Posted by pseudoname on January 2, 2006, at 14:53:21
In reply to Re: The power of Now, posted by Declan on December 29, 2005, at 21:09:27
...I just bought "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism". A good New Year purchase, eh?
I've read a lot of that sort of stuff before, and gotten a lot out of it, but I could never get any application of it into my life.
But now that I finally have an effective antidepressant (my buprenorphine), I'm able to ACT ON a lot of previous insights that used to be just insights. And I can face a lot of issues it was impossible for me to face before no matter how much detachment or meditation or "observer-mind" or whatever I employed. Or benzos or alcohol.
But I'm having to confront the complete lack of "meaning" or lasting, worthwhile significance in any of my fondest goals and dreams, even if I could achieve them spectacularly.
I'm getting cured of depression to where I have to make choices about what I will do with the rest of my life, where I will live, what friends I will have, etc. And I'm finding that the only way to keep from committing suicide when confronted with those choices (Not joking!) is to take a sort of non-directive position, like that in Tibetan Buddhism (and elsewhere, of course).
So the title you mentioned intrigued me. Then I read a little of it on Amazon, and it met me where I am. Although where he talks about "religion", I substitue "psychotherapy" & "scholarship" & "meaningful relationships" & "helping humanity" & so on, since I'm not a religious guy. I've got my own deceitful institutions, LOL.
Serendipity! Thanks, Declan. Have a good year.
(P.S. This post may sound like I'm in a crisis, but I'm okay.)
poster:pseudoname
thread:592459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/books/20051228/msgs/594384.html