Zen and Depression

In a chapter on Depression and Buddhism, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Gananath Obeyesekere, who has done much work in his home country of Sri Lanka, argues that the term "depression" is a Western cultural conception, in which a constellation of symptoms is defined as illness (Obeyesekere, 1985). For Buddhists in Sri Lanka, he argues, the unpleasant affects associated with this existential condition are expressed and perhaps even resolved in a variety of meanings and activities provided by the Buddhist orientation of the culture. The conception of disease/illness, he suggests, is meaningless in this context.

Yet, for Buddhists in the West, our “cultural conception” of depression (or psychosis), is the point from which we must start. Indeed, according to research in the West, people who have experiences of psychosis may be more likely to become depressed.

Since Obeyesekere’s chapter on Buddhism and depression in the 1980s, Buddhist practices have been proven to be effective for people diagnosed with depression in the West. Self-help books such as "The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness”, reflect the efforts of authors (Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn) to make mindfulness practice more available to non-Buddhists by de-emphasising its traditional Buddhist context. 

Tony Bates whose original book on depression, “The Common Sense Guide to Depression”, sold more than 30,000, has now published a new edition which reflects a change in his understanding of depression. He too now emphasises the practice of mindfulness in his (2011) “Coming Through Depression: A Mindful Approach to Recovery”.

Whilst mindfulness practices are becoming more and more popular amongst Western psychologists and the Western self-help industry (even if the Buddhist origins of those practices are not frequently declared), Buddhism may offer more to Western Buddhists with depression, than mindfulness alone.         

An extract from Philip’s introduction:

For more information on Buddhism and depression check out: Psychology Today and Wildmind.

The sub-title of this blog – “the Zen Way through Psychosis”, was inspired by a book by Philip Martin, called “The Zen Path through Depression”. In his book, which has been described as a compassionate and spiritual approach to rediscovering joy, Philip uses techniques and practical advice to show how to ease depression through Zen practice.

Philip has practiced Buddhism for more than thirty years and has a degree in Buddhist psychology. He has worked as a social worker and case manager for twenty-five years, and is also a workshop leader and lives in Red Wing, Minnesota. His lessons in the book are a product of his experiences in using Zen practice and wisdom to alleviate his own depression.

Zoketsu Norman Fischer, co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center said this about Philip’s book: “The Zen Path through Depression is a very useful addition to the growing library of applied Buddhism. Using words of the masters, his own story, and many sensitively designed practical exercises, Philip Martin shows us what the Buddha taught: that all mental and emotional states, no matter how difficult they may seem, are opportunities.”

“... I had always believed in a spiritual practice that was about settling deeply into life, going into the depths if necessary. So I persisted, trying to find a way to connect this practice to what was happening with me. Ultimately I discovered that in the downward movement of depression I could settle more fully into my life, and that in that settling there was a great opportunity for learning, opening and growing.

My practice and path are Zen Buddhism. I found I was finally able to bring my depression into the vastness of my practice, and I learned that others can, too – whatever their own spiritual leanings...”  

Rev. Seikai (together with Rev. Phoebe) maintains the Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple - a small, rural temple and meditation retreat located in Southern California, in the mountains of Ventura County. 

As a visitor of this blog, he has made clear that he supports our efforts here: “I totally applaud what you are doing, because it is just so helpful to have more information out there about depression and mental illness, and especially with regards to how they can be addressed through meditation and other disciplines...”

Rev. Seikai, offers an alternative view and has reflected that “I guess part of the difficulty for me is that I’m looking from the inside out, rather than looking from the outside in, and it’s a different perspective”. Recounting that someone gave him the book “The Zen Path through Depression” he commented that he was not personally impressed by it, but added, that perhaps it just did not resonate with his particular experience of depression in relation to meditation and that it might, for a lot of people, be just the thing. 

He also points out that Buddhism and Mindfulness are not magical cure-alls: “If I lived in a Buddhist culture such as Sri-Lanka, would my depression vanish? Probably not; I’d still be me. I’ve grown very allergic to cure-alls and magical thinking, maybe to the edge of cynicism”.

Rev. Seikai said that his own experience points to something else, which is the very subjective nature of depression, its causes, its remedies and cures: “I find myself not wanting to say anything definitive about it owing to this matter of subjectivity, the use of words, and how people understand and interpret words and ideas. For example, some depressive people benefit greatly from meditation, while for others it might be enough to put them over the edge to being suicidal. It’s not one size fits all... for any individual, there is a road of self discovery, movement upon which is driven by that person’s existential condition”.  

Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey is a place devoted to the practice of meditation within the Soto Zen tradition. The monastic community offers retreats and other events for anyone who wishes to learn about meditation and its fundamental relevance in daily living. The Abbey has now been in Northern England for over forty years.

Throssel Hole is under the spiritual direction of the Abbot, Rev. Master Daishin Morgan, a senior disciple of the late Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett.

The senior priests at the Abbey are experienced in teaching people how to meditate and how to establish a spiritual practice. It is explained that the purpose of spiritual practice is to realise our true nature, which is also the true nature of all of existence, and to express this with our body, speech and mind. It is explained that meditation and daily training enable us to see and let go of the clinging which causes suffering, thus allowing the compassion and wisdom within our hearts to enrich our lives.

A Zen Master based at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, Rev. Master Leandra Robertshaw, gave a talk during a weekend retreat organized by Eric Nicholson in February 2012. The retreat was at Minsteracres retreat centre in Northumberland and in her talk, which has been recorded in two parts, Rev. Master Leandra questions how important it is to look into the causes of depression. She also questions how possible this really is, given the complex interactions of conditions. These same questions might apply to our understanding of the causes of psychosis. Also, Rev. Master Leandra speaks of the importance of our deep commitment to following the Buddhist Way and asks: How do we help ourselves?

Recordings of Rev. Master Leandra Robertshaw’s talks are on the website of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, see the following links:

Training with Depression: Part 1  

Training with Depression: Part 2

Obeyesekere, G, (1985) "Depression and Buddhism and the work of culture in Sri lanka" from Kleinman, A; Good, B, Culture and depression: studies in the anthropology and cross-cultural psychiatry of affect and disorder pp.134-152, Berkeley: University of California Press




Note: You may also be interested in Manasa Ayurveda - a traditional Buddhist Ayurvedic approach to mental health and wellbeing, now being introduced in the West...