That song Starry Starry Night just erupted in my head for some reason.
Sanity? What's that? That's right up there with sex.
It is rare, in my view, to suffer for sanity - as saints do, like Mandela.
The majority of unnecessary suffering is caused by craving for what we don't have and don't need, or trying to avoid that which we cannot and refuse to deal with appropriately.
In the far distant past, suffered at the hands of a bi-polar in manic phase, later a schizophrenic having an episode, and at other times other kinds of other's obsessive madness - until I learned how to avoid such people.
But my worst suffering was always self-induced out of my own neurosis.
The two most effective cures, which worked in tandem, were therapy and Vipassana meditation.
I still practice the latter.
Am mostly happy most of the time now.
BTW - love Van Gogh's paintings!
How about you, Sharonna? ? :)
One of the seven noble truths of Buddhism ... We cause ourselves the most pain or suffering by refusing to face change ... And yes, here's a big thank you to Vincent for the paintings and Don for reminding us of the Man
I know you suffer here and there. You told me. We both have. We are humans.
I love the way you write, hart, but I do disagree with some of your points, or at least I think that I can present another take. For instance, I feel that suffering for one's sanity is what the mentally ill do on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. Yet the point you made following that of unnecessary suffering due to craving what we do not have, is well said.
I just think we split off here. I don't see how suffering for what we crave equals suffering for one's sanity. Yes, both are mental agony, but the former does not have much to do with the latter. Both are reasons people suffer but besides that fact, there are no more similarities. Unless you think of craving as a sort of disease. But I am talking about people who have issues that are obstacles that leave them overwhelmed and in anguish.
I am thinking of manic-depression or just plain depression for starters. Those are hellish enough. When it is coupled with other mental disorders, suffering and wanting to die usually go hand-in-hand. Or worse, wanting to kill others.
It is too much for us to try and eek out an existence down here on this plane. Compound it with an overwhelming fear and hostility and anger and lacking conscience, which is what most of the mentally crippled due through little fault of their own. They have to face decades in this state. I'd rather be dead than suffer blindly through that. I pray everyone like that gets medication or at least counseling to have an understanding ear in their lives.
I loved what I learned of this man's life. He was a noble soul. Very flawed and yet very filled with heart. So human, yet so touchingly in love with the things on this earth that matter most of all, moments appreciating the gifts of life though art and expression.
I often feel that those who are like that do lead a tortured existence ... They see what is and what can be and despair ...
Have been into Buddhism for many years -- the practice of the five precepts and Vipassana Buddhism - U Ba Khin style. Also love Thich Nhat Hahn, quite a lot of Zen, and Dzog Chen.
But don't call myself a Buddhist because I reject some of the conventional beliefs: have no evidence yet of a universal mind and I do not believe a "spirit," "soul" or sentient immaterial being can reincarnate or live in any "non-material realm."
Probably if we delved deeper into the connotations we have for our key words and ideas, we might find we did not disagree -(although, of course, I don't mind disagreements.)
"how suffering for what we crave equals suffering for one's sanity," -
I think of sanity as the ability to see reality as it really is - which is troublesome because many people can interpret that differently. I regard it as based in the ability to trust the data that our senses relay to us about the nature of the world around us, and to be able to use that data to live and relate well with others. This includes the ready and easy capacity for empathy.
It is widely acknowledged by psychologists that depressives are actually somewhat more "sane" than the rest of the population (within limits because some clinical depressions can become psychotic.) They say this because the world is indeed a bleak place full of many challenges and stresses, and a compassionate person often suffers at the suffering of others. And they recommend that deliberately cultivating a modicum of unrealistic optimism is an essential ingredient of emotional health.
returning to your point, "how suffering for what we crave equals suffering for one's sanity" -
Put simply, when we crave more than we actually need or try to avoid our responsibilities, we suffer. This is not suffering for one's sanity, but rather, suffering despite the fact that we are for the most part reasonably sane. Perhaps we are walking wounded, neurotic, but still clearly able to function well enough to survive in the world.
We all have basic needs for sustaining our physical existence: fresh air, clean water, healthy food and exercise, good health, sufficient sleep and work, a few tools, clothing, shelter and safety. It is profoundly sane to want enough of these to survive, and to do what we need to earn these things without harming others in the process.
Yet in the West, many of us are not satisfied with these - we crave more than we need, and when we have trouble obtaining them, we get ourselves into a state of discontent which affects mood and reactivity. Or we go further and start doing stupid things to try to obtain more than we need, like getting into debt that we can't afford to repay, or gambling. It takes a fair chunk of unrealistic thinking and denial to get into this kind of trouble. It's a bit of a slide away from sanity. It is not suffering for sanity.
One could argue, that Jesus suffered for sanity. He suffered because he tried to teach a radical re-interpretation of the Jewish golden rule from Moses, to do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. He reworded it, love one another as thyself, and went to great effort to try to explain what that meant. Then he was tortured and crucified for teaching that doctrine, or more correctly, for usurping the religious authority of the pharisees. What he taught was profoundly sane, reasonable and wise -- yet he suffered for it. That is what I meant in my first statement above, refering to Nelson Mandela.
We have equally important needs for emotional and mental health: we need competence and healthy self-esteem, a sense of belonging, the ability to relate well with others, opportunities to be altruistic and creative and to develop ourselves to our fullest potential. Depending on belief, we may also need a supportive environment in which to grow spiritually.
But these needs can easily become distorted into sources of suffering as a result of negative childhood conditioning. Distortions may include drug addictions, sex, romance and other process addictions. Or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Runaway anxiety. Phobias. Fetishes. Superstitions. Being brainwashed by cults. Even PTSD. The list is probably nearly infinite. All of these are in the grey zone between sanity and insanity. They all cause forms of acute suffering which are unnecessary because they are curable.
When it comes to psychoses that are due to a genetic disorder such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia, or problems caused by brain damage, drugs are often the only solution currently available. I would love to believe that one-day stem-cell therapy could help cure the genetic causes.
It can be very difficult to earn one's keep in this world, in some places more than others. Yet a sane and well-adjusted person, by accepting the necessary difficulties willingly, can reduce some of that suffering by at least 50%. Internal attitude makes a huge difference to how much we suffer.
Having further explained my view, I would be very interested to hear your response.... :)))
♥
Sometimes I don't have the words, but thanks for this.
I was never into it that deep ., Just dipped my toe into the bits that interes ...
You are too kind to me. I want to meet some day..
We may. Time and circumstances seem to be against us all meeting but technology is allowing for many new inventions and maybe we will soon be in each other's living rooms via the computer any time we all wish. That would be a nightmare if you think about it.
Like a reality show with no paycheck
oz girl, I do think this way, the sane balanced way, whenever possible and I agree with you. It is a process to stay in that mind-set.
hart, I appreciate your journey and you sincere attempt at finding the Truth as you see it. Wonderful. Looking forward to hearing much more about Buddhism. I know much less than you do, maybe a peripheral understanding at best. So, that is great to hear. 
I suspect you have the soul of an artist or a musician, even though your current life concerns one of the arts of healing.
