DP: I forgot in previous mail to tell you the most important thing: You will need to keep sitting down and breath in awareness and stay with whatever arises but without getting entangled in the thought, sensation, obsesion..... No idea if there is a better method than this, but so far is the only I know. If anyone else in the list knows other methods, please do say so. Mayka
--- On Wed, 18/8/10, Maria Lopez <flordel...@btinternet.com> wrote: From: Maria Lopez <flordel...@btinternet.com> Subject: Re: [Zen] Namaste- first message To: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, 18 August, 2010, 13:01 DP: Knowing and feeling in one the perspective of death is not as bad thing as you think. If you feel in that way you must also be feeling at the same time how precious is our time and the present moment. Perhaps you could use that as a meanings to feel yourself truly alive right now. Take good advantage of this condition you have to explore in depths what death is about and by doing that after processing the fear, horror...you'll be very appreciative of life. Just an idea. Good luck to you. And take good care. Mayka --- On Tue, 17/8/10, DP <dave.dplat...@gmail.com> wrote: From: DP <dave.dplat...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Zen] Namaste- first message To: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, 17 August, 2010, 2:42 I've tried something similar, but I find myself falling into despair and depression. The idea of dying becomes so real that things start to lose any meaning or resonance. I can't enjoy or feel anything when I embrace fear. --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Maria Lopez <flordel...@...> wrote: > > Dear DP: >  > Don't take too seriously anything you read in forums and internet in > general. Your questions are difficult questions to be answered by the ones > who have not in them the OCD experience. Only yourself can answer all those > questions but if you can't find any answer in you yet, then let it be as it > is. Accept it as it manifests in you. Don't fight against it. And don't > worry because FEAR in general is something we all have in us in more or less > measure. Fear of death, Fear of living, Fear of love, Fear losing our > employment, Fear of speaking our minds....there is always fear in us.  > While experiencing strong fear I embrace this emotion through the breathing > and by facing it. Perhaps you may like to try too and see what you > experience. >  > Mayka >  >  >  > --- On Mon, 16/8/10, DP <dave.dplat...@...> wrote: > > > From: DP <dave.dplat...@...> > Subject: Re: [Zen] Namaste- first message > To: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com > Date: Monday, 16 August, 2010, 14:53 > > >  > > > > > Well, this is what I meant by linguistic tricks. I was on another forum in > which I was talking about how my OCD was related to my fear of death. I had > two different reactions - one along the lines of "why worry about death?" > (telling someone with OCD not to worry or why worry is exactly the wrong > thing to do) the other was that I had to admit that my OCD was an illusion. > This last one really bothered me, and the poster went further on to say that > "disease = dis ease," which I thought was trite and not very helpful. I soon > gave up on that forum. > > --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, <BillSmart@> wrote: > > > > Dave, > > > > > > > > My comments are embedded in your post below: > > > > > > > > From: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:zen_fo...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf > > Of DP > > Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 9:36 PM > > To: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com > > Subject: Re: [Zen] Namaste- first message > > > > I have been doing zazen for awhile now, but I've gone weeks and months at a > > time without doing it... getting up and doing it regularly is very difficult > > for me. > > > > [Bill!] Difficulty is a good thing - a teaching thing. > > > > I like to consider myself, in the words of Evelyn Underhill, a "practical > > mystic." I find koans sometimes useful, but I find that I am also drawn to > > the ideas of Thich Nhat Hanh, of imbuing everything with purpose (of course, > > this can be hard with OCD, in which every action seems to have hidden > > consequences). > > > > [Bill!] I would think that anyone with OCD would not find it difficult at > > all to 'imbue everything with purpose'. That's what OCD means, doesn't it? > > Zen is the opposite of that. Zen has no purpose, no goal. Zen is Just > > THIS! > > > > I'm a little turned off by some of what I find obfuscating in some zen > > messages, the people who hide behind linguistic tricks. Is that a little too > > cynical? Am I asking too many questions? :) > > > > [Bill!] What I think you see as 'linguistic tricks' in zen are probably just > > the results of frustration at trying to communicate non-dualistic > > experiences using language which is based on dualisms. That, or an attempt > > at using language in a non-ordinary way (like koans, which you said you find > > 'useful' sometimes) to help induce a break in dualistic thinking. > > > > .Bill! > > >
