A local order member from Friends of the Western Buddhist Order often teaches a class here called, “Moving from dukkha to shraddha” (or from suffering to confidence). I haven’t taken the class, but I know it highlights a pivotal point in the Buddhist path; a revolution of sorts from aimless pathlessness to spiritual progress.
Sangharakshita describes shraddha (confidence-trust or faith) thus:
…faith consists in deep conviction of what is real, lucidity as to what has value, and longing for what is possible.
It marks an early, though significant change in a person’s life. It means 1) refusing to give up – ever; 2) finding what works and sticking with it; and 3) setting big goals while relishing the path which is life itself.
Dukkha need not be any deep sense of suffering, either. It is often translated as dis-ease, or unsatisfactoriness (which is most accurate, but clumsy). Dukkha is, in a sense, ‘the human condition’ insofar as we are all born with a certain degree of ignorance about the way things work, ignorance that is generally reinforced and multiplied by society. Outright suffering, such as depression or a traumatic injury often makes unavoidably obvious. If we use these experiences to move to dukkhashraddha, they actually become a blessing, a source of empowerment.
(think of the suffering of Rev. MLK or Thich Nhat Hanh, Jesus or the Buddha – countless social workers and youth addiction counselors who were themselves abused and/or addicted)
Every moment is an opportunity. And if suffering does nothing else, it brings us to this moment. Once you get here, you have two choices: face it and grow or reject it.
And facing it is not a one-time deal. Nor is it easy, especially at first. Depression in my experience consists of a brooding, a mind unable to just settle, a disconnection between the world around me and my experience. Meditation then is simply the exercise in settling the mind, over and over and over again, on the breath. It’s like a work-out regimen for the mind.
Nature-walks do similar work, with a much less ‘subtle’ object – the world of here and now. Our senses are heightened in nature, our biological-evolutionary bodies awaken. Society, walls, cars, etc allow so much of us to fall asleep – to forget our connection with the world and people. It’s no wonder we are depressed! But in nature, our mind is jerked into the present moment – now a bird chirping, now a deer bolting, now a raindrop, wet, cool. In the moment, everything is ok. There can even be the sense that, even with the suffering, ‘this is how it is supposed to be.’
And it is. 🙂
