"Dhamma Hub Discord (now with a mild vetting process): discord.gg/AcDwZ78ybn " My Dhamma Book (also available on Paper): drive.google.com/file/d/1d8VYL5iOi76u1AEmyI7iGpgPP3T5FaNa/view?usp=sharing My Almanac (also available on Paper): drive.google.com/file/d/1VzAw8zHdhOsDDUzPEubTN64qhVmQhZ0m/view?usp=sharing A collection of Pdfs and essays: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dUkceBhoHbo7l7gm3CZz6EiRqHFBm8Fg?usp=sharing
I struggle with this so much when I'm in seclusion. Once this sluggish dull feeling comes on, I go towards entertainment to distract myself further and pass the time without doing anything of value with my life. Then I become fearful that I'm going to die in this state, just completely immersed in an alternate reality, in front of a screen with no way out. It feels very much like the mind is trapping itself and the body in a kind of quicksand. Could this be a sign I'm not ready for seclusion? Or should I keep fighting with this until I find a way out?
Hey! The Buddha generally recommended people who already have the Right View to spend quite long time in seclusion. Before that, it is usually better to gradually wean yourself off of sensuality. I had no good experience with going "cold turkey" but rather approach the entire thing slowly and steadily. I like to compare it with losing weight that I have also done in the past. If I do a "crash diet" in limit my food intake severely, I tend to start binging at some point any my metabolism got very slow. The only good "diet" that worked for me was a 200-300 kcal deficit that I maintained for more than a year to shed maybe 20 kg of body weight. The gist of this is that you surely have to make an effort and resist at times, but if you proceed slowly enough, that "dampens the fall" quite considerably. Just gradually chip away at it any maybe start with shorter or occasional intervals that you increase in length over time. Yet, maybe treat the "steps" you take that might be very small like "checkpoints" that you are under no circumstances go back beyond.
"Dhamma Hub Discord (now with a mild vetting process): discord.gg/AcDwZ78ybn "
My Dhamma Book (also available on Paper): drive.google.com/file/d/1d8VYL5iOi76u1AEmyI7iGpgPP3T5FaNa/view?usp=sharing
My Almanac (also available on Paper): drive.google.com/file/d/1VzAw8zHdhOsDDUzPEubTN64qhVmQhZ0m/view?usp=sharing
A collection of Pdfs and essays: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dUkceBhoHbo7l7gm3CZz6EiRqHFBm8Fg?usp=sharing
Thank you Flaus. Thank you Saif. 🙏
Thank you both.
I struggle with this so much when I'm in seclusion. Once this sluggish dull feeling comes on, I go towards entertainment to distract myself further and pass the time without doing anything of value with my life. Then I become fearful that I'm going to die in this state, just completely immersed in an alternate reality, in front of a screen with no way out. It feels very much like the mind is trapping itself and the body in a kind of quicksand. Could this be a sign I'm not ready for seclusion? Or should I keep fighting with this until I find a way out?
Hey!
The Buddha generally recommended people who already have the Right View to spend quite long time in seclusion.
Before that, it is usually better to gradually wean yourself off of sensuality.
I had no good experience with going "cold turkey" but rather approach the entire thing slowly and steadily.
I like to compare it with losing weight that I have also done in the past.
If I do a "crash diet" in limit my food intake severely, I tend to start binging at some point any my metabolism got very slow.
The only good "diet" that worked for me was a 200-300 kcal deficit that I maintained for more than a year to shed maybe 20 kg of body weight.
The gist of this is that you surely have to make an effort and resist at times, but if you proceed slowly enough, that "dampens the fall" quite considerably.
Just gradually chip away at it any maybe start with shorter or occasional intervals that you increase in length over time.
Yet, maybe treat the "steps" you take that might be very small like "checkpoints" that you are under no circumstances go back beyond.
@@TheDhammaHub This is very sensible and is the approach I'm taking now. I just needed to find the humility to admit that I needed to take it slowly 🙏