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My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

danlawton.substack.com

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Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#41

Post by detourdog »

mahathu wrote: post #20
ghoastl wrote: post #9

My most intense mindfulness experience was on a two-week silent retreat, in the woods, isolated from all of humanity. At the beginning, I met only the creatures of the forest and heard only the whispers of the trees. By the sixth day I was hallucinating gold and purple snakes slithering out of my belly onto the ground around me. By the eighth day I had visions of a cloud island vista with animals the world had never…

You're describing a psychosis.

Maybe everyone should experience a little psychosis.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#43

Post by 300bps »

This article reminds me of the 28 year old mother that died from water intoxication trying to win a Wii for her children in 2007.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jennifer-stranges-family-awarde...

I don’t know what happened to the OP. Maybe he was experiencing psychosis, maybe he was in some stage of enlightenment, maybe he’s the victim of a harmful practice.

But I do know he took mindfulness to an extreme that only a tiny fraction do.

Anything in excess can kill you. Even drinking water. The 10 to 20 minutes per day many mindfulness meditators do doesn’t seem likely to have the same effect as experienced by the OP.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#44

Post by KingOfCoders »

pigsty wrote: post #33
gtirloni wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No True Scotsman? Or are you saying that in most cases it's just superficial? I certainly have met Buddhism pratictioners in the West that were deep into the way of life and culture.

For the most part, western Buddhism is about good vibes bro and meditating and is, for all intents and purposes, irreligious and more of a general life philosophy (like how waking up at 5 am, jogging, and eating organic isn’t a religion either). Buddhist buddhism involves demons, hell, and more praying or even chanting than meditating for the general population. Most Buddhists probably don’t meditate at all, actually…

I feel uncomfortable on how you generalize Buddhism, with it's many strands in India, China, Japan and all over Asia - generalizing 500M people.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#45

Post by nathan_compton »

When I read this sort of thing I can't help but wonder whether the problem is with the person here rather than with meditation per se. Like I can't imagine a person with a healthy state of mind thinking "Gee, I need to meditate intensely for 8+ hours a day for fourteen days."

It sounds crazy already. No wonder it turned out badly.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#46

Post by pigsty »

KingOfCoders wrote: post #44
pigsty wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the most part, western Buddhism is about good vibes bro and meditating and is, for all intents and purposes, irreligious and more of a general life philosophy (like how waking up at 5 am, jogging, and eating organic isn’t a religion either). Buddhist buddhism involves demons, hell, and more praying or even chanting than meditating for the general population. Most Buddhists probably don’t meditate at all, actually…

I feel uncomfortable on how you generalize Buddhism, with it's many strands in India, China, Japan and all over Asia - generalizing 500M people.

I’ve been to temples all over Asia, visit them weekly, and referenced the unifying elements.

It’s like saying Christians pray and worship god. That’s not a generalization. That’s Christianity.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#47

Post by fluoridation »

groffee wrote: post #5

See how many times they write the word 'I'? They've never meditated properly even once. Teacher my ass, these people do way more damage than help anyone.

What would be acceptable an acceptable number? Zero? More than zero? How is it determined, and why is it important?

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#48

Post by coldtea »

Lacerda69 wrote: post #31
coldtea wrote: post #11

There's no Buddhism in the West, but in name. Buddhism is a religion associated with a way of life and a culture. It's not something a businessman does on a "weekend retreat" as "mindfulness practice" to get back in the rat race refreshed.

real Buddhism hasn't been tried yet

It has.

My distinction is not about doing it well either or going to reach the "real" nirvana or whatever.

I'm seeing it in the anthropological sense, as a particular historical artifact. It's truth is in doing it because you were steeped in a Buddhist tradition/environment, as opposed as doing it as consumer lifestyle choice/hobby.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#49

Post by rg111 »

pigsty wrote: post #33
gtirloni wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No True Scotsman? Or are you saying that in most cases it's just superficial? I certainly have met Buddhism pratictioners in the West that were deep into the way of life and culture.

For the most part, western Buddhism is about good vibes bro and meditating and is, for all intents and purposes, irreligious and more of a general life philosophy (like how waking up at 5 am, jogging, and eating organic isn’t a religion either). Buddhist buddhism involves demons, hell, and more praying or even chanting than meditating for the general population. Most Buddhists probably don’t meditate at all, actually…

> Buddhist buddhism involves demons, hell, and more praying or even chanting than meditating for the general population.

You are mentioning Mahayana or later Vajrayana Buddhism.

Buddha never asks you to pray, and he did not teach any concepts of hells or demons.

Please stop appropriating Buddhism. You have no authority.

Just like Christianity practised in the US is not true Christianity, Buddhism practised in East Asia is no truer Buddhism.

And yes, Buddhism and its teachings are watered down in the West. But Western Buddhism, when not watered down, is no less truer than incense burning, praying, hell-believing Eastern Buddhism.

Re: My mindfulness practice led me to meltdown (2021)

#50

Post by coldtea »

rg111 wrote: post #37
coldtea wrote: post #11

There's no Buddhism in the West, but in name. Buddhism is a religion associated with a way of life and a culture. It's not something a businessman does on a "weekend retreat" as "mindfulness practice" to get back in the rat race refreshed.

Where did Buddha define Buddhism? Even in time of Buddha, there were thousands of Buddhists who were practising Buddhist while remaining in a family. Buddha, once addressing Ananda, told him that there were hundreds of disciples who attained Nirvana while remaining in a family and with a profession. I find this kind of opposition to Western Buddhist practices absolitely repulsive and baseless. Yes, I studied Buddhist…

>Even in time of Buddha, there were thousands of Buddhists who were practising Buddhist while remaining in a family.

Which is neither here, nor there.

My distinction is not about following Buddhist as "true to the spirit of Buddha" or not. It's not about "studying" or not, either.

It's about Buddhist as a historical phenomenon, a tradition, emergent and adopted by specific cultures in specific ways of life, and being passed on, versus Buddhism as a consumer lifestyle choice, from some people millions of miles away, in a totally different culture and mindset, who adopted it as one of the "free to chose" religious or lifestyle fads available on their spirituality (or worse, wellness) market.

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