DP, I also think if you are struggling with OCD you shouldn't be focusing on Right Action or Right Anything else. That just feeds your OCD.
Just try to sit and take things as they come without judegment. And of course continue to see your doctor and follow his suggestions. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], "D P" <wookielifeday@...> wrote: > > > I think I can see that. > > > Let me put it this way: > > I have OCD about contracting horrible diseases. Part of my response to my OCD > is to accept the fact that I may in fact be exposing myself to these horrible > diseases just through regular day-by-day activities. > > But in that case, what is Right Action? By accepting that I am endangering > myself just by living, am I abdicating my duty to Right Action? > > PArt of my anxiety is also that certain products may or may not have animal > products. The OCD initial response is to check all labels for animal > products. But 1) that's impossible, and 2) that's feeding my OCD. > > But is it Right Action not to check? > > --- In [email protected], Mark Perew <mperew@> wrote: > > > > DP > > > > Living in the moment, mindfulness, is very different from living for the > > moment. Can you spot the difference? How might those be different in your > > practice? > > On Jul 21, 2011 1:16 PM, "D P" <wookielifeday@> wrote: > > > > > > I fear nothingness because I associate it with the western view of > > nihlism. I also am put off with the idea of living for the moment, because I > > associate it with a western hedonism that I find distasteful. > > > > > > > > > Yes, what happened before us is gone, but we have touchstones to know that > > it did exist. And the past can certainly affect us now. > > > > > > > > > But the "living right" is also scary because then my OCD kicks in that I > > am somehow not doing it right! > > > > > > I want to forgive myself for mistakes, and accept things without dwelling > > in depression. > > > > > > --- In [email protected], Edgar Owen <edgarowen@> wrote: > > >> > > >> All this was gone before you were born. Do you fear that? Every moment of > > the past is now gone. Do you fear that? Yesterday and your yesterday self > > are now gone. Do you fear that? The previous second is now gone and your > > existence then with it. Do you fear that? No, of course not. These are all > > imaginary times that exist only in your mind as memories. Your future death > > does not exist except as an identical imagination in your mind. So why fear > > these imaginary moments after you won't be here that your mind makes up? > > They exist only in your fears, as thoughts and not in reality. The only > > reality is the present moment and you are here alive in it. And you can > > choose to infect this present moment with fear or to release it and directly > > experience total life and pure consciousness within it. > > >> > > >> Personal death is an illusion because it will never be experienced. Only > > life is ever experienced. Only life can be experienced. Death can never be > > experienced so there is nothing to worry about. Thus use the freedom you > > have to optimize your life in the present moment since your life in the > > present moment is all that exists and all that ever will exist. Thus you > > must purify your consciousness in the present moment by paying no attention > > to and not dwelling on your fear of death. That will maximize life which is > > what the fear of death is really about - not being present maximally and > > totally in the present which is all that exists, which is the only place > > life can and does exist. > > >> > > >> Worrying about death won't make any difference about whether you will die > > or not so it's a waste of time that diminishes your real life right now. > > It's also about bravery. Remember the samurai Zen ethic - the ultimate > > bravery is to recognize and accept the possibility of your death as ever > > present and all around you and everywhere and facing it squarely to live > > every moment totally in the moment. In spite of that recognition choose to > > live totally and completely in the moment! Live every moment as your last. > > Worrying about death and letting it drain the reality of your life is for > > wimps who are not truly alive. Worrying about death is not the Zen way... > > >> > > >> Edgar > > >> http://EdgarLOwen.info > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> On Jul 20, 2011, at 9:39 PM, D P wrote: > > >> > > >> > But this will all be gone. All of it. That's what I fear. And it feels > > like a real fear. > > >> > > > >> > --- In [email protected], Edgar Owen <edgarowen@> wrote: > > >> > > > > >> > > Why on earth would anyone be worried about death? After all you won't > > be around or conscious to experience it! Remember you were dead before you > > were born. Do you worry about not being alive before you were born? Of > > course not. Then why worry about being dead after you're dead? Same thing > > exactly. You'll be in exactly the same state, or rather no state at all. > > Death is entirely an illusion and an illusory fear. > > >> > > > > >> > > And even if you are still worried about death the best answer to that > > is simply to immerse yourself completely in the present moment and enjoy it > > and forget death. After all death doesn't exist. That is your death will > > never exist for you. All that will ever exist for you is life! > > >> > > > > >> > > Edgar > > >> > > > > >> > > On Jul 20, 2011, at 2:50 PM, D P wrote: > > >> > > > > >> > > > Hi, > > >> > > > I am sorry hthat I haven't been on here more, but I do need some > > help right now. > > >> > > > > > >> > > > I just can't get over my fear of death. I know that in some ways > > it's not really an issue in zen, but it still bothers me. I can't seem to > > get into the idea of living the moment. > > >> > > > > > >> > > > Does anybody have any advice, koans, or books/essays to read? > > >> > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > > > Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are > > reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! 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