| Depression is a disease of the mind. Zen, which is | | | | mind of any low self esteem. |
| about mental state, may offer a new perspective | | | | Longing for something you cannot have creates |
| of the disease. | | | | pain. In life, pain occurs when expectations are not |
| Millions of people are suffering from depression. It | | | | met. In Zen, every moment remains with that |
| is one of the most common mental disorders that | | | | moment. For this reason, everything is changing, |
| may adversely affect mental health. There are | | | | and impermanent. To desire or crave permanence |
| several current theories about the causes of | | | | from something impermanent is a disease of the |
| depression: hereditary predisposition, chemical | | | | mind. This is the real cause of depression. |
| imbalances, or hormonal changes. A more widely | | | | Once the pain is created, an individual (or the |
| accepted theory of the cause of depression is | | | | psychiatrist) begins to seek analysis and |
| � distorted thinking. Depression is deep | | | | explanation of the pain, hoping to find a solution to |
| internal pain initiated by disturbed thinking, which | | | | the problem. According to Zen, life is never a |
| may or may not be due to chemical imbalance of | | | | problem to be solved. Life never has a problem, |
| the mind. Zen offers an interesting explanation of | | | | and if there is a problem, that is because you |
| this disease of the mind. | | | | have created it for yourself. Once you have |
| Zen is NOT a religious belief. Despite having its | | | | created a problem, you need a solution to the |
| origin from Buddha, Zen is not the foundation of | | | | problem. In attempting to solve the problem, you |
| Buddhism. Zen is an enlightened mental state | | | | begin to analyze the problem and examine the |
| focusing on the present moment. | | | | options available to solve the problem, thus |
| First of all, according to Zen, there is no such a | | | | generating stress, which only intensifies the |
| disease as "depression." Zen does not label an | | | | problem. Compounding problems triggers |
| individual as "sick" or "mentally ill." According to | | | | depression in an individual. |
| Zen, sickness is just a human condition, and any | | | | It is human instinct to avoid pain. By avoiding pain, |
| "labeling" only compounds the problem of sickness. | | | | you subconsciously create more problems |
| Many individuals suffering from depression have a | | | | requiring more solutions. Unlike modern psychiatry, |
| distorted perception of self-worth. Instead of | | | | the way of Zen is not to question, analyze, or |
| accepting who they are, they want to be what | | | | dwell upon pain. If you do, you are in fact creating |
| they wish they would like to become. Their | | | | the setting for suffering. According to Zen, you |
| hunger for the verisimilitude of realty often | | | | must accept the good as well as the bad in life; in |
| fosters delusions and a host of other mental | | | | other words, pain is natural. Just learn how to |
| problems, such as confusion and distress. Zen | | | | receive it. Pain is not avoidable in life, but suffering |
| focuses on who you are, rather than your | | | | is. If you dwell upon pain, you perpetuate the |
| "desire" to be somebody else. Zen purges the | | | | suffering. |