Buddhism as I understand it is a practice that examines reality and its observer (you) deeply through the lens of the Buddha. It teaches you to firstly become awake, and secondly to become the master of your own mind. It has aided me greatly with managing my day-to-day mental health and has resonated deeply with my being. Studying the fundamentals of Buddhism and metaphysics does not feel like learning, more like remembering, which I associate with meaning and its teachings have helped me navigate depression much more effectively than other methods I have tried.
Suffering is inevitable, a part of life and necessary.
There are going to be times in your life when you will go through real hardship, pain and suffering but that’s ok. You need the hardship and struggle to know when times are good. Buddhism teaches responsibility of the individual to accept the suffering they encounter, and methods to navigate it. One must first accept that they are suffering; you cannot solve a problem without admitting that you have one. Secondly one must truthfully think about why they are suffering and what the suffering really is, and become optimistic that there is a way to end suffering. Lastly one must walk the path that leads to the end of suffering, no one else can do it for you.
Suffering controls a lot of peoples lives, and controlled mine for a period of my life. It gains power if left unaddressed and can appear much more burdening than it really is. For a depressed purpose suffering is comfortable, that’s why it’s dangerous. But what is suffering really? And how much of it is uncontrollable? What if you accepted that suffering is, like all things, temporary?
Buddhism taught me that acceptance has a major responsibility in how I navigate suffering. Instead of treating suffering as a consequence of what’s happened to me, I treat it like a pattern of thinking. Depression heavily involves cycles of negative thought pattern so I think its worthwhile trying to unpack this idea.
So I’ve accepted my suffering, and that suffering is a set of temporary thoughts and feelings that I associate with something bad. Now when I have negative thoughts, or suffer a depressed episode, I accept that this is the way I’m feeling and thinking. This immediately takes a bit of the weight off, as I’m not beating myself up further for thinking that I’m not allowed or supposed to feel this way, which is common in a lot of people. After accepting the way that I’m feeling I remember that who I am and what I think are two explicit realities, and not to get caught up inside my own negative thought pattern.
There’s real power in not associating with your thoughts when in a negative state. I then remember that like all thoughts and feelings this is temporary and will pass, and to be patient. I’ve found this method a pretty effective way in dealing with suffering and negative thought patterns in a non-harmful way, navigating the storm until it subsides.
My Ego is an illusion that I’ve constructed, and can demolish.
The Egoic self in Buddhism is only your base perception of your mind, what you think is what you are. Imagine a person sitting in a field next to a stream of water. The water represents your constant flow of thoughts that cannot be controlled or the Ego, and the field represents external reality. See how who you are is neither the stream nor the field? You are separate from both your thoughts and the external world. People unaware of this are likely bound by thinking that their thoughts are who they are, thus making them real. Imagine only ever being aware of the stream of water and never seeing the field for what it really is.
Transcending the Ego has had massive benefits for me in the way that I perceive my depression. I no longer see negative thoughts as anything real, merely a whirlpool in the stream that you can either jump into or acknowledge and let it pass by. Its important that people acknowledge that the whirlpool is there but a the same time do not get sucked in.
If you find that you are entrenched and attached to your thoughts and are struggling, look and pay attention to what is in front of you; this is what is real. Realise your separateness from thought, you are the observer of the thought not the contents. Therefore what you are cannot be touched by what you think unless you let it, you have all of the power.
I would heavily suggest listening to the teachings of people like Alan Watts and Mooji for insights into the ways of Eastern philosophy.
From the ashes, you will rise.
Liam