Buddhism

[Deleted member 1860]

I'm wondering if others have used the principles of Buddhism as a part of their healing.

I think I picked up my first book on Buddhism about 8 or 9 years ago. I only got so far into the book before it maddened me by making a statement along the lines of how those who are abused shouldn't be mad at their abusers because it was in their karma(?) to do so. I'm not sure if I have that exactly right, but the essence of the statement was that abuse victims shouldn't hold their abusers responsible for the abuse. For obvious reasons I was turned off of Buddhism at that point. I later realized that it was the author's misinterpretation of Buddhist principles that angered me and not Buddhism itself.

A few years later when I started therapy with a trauma therapist, she used ACT (Acceptance and Commitment therapy) with me. I picked up a book on ACT at my local library and thought 'whoa, ACT has repackaged Buddhism!' and my interest in it was renewed. [I'm specifically referring to how both Buddhism and ACT approach the issue of suffering.]

So fast forward to today and I've picked up my 'Buddhism for Dummies' book once again and I'm reading through it. I know that I want to work through the principles and incorporate them into my life as I think they could really help me. I already use a number of them and they've helped me a great deal.

Has anyone else found healing through Buddhist teachings/principles?

EDITED TO ADD

Please discuss Buddhism ONLY. If you wish to discuss other religions or philosophies I kindly as you to do it elsewhere.

 

[somerandomguy]

Buddhism has been absolutely crucial to my recovery - so much so that I use a Theravadan flag as my avatar on this forum.

 

[arfie]

Developing Faith has been crucial for me. Demanding proof which agrees unerringly with my personal views was part of my personal illness. There are simply too many occasions in which life forces us to confront things which we do not understand; things which cannot be proven one way or the other. Learning how to keep going in the absence of proof was/is an ongoing challenge for me.

I don't believe the name of the Faith is important. I do believe it is important to have, nourish and continually develop Faith. Spiritual maintenance, if you will.

 

[Kefira]

I practice zen among other things. Meditation, particularly mantra, makes a big difference for me. I also will be ordained as an interspiritual minister in May.

I keep telling my T, and he's finally listening now that I can quote 4 or 6 spiritual writings and or philosophers off the cuff to make a point, that religion philosophy and psychology are all doing the same thing. They tell us how much where we've been should matter, that we deserve a future, and how to get there in accordance to some general moral and or personal principles. Different schools of thought will resonate with different people, and there are a great many parallels and overlaps. It's the same wisdom, just put in different boxes and sometimes showing marks of particular times. The stuff that is common across the board is most likely to be helpful anyway because it's likely to be more archetypal or True.

Wherever you find it, if it speaks to your heart there's where you need to be. Maybe look in your area and see you you have a temple or any meditation groups locally? Or a monastery or ashram: often they have programs retreats or accommodations for practitioners. Living in a Hindu ashram for a month was one of the hardest and most beneficial things I've done. And living the practices with that sort of community support is an experience you don't get anywhere else

 

[Recovery4Me]

I have spent most of my life being drawn to the teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama (as well as many others). I can not imagine a journey without him in my heart. I feel truly blessed to have been born during technology, so I could hear him speak over the mic during the Tibetan Freedom Festival, listen to his teachings all over the world on those DVDs and explore the beautiful components of faith through Buddha and his voice.

I understand there is so much more to this faith than what I have mention. However, I am trying (perhaps awkwardly so), to offer that areas inside myself opened as his teachings entered much as a gentle breeze...non-dominate... just passing over, in and through. I remember, cherish, and hold dear those feelings that touched my heart and soul.

 

[Lionheart]

Although I consider myself to be a Christian Universalist, my spiritual and religious path actually consists of a combination of Christianity, Wicca, and Buddhism. After much soul-searching this is the path that has helped me to heal spiritually, mentally, and emotionally...(in combination with therapy and medication).

I won't go into details but Christ, Karma, and Ethics play a major role in my faith and whatever path (or parts of paths), work for you...I wish you a world of truth, comfort, and healing!!!

Peace,
Lion

 

[Deleted member 27340]

I do not use Buddhism, but many of the principles of the LaVeyan philosophy.

