tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post1596549962066761729..comments2024-02-03T17:37:27.803-08:00Comments on Cogitations and Meditations: #TBRChallenge Reading: Make Your Mind an Ocean by Lama YesheKeira Soleorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-13282471706386982312016-07-30T19:34:14.024-07:002016-07-30T19:34:14.024-07:00Thank you for this discussion, Azteclady. It alway...Thank you for this discussion, Azteclady. It always deepens my understanding of a text when I have someone else to discuss it with. Keira Soleorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-54206036605542183402016-07-30T19:23:56.246-07:002016-07-30T19:23:56.246-07:00I would like to know it as well; I appreciate the ...I would like to know it as well; I appreciate the idea of ownership of one's own happiness, for many otherwise mentally healthy people manage to make themselves miserable, entirely needlessly. However, as much as good attitude and counseling may/can/do help, there are conditions that require medication for even the slightest improvement.<br /><br />Thank you, Keira.aztecladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14857872357667370906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-72394436318129248362016-07-28T11:59:48.740-07:002016-07-28T11:59:48.740-07:00Sorry for the long delay in my reply. From what I ...Sorry for the long delay in my reply. From what I gleaned from this book, according to Buddhist psychology, everything is possible through the delving into one's own mind and guidance from a teacher, which is one aspect of dealing with mental illnesses: the counseling. However, Lama Yeshe doesn't address the big necessary ingredient of medication for mental illnesses in this book. So I don't know what his stance on that is, or Buddhism's stance on that in general. I'd be really curious to know more about it.Keira Soleorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-27868224378579971542016-07-24T19:16:29.026-07:002016-07-24T19:16:29.026-07:00I like the ownership as well, because it is true t...I like the ownership as well, because it is true that we often indulge in behaviours that we know very well do us harm.<br /><br />However, clinical depression, and other mental health issues, cannot be controlled by our own minds, and I wonder if that is ever addressed by Buddhist philosophers, and how.aztecladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14857872357667370906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-2709050346496535572016-07-24T18:45:10.828-07:002016-07-24T18:45:10.828-07:00Not a problem at all about bringing this up, becau...Not a problem at all about bringing this up, because this is the very thing that came up for me as I was reading. It's well and good, when you're under stress or unnecessarily navel-gazing but what if you're suffering from depression?<br /><br />As far as I could understand from the lectures in this book, Buddhist psychology says that sometimes learning from a teacher helps with the inquiry process. Lama Yeshe says that he has helped guide some students on their own self-discovery. According to him (or Buddhism), the solution is always within you. But sometimes, you need a teacher to help you to uncover some of the obscuring layers. <br /><br />What I also got from the book was that dissatisfaction with life as it was or as it is, is the lead cause for unhappiness. I took this to mean that previous trauma could lead to current dissatisfaction, and the Buddhist vanilla word "dissatisfaction" covers a whole host of strongly or weakly negative events and emotions. <br /><br />Much like a modern-day psychiatrist functions as a guide, a Buddhist monk-teacher would serve as a guide. But what I really found unique in this approach that rather than blaming outside reasons, you look to within to find a solution. Only *you* can fix *you.* I like this ownership. Keira Soleorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-40677081427105843092016-07-23T17:18:50.116-07:002016-07-23T17:18:50.116-07:00I love the idea of choosing to be happy vs 'le...I love the idea of choosing to be happy vs 'letting life' make us unhappy.<br /><br />However, and forgive me for bringing this up here, I wonder how that works for people with mental health issues (i.e., depression).aztecladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14857872357667370906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-26531550967760722672016-07-21T19:46:42.360-07:002016-07-21T19:46:42.360-07:00Dorine, thanks for visiting and commenting. I was ...Dorine, thanks for visiting and commenting. I was really struck by how simple the message in the book is and how complex at the same time and how difficult to implement. Keira Soleorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34763566.post-79433315327074266592016-07-21T10:28:38.835-07:002016-07-21T10:28:38.835-07:00Excellent thoughtful review! This book seems to of...Excellent thoughtful review! This book seems to offer wise words than anyone can benefit from. Great choice for our award winner category this month. :)Dorinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02091485214243243002noreply@blogger.com