutes if you have the patience for it.


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## Dao (Sep 13, 2013)

A resounding yes! I recommend most books by _Thich Nhat Hanh_ as well as the _Dhammapada_.

View on Buddhism is also a great website with Buddhist resources.


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## Lexicon Devil (Mar 14, 2014)

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala Classics): Pema Chodron: 9781570623448: Amazon.com: Books


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

Hinduism and Taoism are also great. :kitteh:


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## Communal Soap (Jul 6, 2014)

Word Dispenser said:


> Hinduism and Taoism are also great. :kitteh:


Tao Te Ching


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## voguegraphy (Jan 1, 2015)

No, Buddhism only spiraled me further into disorder. It's not a well-understood belief system and there are way too many knock-off spiritual gurus trying to get people to forget their problems rather than work on them. 

I fell right into the trap. You look for information on Buddhism or meditation, all you see is confounding positive propagation and promotion of letting go, non-attachment, etc. All of that seems really relieving and miraculous when you're facing symptoms like depression or anxiety. The cloudiness of mind will have you running toward that, for sure.

But actually... the years I wasted on Buddhist practice. Believing in it all, and applying factors to my life where I saw fit. Little did I know that what I was applying to myself was only more of a danger to my mental health rather than a benefit.

Especially the risk of prolonged dissociation. When I finally let myself go of Buddhist practice, I realized the effects it had caused. I'm *so* much better after leaving all that sht behind.. honestly.

Here are some good articles to consider, along side of the positive ones you'll more popularly see.
The dangers of meditation -- 10 things to look out for
Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole, How TM Really Works, a Critical Opinion
Â*Why I ditched Buddhism. (love this one)
Mindfulness therapy comes at a high price for some, say experts | Society | The Guardian
Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation | TIME.com
When Meditation Helps Mental Illness — And When It Hinders | TIME.com

This was just my experience. It might possibly be good for you. but later.. you might find the same happened to you as well as it happened to me...


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

Communal Soap said:


> Tao Te Ching


Been there, read that. :kitteh:

But, I didn't read it from the internet.. I read it from... THE BOOK. Yay.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

voguegraphy said:


> No, Buddhism only spiraled me further into disorder. It's not a well-understood belief system and there are way too many knock-off spiritual gurus trying to get people to forget their problems rather than work on them.
> 
> I fell right into the trap. You look for information on Buddhism or meditation, all you see is confounding positive propagation and promotion of letting go, non-attachment, etc. All of that seems really relieving and miraculous when you're facing symptoms like depression or anxiety. The cloudiness of mind will have you running toward that, for sure.
> 
> ...


This is interesting...

I drew parallels to Buddhism and Hinduism, fundamentally, but that I see Buddhism as being kind of negative, and Hindu as positive. Buddhism with this idea of nothingness, whereas Hindu has the idea of everythingness. Interconnected All... I have always preferred Hinduism, at least the groundwork. The idea of maya (illusion), and breaking through to realize that all is Brahman and such. 

Mind you, with your point on meditation, I simply couldn't agree. There is _far _more evidence to support meditation as being incredibly good for your mental and physical health... That said, it should probably be mindfulness meditation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness#Scientific_research

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_mechanisms_of_mindfulness_meditation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_activity_and_meditation 

But, that said-- Everyone is an individual. And I think that it's more than possible to go into the meditation experience with the wrong aims in mind, and actually _cause _stress due to thinking that meditation is about keeping your mind blank. Trying to keep your mind blank is like trying to keep a bottle corked that contains freshly combined vinegar and baking soda.


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## Morfy (Dec 3, 2013)

Meditation is very anti-depressive and also increases your concentration.
Buddhist methods are very useful and generally can be tested scientifically, so it's not just a placebo effect.


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## AstroCat (Jun 24, 2015)

*1. Is it in any way helpful for depression or anxiety? *
Buddhism aims to remove the mind of afflictions in the form of delusions and give you the tools to see the world as it is. The mind being the entirety of subconscious and consciousness. Depression being the mind thinking the world is overly sad. Anxiety being the mind fretting over unrealistic reasons. So yes, it can to an extent. 
I say this caveat because a lot of people are looking for quick fixes. Buddhism is about learning about the karmic flow (read: energy transformation) of things. Like an ice-cube needs to melt into water before it can evaporate into the air. Mental states transform faster than most things but still require a lot of discipline to work with.

*2. Can it be used as a tool for self-growing? *
Absolutely. Imagine how much you could grow if you could reprogram your brain with useful things, kill unuseful thoughts, and break out from your limitations.

*3. Is it insightful? *
Extremely. One of the main practices in Buddhism is contemplation. If you listen in, you hear more of what you think instead of what you want yourself to think. If your mind is calm enough, you hear things beyond what you want to hear and consider views opposing your own without prejudice.

*4. Have you ever used budhism in your life?*
Been a cultural one since I was born, began actually being one after understanding it about 5 years ago.

*5. Do you have any recommendation of books on the subjects? *
The Art of Happiness series by the Dalai Lama is extremely beginner friendly and quite practical.

*Additional Notes*
Buddhism has different levels for different goals, even different schools. Theravada says to focus on yourself. Mahayana focuses on the community. Zen focuses on your breath. Like all religions, all sorts of neo spin off versions crop up, but the essence of how everything is connected therefore your actions have consequences is the same. The term "nothingness" in Buddhism is not nothingness in the common sense of the word. Nothingness and "letting go" are for people that wish to break out of Samsara, the interconnecting web that connects everything together. Like breaking out of the matrix so to speak. 

But you don't need to break out of the matrix. Just being able to upload crazy kungfu moves is good enough.


