Wrote to someone having suicidal tendencies and telling me how he read that the astral realm is much better than this 'body-corpse existence' on earth.

I replied:

No, you should really stop listening to these new age authors and place your faith and trust in someone like Buddha himself who is much much wiser and liberated. Of course, we all have religious freedom to believe whatever the hell we want, but unfortunately, 99.999% of the information out there are crap.

I think you really need professional help to sort out your suicidal tendencies. Call the suicide helpline, seek a professional psychiatrist, counselor, get on medication (until you do not need it anymore), sort your life out. There are a lot of avenues to solve your problems and you should not just rely on religion, which does not always offer the exact solutions to your specific needs and issues at hand (for example, if you have mental issues, taking the right medicine and meeting a right counselor may be a more effective way to address your immediate concerns and issues).

You should stop following bullshit, superstition, blind faith that some external savior and afterlife can help you solve your problems. Instead, you should have faith that every problem in life can and has been solved -- there are billions of others in the world and whatever problem you face has been solved before. And I do mean every aspect of your life. Mental health can be treated and improved through various ways. Financial problems can be solved gradually by upgrading yourself/finding a suitable job/seeking for financial assistance. Relationship problems can be resolved/you can find another partner. Etc etc.

Praying to Guan Yin won't magically dissolve your depression/mental illness/problems in life/etc unless you work to improve your conditions. And if Guan Yin does help, the best help he/she can give is to guide you to the appropriate person who can advise you and give you the best appropriate treatment/solution to your issues. I do not know what you are suffering from but just trust that it can be solved by meeting the appropriate persons and taking appropriate actions. That may start with finding the right psychiatrist if you are suffering from some mental illnesses.

Buddhism is very practical and pragmatic and scientific. We don't approach issues by offering superstitions and blind faith as solution. Buddhism is a very rational, systematic approach to life and discovering truth. Every problem, every suffering has its causes and conditions, and its remedy.

As Thusness warned months ago against "wishful and magical thinking", stating that even for his own bodily healing process, "It is all hardwork, discipline and practice. Like exercising, very tangible. If you are lazy and do not work towards your issues, Buddha also can't help you."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c9Uu5eILZ8 - Jordan Peterson - Advice For People With Depression 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/transcendental-meditation-decreases-ptsd - Transcendental meditation decreases PTSD

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Regarding Guan Yin, I related an experience where Guan Yin (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) appeared to me while I was in a very blissful state, very tall and majestic (like skyscrapper level tall), and she told me to be compassionate.

Whatever Bodhisattvas/Buddhas there is, what they can do is only point. We have to help ourselves. We have to be more compassionate, to be wiser, to be of any benefit to ourselves and to society. Ultimately, whatever divine powers is there can only help those who help themselves.
 
5 Responses
  1. Anonymous Says:

    Talking abt pragmatic,tangible approach, would u mind writing something abt pragmatism of loving unconditionally?


  2. Anonymous Says:

    Some will express their compassion and love outwwardly through social and humanitarian works,but not everybody will intend to follow such path .... Wat abt those more meditative ones, mind 2 share yr thoughts of practicing unconditional love in a more personal ,not-so-social settings ?


  3. Soh Says:

    By wishing all sentient beings be free from suffering and happy (read meta Sutta) you will be led to a state where loving kidnnesss and bliss emanates from heart center. This will lead to jhanic bliss.


  4. Anonymous Says:

    Ultimately,we r spiritual beings hving human experience,not the other way round ....Many human enterprise and endeavour hv absolutely no real,spiritual value ....


  5. Soh Says:

    You are being dogmatic. Most spiritual/religious enterprises are full of bullshit and dogmas, while modern science and society offers proven solutions, so in many sense religion has little value to give.

    The value you should take from Buddhadharma is liberation and awakening. I can attest to its powers. But Buddha was unable to solve poverty, improve life expectancy, cause all the technological breakthroughs that improved our standard of living vastly. All these are due to the advent of technology, modern medicine and the industrial age.

    "Spiritual beings having human experience" is a dualistic understanding, I do not hold that view.