NOTE BEFORE I PROCEED: it is called satanism, but satan is a symbol of man, and very few LaVeyan satanists believe in the devil or any other godly figure. It's turned, over the years, into an atheistic/agnostic philosophy. There are exceptions to this, but they are called "devil-worshippers" by the LaVeyan "church". It doesn't include grotesque murders and sacrifices or worse things. Three of the rules go like this: "5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal." and "9. Do not harm little children." and "10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food." These alone proves most of the things satanism is accused of wrong. Done with that speech, I felt it was necessary to hopefully avoid some of the stigma.

Anyway, the main concept is that you are your own God in your own subjective universe. You are supposed to make your universe comfortable for you, while respecting the universes of other people unless they prove themselves unworthy your respect. If someone harms you, you can harm them back, but you should never harm someone first. The line goes "Do unto others what they do unto you."

Anyway, this has helped me in coping with feelings of guilt, and I've tried to become a better person, because that's really all it's about: becoming a better person, both to yourself and those around you.

 

[ms spock]

I find the concept of mindfulness helpful.

 

[StellaBlue]

I consider myself Buddhist, although I attend and am very active in my Unitarian-Universalist congregation. I have found the principals of Buddhism to be very helpful in my healing - and in my life in general (maybe because the healing part is movement towards life?). I am currently doing DBT, which also draws heavily from Buddhism.

Like Christianity, there are many different schools of Buddhism...with different ideas in terms of rituals, life after death, etc. The way you interpreted karma initially is not exactly how I see karma. To me, karma is simply "cause and reaction" - everything you do, has effects. Your abusers may have done what they did because of things done to them. I don't believe you should or should not be angry with them because of this, it simply a statement suggesting that there is a cause and effect.

Your anger (any of your feelings for that matter) are yours to sit with and decide how you want to act upon them or have them affect you. Saying you must not be angry or that you must forgive is not part of Buddhism - although you may find that by releasing the anger, you stop taking it out on yourself (easier said than done). I think a lot of people mistake Buddhism for passive acceptance - it is not.

For me, the Buddhist authors that have been helpful are Pema Chodron,Joko Beck, Darlene Cohen, and Chögyam Trungpa (to name a few). For a Western psychological - mindfulness standpoint, Jon Kabat Zinn, Tara Brach, and John Teasdale are a couple of good starts.

 

[Anarchy]

If someone harms you, you can harm them back, but you should never harm someone first. The line goes "Do unto others what they do unto you."

The non/zero aggression principle (NAP / ZAP)

and the "Golden Rule" ("Don't do to others what you wouldn't want doing to yourself" - it is necessary to express it in the negative (don't do) form, as the positive (do) form is self contradictory).

The same wisdom appears in so many different places, that it cannot have been thought up once and spread, It makes so much sense that it must be saying something true about human existence.

Even some avowed athiests such as Dawkins, appear to agree with the unitarian/Deist position that there are natural laws which human existence must follow - whether the "watchmaker" that set the universe ticking to those laws was sighted or blind.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Please keep on the topic of Buddhism. If you want to discuss Satanism or reply to @Trauma, please start your own thread. (@Anarchy)

 

[Chava]

Buddhism has been helpful for me, very much. But human interpretation can make anything suck, too....I had a Buddhist pseudo-teacher (he led a group and went to all the retreats, etc) tell me after a car hit me that I probably burned off some old karma. F#(@ that. I moved over to Zen (though I suspect there are other interpretations of karma) where I didn't have to hear about karma. We understand causality to a point, which means I am responsible for creating my life in the present. But no, I am not responsible for someone raping me. Anyway, I still like the writings of Pema Chodron (Tibetan Buddhist). She has some very practical and lovely practices, such as loving-kindness meditation. Jon Kabat-Zinn has written about meditation and mindfulness from a less Buddhist point of view. Zen meditation groups help me focus on being present in my body without all the extra stuff (karma, confusing layers of hell, etc). It just works better for my brain. But "mindfulness" is a pretty easy western concept at this point. A couple friends have recommended "Untethered Soul" (I just haven't read it yet) and I liked the book "Radical Acceptance."

Yes, many helpful principles. The worst days are when I'm in all time at once (or like my therapist says, I'm sort of gluing past and present together). Mindfulness practices are helpful for keeping me present and connected to my self.