The cure to depression is... chocolate.

[icarus]

I like this amnesty meme that's everywhere.

I now realise that most of my frustration and depression stems from a conversation with a Buddhist friend who viciously implied I'm wasting my time writing and going to school. He's a lama and knew just how to say it to really make it hurt and fester, and I've had a bad time with both writing and school ever since. But he hit below the belt because he's pissed that I've abandoned his Buddhist projects. Frankly I was rather sarcastic about their raising their prices for teachings, and said that Buddhism is for the rich.

There are two theories of US Buddhism:
A) charge a lot, make it nice, and use the extra money to grow and publish.
B) go cheap as you can and make it accessible for everyone.

He's from theory A. I ascribe to theory B. In fact I think that theory A is unethical and contrary to the Buddha's principles, as well as bordering on and encouraging corruption (the official Buddhist term is Worldly Dharma). Of course the most successful temples ascribe to theory A. That does not mean they are the most pure. I've left his group over this issue.

So his dig is still eating at me successfully, but at least I know what's going on.

I'm sorry that I didn't leave comments open yesterday. I just needed to gripe, and there were too many things going on in the sidelines for my fandom friends to really help.

Comments

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Buddhism does unfortunately have the view of teory A, which has kept it from growing in this country, where it could thrive. Good on you for calling the Lama on his ideas, and bad on him for non-humility.