Chapter 4: Mental Abuse And Metal Health 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》

Mental Abuse And Mental Health

It may not be too difficult to do good; it is more difficult to be good. But to maintain a good mental attitude and to do some service to others in the face of accusations, criticism and obstructions is most difficult of all.

The word 'Man' is presumably derived from the Sanskrit word, 'manas', meaning mind. The human race is made up of not only body, but also mind. Equipped with a mind, Man must be capable of thinking since this is the specific function of the mind. It is through the mind, not the body, that human values can be understood, appreciated and followed.

If a person does not use his mind to think rationally as well as humanely he is not worthy of belonging to the human race.

You are born into this world to do some good, not to pass your days in idleness and become a burden to society. Always think of rising higher in goodness and wisdom. Otherwise you abuse the privilege of this high station attained through your merits.

Of all the infinite number of beings in the universe, the human being has climbed the highest in the uphill struggle towards the summit of perfect existence. We are near the summit, and in one lap or two, we may reach it. But even if we cannot make it to the last lap and reach the top in this life, we can nevertheless still travel on a direct, secure route that could bring us to the summit without the risk of falling back to lower forms of life. The last lap is difficult but with determination we can ensure that we reach a stage where there will be no more turning back.

Our most urgent task, therefore, is to ensure that we do not fall below our present plane of existence. For this purpose, we must try to understand the process of life and realize that each one of us is at the helm of our respective careers. We must steer our lives clear of the lower forms of existence, by keeping to the map of Dhamma.


Life in the Modern World 

How does life seem to many people? A tread-mill. For a quarter of a century, they work to acquire the means of livelihood; for another quarter they struggle amidst perpetual anxieties to accumulate some wealth and property; and in the next quarter, they progress towards death without even knowing exactly why they had lived at all.

Many people are so preoccupied with the business of earning a living that they have no time to live. They try to keep up their external appearances but neglect their internal development. Blinded by their senses, they mistake the false for the real. They work hard - even fight, tooth and claw - for wealth, power and position, thinking that they can be 'successful' if they achieve these rewards of life. Here, one writer tries to tell us how we spend our lives:

'We live and work and dream,
Each has his little scheme,
Sometimes we laugh,
Sometimes we cry,
And thus the days go by.'

One of the greatest maladies facing the modern world is too much action. Action, more action, and still more action punctuate the life of man from the cradle to the grave. Seldom can he spend even five minutes in silence to relax.

Today man can travel at twice the speed of sound in supersonic jets. On land, he can travel at an incredible speed in the so-called 'bullet train', and skim over the ocean surface in a hovercraft. In all these spheres of human activities, the trend is to do more in a shorter period of time. He rushes here and there as modern living makes great demands on him. He snatches a hasty meal and dashes off again to join the daily rat race. He leaps into bed, tosses and turns for half the night. Just as he is dropping off to sleep, the alarm clock goes and he is up once again to begin yet another day. For too long, modern man has abused his body and mind. Human nerves just cannot withstand the pace at which he lives today. So, it will only be a matter of time before they give way. Nature never hurries; neither should we.

Modern man is so busy in his working hours that he sometimes talks and even walks in his sleep. This rapid pace in modern man's life is like the constant roar of the machines he invented. The frittering away of his nervous energies and the dissipation of mental
resources weaken both his mind and body. 

He seems to be enmeshed in all kinds of ideas, views and ideologies, both interesting as well as foolish. He is greatly influenced by the mass-media, like television, cinema, newspapers and magazines, which shape his way of thinking, desires and life style. Human sexuality is exploited to the hilt in the media to persuade him to buy, even the things he does not need. Music, dance and other forms of entertainment which were introduced for his relaxation have today become like drugs, creating more excitement and restlessness in his mind and arousing his animal nature. In the end, he becomes confused and turns away from the path of rectitude and understanding to follow the easier path of overindulgence and sensuality.


Life as a Battlefield

The world itself is a vast battlefield. Everywhere there is fighting, violence and bloodshed. Existence is characterised by constant struggle: molecules against molecules, atoms against atoms, electrons against electrons, men against men, women against women, men against animals, animals against men, spirits against men, men against spirits, men against nature and nature against men. Within one's physical body, there is constant flux and struggle.

Just like the world, the mind itself is a great field in which many battles are fought. Every little incident disturbs the balance of the mind. The mind becomes exceedingly happy when a son is born. At the next moment, it becomes unhappy when the boy falls sick, meets with an accident or is struck with an incurable disease. The mind fluctuates between the two extremes of happiness and sorrow because it is not trained to see the true nature of life. For that reason, the ordinary man will always experience suffering, fear, uncertainty and very little emotional satisfaction in this world of constant flux. But when a person has trained his mind with meditation and sees the nature of things as they really are, his mind is no longer attached to nor tied down by the world. As a result, he frees himself from suffering and the imperfections of the world.

