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A (slightly tweaked) quote on depression from a disciple of Ajahn Chah:
This feeling of depression has just come for a visit; soon it will leave. Having gone it will come again. Just let it be and it will leave of its own accord. It’s only a visitor, it is not a resident.
Center your mind, not delighting, not despising, not being frightened; neither taking nor rejecting, just keep knowing. If we’re suffering or depressed, we simply know that suffering or depression exists. It’s not necessary for thoughts to proliferate on it. We are patient and observe those feelings. Just knowing. Sitting, just know; walking, just know.
If we keep observing we will begin to undertand more clearly. We will see that both suffering and depression are merely sensations; they are not our self nor do they belong to us.
There are several key points here. The first is that depression is a temporary state; it will surely pass, because nothing is permanent. The second is that there’s no benefit in being preoccupied with one’s depression; identifying as someone who is depressed can only prolong its duration. And, of course, it’s not who we are.
Another key insight here is that depression is “conditioned”: it arises under particular circumstances, is present for a period of time, and passes away when particular circumstances happen (notably, when new sensory input arises).
When I read the reference to sitting and walking, it sparked the following thought. Why do we think our emotional state is more meaningful than our physical state? Why do we think that emotions like depression or stress or anger are any different than the physical postures of sitting, walking, standing, or lying down? All these states arise as a result of conditions, last a while, then disappear as circumstances change.
When someone is standing up, they don’t make an issue out of it. They’re standing, but soon enough that will change. They don’t identify themselves by saying “I’m a *standing* type of person and I’ll always be that way. I’ll never be someone who can sit down.”
Are our day-to-day moods really any different than our posture? Sure, we have more conscious control over our physical posture, but like postures, our emotions—including depression—are unstable states that come and go over time. That is their very nature. Why, then, do people treat these passing moods as if they were permanent states, as if they defined the sum total of who we are?
Naturally, I imagine those readers who are invested in self-identifying as depressive will have issues with this idea. But I thought I would share these questions with you.
What would it be like if we related to our emotions with the same matter-of-fact practicality that we use when relating to our physical postures? Are these physical, mental, or emotional states really so different? Why are we are willing to identify with—and thus grant great power to—some moods but not others, even when they cause us such obvious suffering?
Just some thots. I’m sure YMMV.
