David, no issue with Chodron, his advice, or Meg’s recommending it. As I said above, whatever gets people through a bit of heavy suffering is good.
I’m just suggesting that people who delve into such things consider and bear in mind my perspective that they’re grappling with ghosts, and that it is possible to escape the delusion. That escape doesn’t require enlightenment…a lot of it happens before (I’m nowhere near enlightened, however I suffer only like 10% as much as I used to). So this transcendence is much closer to hand than people think. In fact, it may (with AYP) be faster than delving into the muck to make adjustements therein. Oh, and my explanation of the post-processing was intended to give a little hint/nudge.
That’s all. Nothing more.
Shanti, I’m so delighted for you, this love is truely all we need. 
Louis
(This post was edited by Sparkle because he considered the content irrelevant to the thread)
Alvin my heart goes out to you. I went through this feeling of helplessness for years. I guess I told you before that I lost too much of my life to this feeling… always looking for something to make my life better… feeling sorry for myself, trying analyze and reason with depression, why ME… I think by doing this I was feeding the monster… Truthfully, I don’t even know if I am really over it… the breakdown I had a week back was a reminder of where I could be… and where I was… for many years of my life. I wish I could wave a magic wand and tell you… there its all better now… but I don’t have one. All I will tell you is meditate and do spinal breathing… these are the only 2 things that worked for me. Talk to us whenever you are feeling low… read books that inspire you… listen to music… Go for a walk. One book that inspired me a lot was “Many Lives Many Masters” by Brian Weiss. The line that stuck in my head was…“everything is energy… so much of it is wasted when we fear the present”… really… so much wasted energy… so much is lost to depression.
Alvin, I know none of this is really helping… but just stick to it, just stay with the “i am”… on a day you need extra help, talk to us… this will go away… I know it will…
Here is a big (((((HUG)))) to make it a little better… Smile always… even when it hurts… (I know, not everyone here will agree with me on that… just try it… smile).
Alvin wrote:
Yes, Alvin. This is it. You still think you should know what “to do” when THAT happens. Meditation slowly trained my mind to accept this “not knowing”. One day I simply got it (worn out and tired of my own stryggles): I WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT TO DO !
How does that make you feel?
Whatever it is - this feeling is what you are running from. And as long as you run, it will keep following you. Sit down. Be still. And watch it instead. Get to know it. Is it there at all? Can you pinpoint it? Can it exist without the story you tell about it?
The reason it took me so long was the fact that I didn’t trust nature. I thought I was on my own,- cut off from the rest of the universe. Meditation slowly increased my awareness. I slowly became aware of subtle things. Slowly I started to accept that there was in fact something in me/around me that I had not seen or felt before. I didn’t accept it because I was told to. I accepted it because of what I experienced.
Alvin. You are right where you are.
May all your Nows be Here
alvin, my boat plys the same waters. accept the now i am in, meditate daily and peace becomes the moment, is the course i choose to accept i shall have no other god before me speaks of sloughing off old associations within. they are eddys i still drift into; but the water still sparkles as i dip my paddle in awe of the beauty of the moment… peace and love