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## Tezcatlipoca (Jun 6, 2014)

Mindfulness | Greater Good

I should also mention Univeraity of Berkeley also has a secular site on mindfulness and its applications. Perhaps that would prive uaeful to you.


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## MrShatter (Sep 28, 2010)

Cultivate love around your heart! Also donate (Signature).

Buddhism, I've realized, isn't to escape the pain, but to understand it.


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## Macrosapien (Apr 4, 2010)

Word Dispenser said:


> This is interesting...
> 
> I drew parallels to Buddhism and Hinduism, fundamentally, but that I see Buddhism as being kind of negative, and Hindu as positive. Buddhism with this idea of nothingness, whereas Hindu has the idea of everythingness. Interconnected All... I have always preferred Hinduism, at least the groundwork. The idea of maya (illusion), and breaking through to realize that all is Brahman and such.
> 
> ...



You must keep in mind that there are many different variations of Buddhism in this time, just like Christianity and what not. And this is a clear sign that the teachings have become fragmented, and no variation that is known in the mass, will represent the authentic nature of ancient Buddhism. Everything learned and taught in the mass, has suffered a form corruption, eroding, dilution, and fragmentation. There is a buddhism that represent to everythingness... but the idea is that nothingness is everythingness -- all and nothing and there is a needed understanding of what it really means, nothingness. A lot of the concepts are perceived in a way that may not represent their true intentions, you also have to keep in mind, how people interpret things, and how things are transmitted from person to person, the stories changes as it is filtered person to person.


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## Macrosapien (Apr 4, 2010)

MrShatter said:


> Cultivate love around your heart! Also donate (Signature).
> 
> Buddhism, I've realized, isn't to escape the pain, but to understand it.



Perhaps even to truly become open to it (the real state of suffering), to make a separation, internally - and take in the impression of this separation.


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## Tezcatlipoca (Jun 6, 2014)

MrShatter said:


> Cultivate love around your heart! Also donate (Signature).
> 
> Buddhism, I've realized, isn't to escape the pain, but to understand it.


 This is interesting, how do you mean? I must admit some Buddhists seem to have more... compassion stamina(?) Than I do? To be honest, I found it a bit daunting. It can be a very heavy feeling and I am amazed at how actively compassionate men like Thich Nhat Hanh are. I just felt my trying to push myself to be something that I am not (yet) was making any spiritual practice I had into a lie and making me a worse person. So.. now I just try to bite off what I can chew.


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## MrShatter (Sep 28, 2010)

Tezcatlipoca said:


> This is interesting, how do you mean? I must admit some Buddhists seem to have more... compassion stamina(?) Than I do? To be honest, I found it a bit daunting. It can be a very heavy feeling and I am amazed at how actively compassionate men like Thich Nhat Hanh are. I just felt my trying to push myself to be something that I am not (yet) was making any spiritual practice I had into a lie and making me a worse person. So.. now I just try to bite off what I can chew.


Essentially, I mean modesty. Temperance. etc. Peace, self-compassion.
The Oracle of Love: "Principles"


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## conscius (Apr 20, 2010)

Buddhism is a religion so it's hard to answer if it can be helpful for anxiety or depression as if it were a treatment. Meditation and mindfulness, which are part of many different religious traditions, seem to encourage peacefulness and calmness. Therefore, many psychotherapy treatments have been making use of these aspects of religious practice.


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## Dao (Sep 13, 2013)

voguegraphy said:


> No, Buddhism only spiraled me further into disorder. It's not a well-understood belief system and there are way too many knock-off spiritual gurus trying to get people to forget their problems rather than work on them.
> 
> I fell right into the trap. You look for information on Buddhism or meditation, all you see is confounding positive propagation and promotion of letting go, non-attachment, etc. All of that seems really relieving and miraculous when you're facing symptoms like depression or anxiety. The cloudiness of mind will have you running toward that, for sure.
> 
> ...


Buddhism is a poorly understood philosophy and you are so right that people need to watch out when it comes to spiritual gurus and advice accessed online. But it's a strawman to describe Buddhism as a philosophy that teaches dissociation because that is one problem Buddhism actively endeavors to avoid.

I studied Buddhism back when I was a philosophy major, and unfortunately, it looks like the author of the Slate article only took the time to do some sloppy research on Buddhism; many Buddhist intellectuals reject the supernatural elements as well as the way he describes Enlightenment, so his research claims are dubious. He's writing about Buddhism the religion, not Buddhism the philosophy and that is a distinction worth a huge difference.


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## kevinlolwut (Feb 5, 2014)

1. Is it in any way helpful for depression or anxiety?

*Yes. Instead of focusing on a higher power, we're focusing on your inner power, that one that beats depression/anxiety. *

2. Can it be used as a tool for self-growing?
*
See above answer. The answers are within.*

Try the following exercise:

*Go to ichingonline.net and type in a random question like "Where is my next life pursuit?"

Notice that the answers you get are incredibly vague. Some might seem substantial, but if you're like most people, none of what you get will make sense. But that's the point. It'll force you to think critically about your question so you don't have to rely on a fortune to tell you your destiny. *

3. Is it insightful?
*
If you're using it as a method of self-journey, yes. Like with any other religion, if you're using it as an accessory to a self-proclaimed righteous personality, you're not getting much out of it. *

4. Have you ever used buddhism in your life?
*
Yeah. My mom's a Buddhist, and my dad's an Agnostic. Buddhism as a religion has never been a huge part of my life though. We mostly focus on ancestor worship (which adults love) and being filial children*.

5. Do you have any recommendation of books on the subjects? 
*
The Ultimate Happiness Prescription, by Deepak Chopra. This isn't a book on Buddhism, but why reject anything that could be useful?
*
Regards,

Kevin


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