Depressed? Contemplating Suicide? Please read

I am not sure if anyone will read this, but please hear me out. If you feel worthless or that life is not worth living, please know that this is not the case. The Buddha once described all beings as like lotus flowers. Lotus flowers are very beautiful, but when they start out, they grow deep in the mud. Eventually, when they peek through the surface, they bloom unstained. In the same way, the Buddha taught that all beings, though mired in darkness, hatred (toward others or self), or confusion, can awaken to become like the lotus flower:

This is not silly, self-help nonsense. This is what the Buddha taught. This is truth. Even the worst, most awful or worthless person you can think of is a lotus flower. They may not know it, but they are. You are a lotus too!

The Buddha also taught that all phenomena, even something like a potato chip, come into existence due a complex web of causes and conditions that stretches back through time. If you look at the potato chip, it came from a potato. The potato came into being because of the sun, the rain, the soil and farmers who worked hard to cultivate it. Then there’s the seed that came from another potato, who in turn came from another potato and so on. That potato chip is a unique and wonderful thing. Look at a piece of paper and you’ll see the same thing, or anything else around you.

Look at yourself. You too are unique. Each moment of life, each breath, is amazing and unique, something not to be repeated again.

Make no mistake, no matter how difficult life is, if you nurture that lotus even a little, then bit by bit it will grow out of the mud to bloom. It is a forgone conclusion. If you’re still reading, please do me one favor. Today or tomorrow, go out and do one kind deed. Big or small, doesn’t matter. Even if you just pick up a piece of litter. When you do this, you are nurturing the lotus within you, and you are being a light for others who are also mired in darkness.

If you are sad, take a moment and imagine the lotus blooming for a moment, and remember that that is you. Drops of water may not seem like much, but if you put enough together, they can form a great ocean. In the same way, you don’t have to be a hero, but if you take a moment to be kind to yourself and others, or even hold a good thought, then drop by drop, the ocean builds.

I am not a professional in any sense of the word. I am just someone whose recently come to appreciate life quite a bit, and want to share with you, and anyone who maybe interested.

Sincerely,
Doug (a.k.a. “Gerald Ford”)

P.S. Another later post on the subject.