Life is an eternal battle fought along two fronts: one outward, the other inward. The outer line is intellectualism and rationality. If the strength of the first front is exhausted, man withdraws into the second front of his inner feelings and thoughts and seeks to
fight from there anew. When the second front is lost as well, he withdraws into himself to nurse his wounds for a while, only to emerge again and fight on another day. However, when he is completely shattered and withdraws into himself, living on his anger, frustration, desires and fantasies for a long period of time, his sanity becomes affected. 

An uncontrolled mind is dominated by the unwholesome thoughts of selfishness, greed and attachment to worldly fame, gains and possessions. If these tendencies are not checked, the mind will turn into a devil's workshop, changing human beings into monsters who are prepared to kill and destroy whoever and whatever is in their way.

For the sake of material gain and comfort, modern man does not listen to the voice of nature. He wants too much out of life, and because of that he 'cracks up'. He is made to believe that 'success' means being able to do everything and be 'the best' in all these activities. Of course, this is physically impossible. His mental activities are so preoccupied with his future happiness that he neglects the needs of his physical body and ignores the importance of the present moment for what it is worth. This inability to get our priorities right is one of the main causes of all our frustration, anxiety, fear and insecurity.

So, what is the result of all this? These anxieties and stress manifest themselves as mental ailments and disturbances, collectively known as 'emotional killers'. These negative emotions of fear, worry, insecurity, jealousy, and so on, not only cause suffering to the person concerned, but also to those around him.

In many developed countries it has been found that about two out of every ten persons are suffering from insanity or are in need of psychiatric treatment for one kind of neurosis or another. More and more hospitals and institutions for the mentally sick suffering from various forms of neuroses are being built. There are many more who do not receive any treatment, but are badly in need of help. The rise in the criminal element, which is sometimes equated to mental affliction within these societies, has reached alarming proportions. One of the far-reaching results arising from the research of Freud is the recognition that people who are compulsive criminals and delinquents are mentally sick, who are more in need of understanding and treatment than corrective punishment. This attitude to the problem lies in the basis of all progressive social reform and opens up the way for rehabilitation rather than revenge and retribution.

There are certain common methodologies or techniques in mental therapy to treat people who are mentally unbalanced. Initially, the aim is to bring to the surface the mental states that have long been buried. The psychiatrist encourages his patients to talk and reveal those carefully camouflaged thoughts that have long been hidden even from the patient himself. The psychiatrist deliberately refrains from telling the patient what to do, but tries to bring him to that state of mental awareness where he can see for himself his own mistaken attitudes of mind. Thus, in this way a skilled psychiatrist attempts to reveal the secret for every patient the creator of his illness, which in every instance is none other than the patient himself. This unmasking gives the patient an insight into the hidden nature of his problem as well as how it could be overcome.

This approach is similar to the Buddha's 'Do It Yourself method, which aims at making us realise the true nature of life, of ourselves and of our problems. By following this gradual method, we will come to recognise that the great problems in this world are caused by our own craving and ignorance. At the same time, we will also practise the way of reducing our mental defilements and eradicating the root of our problems, thereby enabling us to experience spiritual growth and emerge completely liberated from worldly conditioning and suffering. 


Towards Mental Health

The destructive mental forces and emotions must be checked and reduced to a manageable level. In this context, relaxation is a necessity, not a luxury. We should reduce or curtail all unnecessary activities, rise early to have more time to dress and talk to the family, and make a habit of spending some time alone to be engaged in some useful activities like reading, contemplation and for physical and mental relaxation.

All of man's ills depend on how well he attempts to cross life's currents. No man can cross the ocean in a sailing boat by defying the winds; instead, he must adjust his sails to the winds. The currents of life are always streaming in one direction. They will never
change the course of their flow, just as the sun does not change its direction. Man must adapt himself to this flow of life to find complete harmony within himself and with his environment.

Obey the eternal law of the universe (Dhamma), taught by the Buddha. He who keeps this law lives happily in this world and in the next. It is the duty of every human being to use his mind in the correct way. The human mind should be channelled towards creating a just, equitable and peaceful world. If the mind is allowed to roam at random, it will become undisciplined, distorted and depraved. Most of the suffering in the world is caused by unruly, distorted or depraved minds. The man who is not at peace with himself cannot be at peace with others.

Hatred is an unhealthy attitude which increases more darkness and which obstructs right understanding. Hatred restricts; love releases. Hatred strangles; love enfranchises. Hatred brings remorse; love brings peace. Hatred agitates; love quietens, stills,
calms. Hatred divides; love unites. Hatred hardens; love softens. Hatred hinders; love helps. By realising the value of love, one must eradicate hatred.

Mankind prays for peace, but there can be no peace in the world until the conflicts within man himself are resolved. For this to be accomplished, there is an urgent need to train the mind. One may ask, 'How can we do it?' While this is a logical question, more
important is the question, 'Do we want to do it?' If the answer is a clear 'Yes', accompanied by commitment, one can certainly develop the skill to train one's mind.

The Basic Law of The Mind:-

As you See - so you Feel
As you Feel - so you Think
As you Think - so you Will
As you Will - so you Act

Source Of Information: 
 《How To Live Without Fear & Worry》，by K. Sri Dhammananda, published in October 2018 by The Corporation Republic of Hwa Dzan Society, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.