Dealing with Anger.

Over the years, I have wrestled with anger and felt it's sting every time. A lot of times I get angry for reasons that I feel are justified, but even so, I pay a price for letting someone's rude actions disturb the calm waters of my mind. One example being rude drivers on the roads, but getting angry at them doesn't do any good for my mental health. I might feel justified, like I sometimes do, but striking-out at other people is like a bee stinging you when you try to take their honey. They strike-out in anger by stinging you, but in the process they are hurt worse because in the process of stinging you they die.

I'm learning through Buddha that there are other ways to react to problems, solve disagreements or process disappointments than through anger. There are other ways to resolve differences without lashing out in rage. People are less likely to compromise with you or change their behavior if you yell at them with angry words and insults. They simply yell back and you're even further away from resolving your problem with them!!

I'm trying to do meditation in the car to lessen my anger while driving. I simply try to focus on my breathing and remember that mistakes happen but how I react determines how much those mistakes will affect me in a painful way. Another method I try to use is seeing the rude drivers as people suffering greatly. They are unhappy inside, so they lash out at others because they don't know how to handle their pain. They are like a wounded animal that tries to bite you even though you aren't trying to hurt them. They are confused and don't know how to solve their problems, so they blame everyone out of ignorance and delusion. It helps me have compassion toward them instead of anger, which calms my mind rather than succumb to the ego's desire for vengeance.

~i bow to the buddha within all beings~ 

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Meditation, Medication and Psychological Disorders.

The mind is likened to a pond of water. Restless thoughts are like pebbles thrown into the water. They send out a ripple of activity, disturbing the tranquil surface. When the water is constantly agitated with restless thoughts, we cannot see clearly to the bottom of the pond, which represents our inner wisdom. When we stop the restless thoughts, we calm the waters, enabling us to see clearly to the bottom—where our wisest, most enlightened self resides. -Dr. Neal F. Neimark, M.D.

James: Meditation calms the waters in my mind like a powerful medication, and unlike some of my psychiatric medications, meditation has no negative side-effects!! That does not mean, however, that someone should stop taking their doctor-prescribed medications. Meditation should be an augmentation of your current psychiatric medical plan, not a replacement. Unless otherwise advised by a medical professional.

We would never recommend a cancer patient stop their medication for a "meditation-only" treatment plan! Yet, I hear some well-meaning Buddhists advise people to stop their medications. That is dangerously short-sighted. I think the confusion stems from confusing the mind with the brain--both are interconnected, and need attention in the psychiatric patient, but should be treated differently. Medications aren't very useful in changing the mind. If so, drug addicts would be enlightened Buddhas!!! The illicit drug changes the brain chemically to give the impression of nirvana-like bliss, but when the drug wears-off, the user is left, once again with his harmful habits and cravings.

Consider this example:

The brain is like a computer, and the mind is like the screen or monitor. The screen/mind, will only project what the computer/brain feeds it. In this example, psychiatric medications wouldn't change the mind's karmic habits anymore than replacing computer screens will change the content being projected by the computer/brain. In the mind of someone with a psychiatric disease, the computer/brain is infected with a "virus" or disease, which spits-out jumbled-up imagery and sound (psychiatric symptoms). Being someone with a psychiatric disease, I know how helpful and vital psychiatric medications are for these medical conditions. However, the medications aren't a cure, there was something missing. I didn't feel like I had a complete treatment plan until I found Buddhism.

This is where meditation is most effective in aiding those with psychiatric conditions. It's the answer to the "What now" question. A lot of people suffering from medical conditions such as bipolar and schizophrenia know that medication alone isn't giving them relief from their suffering. Unfortunately, many believe that there is nothing else that can help them, which is why I often recommend Buddhism to fellow sufferers, so that they can get that extra help to assist their mental stability.

Meditation can be difficult for some patients with psychiatric disorders, especially if you have attention deficit disorder (A.D.D.) or difficulty concentrating. If you're first starting to meditate and find it difficult to concentrate then I recommend chanting meditation. It's also good for meditators without psychiatric disorders, especially on days when they are particularly agitated or distracted. It will help calm the mind while focusing it on something positive and ease distraction. The repetition will clear your mind to enable spiritual insight. An added bonus is that the resonating sound will relax your body to ease the tension and stress from the day built up in your muscles.

I'm not an ordained monk or meditation teacher, but as someone with a psychiatric disorder I've realized that chanting meditation is a great way to meditate on days when your thoughts are simply racing too much.

-i bow to the buddha within all beings-

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"Our deepest fear is not..."

Nelson Mandela (Eco_Bela/flickr.com)

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Henry David Thoreau the Buddhist?

This quote from the great early American writer, Henry David Thoreau sounds very similar to something you'd hear said in Buddhism. Perhaps the similarity stems from Thoreau's transcendental beliefs. IMAGE CREDIT: www.quotablecards.com

~I bow to the Buddha within all beings~

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John Lennon: Bodhisattva.

~I bow to the Buddha within you~

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The Wisdom of Ajahn Buddhadasa.

For Ajahn Buddhadasa the way to end suffering could only be found through suffering. He described Nibbana as “the coolest point in the furnace.”

-Turning Wheel: The Journal of Socially Engaged Buddhism (Spring 2006 by Santikaro).

"Those who have penetrated to the highest understanding will feel that the thing called "religion" doesn't exist after all. There is no Buddhism; there is no Christianity; there is no Islam. How can they be the same or in conflict when they don't even exist?"

-Ajahn Buddhadasa.

~Peace to all beings~

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