Buddhist

[orangeballoon]

Hello,

Out of curiosity any Buddhist people living with type 1 diabetes out there? I have developed a big interest in Buddhist recently and I have found the teachings very useful to my diabetes care.

Look forward to seeing if there are any respondants!

 

[daisy1]

Hi Orangeballoon and welcome to the forum I am not a Buddist myself and am a type 2 but was very interested by what you said about Buddhist teachings being useful to diabetes care. I would be very interested to hear more about this.

 

[noblehead]

Hello,

Out of curiosity any Buddhist people living with type 1 diabetes out there? I have developed a big interest in Buddhist recently and I have found the teachings very useful to my diabetes care.

Look forward to seeing if there are any respondants!

Hi orangeballon,

Like you I find the whole concept of Buddhism fascinating but have never taken the plunge. Hope there is someone who may be a practising Buddha as it would be interesting to see how this helps or hinders their living with diabetes, although I am sure it would help more than hinder but nonetheless would be nice to hear first-hand!

Nigel

 

[orangeballoon]

Hello Daisy and Nigel,

Thanks for the reply! I very much enjoy the teachings of Buddhism - I have read a few books and try to meditate but I do find it quite a challenge but I am trying!

Quite a lot of the teachings in Buddhism is about being 'mindful' which means focusing on the moments rather than too heavily on the future or past. A quote from one of the books I read said something about how we miss out so much of life but we do not even know it. We do this by looking to the future or thinking lots about the past whilst missing all the present times if that makes sense!

I find with diabetes theres a lot to think about! I dont know if either of you find it, but so much of the news states all the 'complications' which can be terrifying! Also, for me there have been times when my diabetes has seemed to have got in the way of what I want to do, held me back etc by picking up various illnesses and my diabetes making it harder to recover. I have had about three years of picking up many different bugs - mainly from being in a uni environemtn I think! But also thinking too much about the times it has held me back, the exams I missed, the friends who didn't support etc. But, with Buddhism principles its more of focusing on now. So I rarely think about complications and no longer feel held by the times when diabetes has been problematic. By focusing on the day everyday my diabetes is better controlled, and I am less stressed which also helps a great deal. I'm not sure if that raelly makes sense? There have been quite a few journal articles on mindfulness and diabetes in the recent years which you can find on google scholar, but I just find it fascinating!

 

[noblehead]

Quite a lot of the teachings in Buddhism is about being 'mindful' which means focusing on the moments rather than too heavily on the future or past. A quote from one of the books I read said something about how we miss out so much of life but we do not even know it. We do this by looking to the future or thinking lots about the past whilst missing all the present times if that makes sense!

Yes it makes sense and very true!

Nigel

 

[HpprKM]

I am not a Buddhist, though the thought has often occurred to me, I define my religion as Christian with Buddhist leanings, meaning I have a lot of faith in their philosophies and culture. The Dalai Lama being my hero and I thought others may benefit from his recent, beautiful speech on Compassion, hope it works as it is from the Face Book Buddhist Website!
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=162639797107341

 

[jaykay]

I count myself as an atheist with buddhist leanings. Being mindful helps in a lot of situations, when you're feeling stressed or depressed it's invaluable. Even if you are not particularly interested in Buddhism it is worth having a read about meditation or being mindful.

 

[HpprKM]

Orangeballoon,

There is a lot to learn and to be gained from some Buddhist philosophies, please check out the Dali Lama web page shown above, he has also written many books, one of the most helpful being

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

, available, amongst others from Amazon. I would have given the website but not sure that it would not breach the code of ethics on the forum as might be viewed as advertising, if you wish you can send me a private message for that.

Also, of possible interest is a book by Isobel Losada, also a face book member with whom I correspond from time to time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Losada, she resides here in UK but has done much work for the Tibetan Cause and is connected with Buddhism, she has written several books, one of which is 'The Road to Enlightenment'. As I say, you are welcome to send message to me for more info if required. Re: your comment: on the fear of diabetes and all the possible complications, I know it is hard but best not to dwell on them too much, try to keep positive and concentrate on what you can do to keep them at bay by eating a good diet and living as healthy a life style as possible.

If you thinking I am preaching to you, not really, I also find all of those things difficult and have been so caught up in a demanding job of late that I lost sight of how to deal with things, and have taken some stress time out, as reached a really bad low, especially as my husband has been diagnosed with a degenerative illness as well now. Result I am trying to get back in touch with these things, and one of them is around the Buddhist philosophy, in the past I have practised Tai Chi and Yoga, sadly lapsed due to time constraints and life in general, but I have seen and felt the benefits they can bring.

I do hope this helps, and would be very happy to communicate by private messages on this subject if you would like to.

Also, you might like to look at this - thedalailamablog from that blog, the words of Buddha make such perfect sense:

Please consider in this moment:
Once your mind is still, and your words and actions peaceful, you will be free from delusions and opposites, and ready for the final step to enlightenment. - Buddha

As I say, I am far from an expert but it does interest me and I would really enjoy discussing it would others who have an interest, or even knowledge.

 

[Carleyjo]

Hi

I am a type 2 on insulin and a buddhist. I recommend the dharma talks freely available at audio dharma.com if you interested in learning more. Or search for Ajrahn Brahm on youtube originally from London but now in Australia he is very down to earth and delivers talks with an excellent sense of humour. Be aware there are 2 different schools of buddhism the links I have given are Theravdan tradition. No time to write more at this point.

Carleyjo

 

[HpprKM]

Carley Jo

As I said in an earlier post, I am not a Buddhist, but the philosophies do interest me, since my earlier post I have retired and my life is much easier now, busy - but nice busy! I am aware there is more than one school of thought, and to be honest I have not kept up with it too much lately, though still interested. However, a very close friend of mine had recently discovered Buddhism and went to a school in France for a week, there were some other anomalies which I cannot recall at this time. Sadly, very sadly in fact, I am sorry to report that this friend passed away quite unexpectedly just three days after we had this conversation, and there was so much left to say.... I can only say that he seemed to have found peace after a rather troubled life... and I think maybe it was meant to be.

However, it would be interesting to learn more about your particular school of thought.

 

[Carleyjo]

HpprKM

Hi thanks for your response to my post. There is a very famous Theravdan monk called Thick Nhat Hahn who is based in France at a place called Plum Village. Just Google the name or the place for more information about him - he has also written many books. As with many buddhists he was exiled from his homeland in Viet Nahm many years ago. Perhaps this is where your friend visited before he died.
The other schools of buddhist thought are Mayahan (I hope that's the right spelling) and Zen (Japanese).

Carleyjo

 

[NoSugarBabe]

Hi :wave:

:?: Does anyone know of any Mindfulness-based courses in the North East of England? Durham or Newcastle are the nearest cities.

Thanks!