Eric over at Panic! made a post a few months ago about the Buddhist perspective on anxiety. It’s worth reading… even if you aren’t a Buddhist. I can’t claim to be unbiased as I myself am a Buddhist, but I personally believe that the Buddhist approach to everything is amazingly rational and incredibly effective. It’s unfortunate that our society tends to view Buddhism as a “new age” religion or belief-system.
While out on the town with my wife a few weeks ago we wandered into a witchcraft/wicca shop out of curiosity. Like most of these establishments, this shop had many Buddhist statues and other traditional (and non-traditional) Buddhist paraphernalia. We left quickly, partially because it was dark and uninteresting, and partly because some woman kept following us around with a stick of incense. Weird.
After leaving the shop, my wife looked at me and said, “Do Buddhists believe in that bad energy stuff?” My response was, “No, most Buddhists don’t believe in bullshit.” Buddhism is about two things: the causes of suffering and the end of suffering. Everything else is fluff. There may be many different ways to approach the cessation of suffering, but as the Buddha himself said: Buddhist teachings are like a raft that one can use to reach the other shore. It’s a vehicle, nothing more.
So, with that being said, I’ll end my rant here. The point is that I don’t want you to think that a Buddhist approach is somehow contradictory to your beliefs. Buddhism is merely a means to develop an enlightened mind. I’ve found Buddhist teachings to be a very powerful antidote to anxiety, not because they have me praying for relief or passing off my pain to some grand scheme, but rather because anxiety is a state of mind, and Buddhists are all about changing our states of mind so that we can live in peace. Read the link, there’s some good stuff there.
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December 4, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Anonymous
It’s great to have you all posting again, The words on this site have help me and I’m sure many others through this struggle, thank you for that
December 4, 2006 at 10:09 pm
cindy
I have found such great wisdom in the Buddhist tradition. In the readings and from those who practice Buddhism I have felt tolerance, acceptance, love (not sexual but a more transcendent love-me-just-because-I-exist) and mostly a good example of what serenity looks like in human form.
I have then been lucky enough to take what I can from it and improve my life.
Thanks Josh - brilliant post. Again.
December 20, 2006 at 10:10 am
Sonya
I was brought up non-religious, and swore never to need a ‘crutch’ such as organised religion, or drugs to get through life. I never thought of Buddhism one way or another, just as something mystical my brother and mother seemed interested in. Until a few months ago, I began to really find out what it was all about, and how it applied to my own anxiety (Thanks, Josh!) Although we know Buddhism is not really a religion, but a way of life, I, too, am beginning to ’see the light’. Everything is there. It all makes sense. It is a GOOD way to view our lives, and how we fit into it, and mostly, it has taught me acceptance. To accept things as they are, and as they happen, and if they happen. My husband is fearful I may shave my head and start chanting, but for now, I am happy to read and learn and live with accepting the uncertainty of life!!!
March 4, 2007 at 11:53 am
Social Avoidance
I have been looking into different spiritual disciplines, like Yoga, Tai chi, etc. I am in Central America and it’s not easy to find a group dealing with anxiety taking this type of approach. It seems to me that Buddhism can be a great option for us people dealing with human suffering (anxiety to us), as you mentioned:
“Buddhism is about two things: the causes of suffering and the end of suffering. Everything else is fluff. There may be many different ways to approach the cessation of suffering, but as the Buddha himself said: Buddhist teachings are like a raft that one can use to reach the other shore. It’s a vehicle, nothing more.”
Hopefully I’ll be able to find a group or a location where to practice this discipline and incorporate it as a new tool.
By the way your blog is very informative, I’ll add it to my resources, will you considered adding my Social Anxiety Blog to yours? Thanks.
http://socialanxietyblog.blogspot.com