[Charles Rykken]

It sounds like you have not had an easy life. CBT is a lot like Buddhism. In fact, I think of CBT as a secular form of Buddhism without all the karma talk and rebirth. I also see enlightenment as opening a free channel of communication or awareness or being with your right hemisphere. However, the subconscious priming from early life or serious trauma from any period but especially early life makes the Buddhist approach problematic. The idea (non-idea?) of emptiness is very abstract and I have met more than a few quite bright people who seem to not be able to get it. The reason for pure land Buddhism is honesty about that. I am presently immersed in developing the ability to heal and/or learn to live with whatever scars are not going to vacate the premises of my subconscious. I believe that the pursuit of wisdom is the best choice for having joy and happiness with staying power. The world is pretty messed up but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to give up. I like the way they say it in South Korea. They put their fist in the air and “fighting” in English. Between fight, flight and freeze, I choose fight. It is extremely sad (and shocking) to see how many people are dying of fentanyl overdoses. I keep close to my passions and loves. That’s a helluva lot better than doping out!