[Buddha-l] Was the Buddha mentally ill?

[Jamie Hubbard]

On 7/27/2010 11:04 PM, Richard Hayes wrote:
> Although I have a notoriously phlegmatic nature, there are a couple of topics that can get my bile flowing. One of them is the pushing of pharmaceuticals and the constant manufacture of new disorders, diseases and syndromes.
Well than, Richard, the notion of pervasive dissatisfaction and the 
complex routines required to eliminate it must get your bile flowing, 
huh? Though the Buddha didn't invent the notion of samsara as a hell 
that one needs to escape, he did do a pretty good job of formalizing it. 
It never ceases to amaze me how many contemporary Westerners  that have 
entirely wonderful lives can be convinced that their "happiness" is not 
"true happiness," which lies in some sort of immutable state of nirvana 
(in my experience Asian Buddhists--including monastics-- don't have 
quite the same degree of investment in the First Noble Truth and its 
solution in the Third Noble Truth as converts). Virtually all studies  
report that regardless of country, race, gender, age, physical 
condition, whatever -- nearly 50-55% of the folks report feeling happy 
(though perhaps not including Western Buddhists), contented, and 
satisfied most of the time, and another 20% or so report that they are 
nearly always satisfied and content. There are many problems with these 
sorts of studies, but as Dan noted earlier, a bit of basic psychology is 
a good thing for folks interested in Buddhism-- IMO, a very healthy 
antidote for the First Truth as well as required reading for any budding 
Buddhologist (as is abhidharma and basic Buddhist psychology).

Of course, now that the psychologists have gotten into the Buddhist game 
of convincing everybody that they have a disorder, other problems 
surface, such as the huge increase in pharmaceuticals prescribed, 
usually by your general practitioner w/out any accompanying therapy or 
by a psychiatrist who simply checks your physical responses (blood 
tests) every now and then and likewise gives no attention to any sort of 
therapy.

Alas-- bourbon and a nap are so much easier.

BTW, I have been teaching the past few years with a rather skeptical 
psychologist, who doubts as much of his field as I do of mine. The first 
truth is patently false, the third makes no sense. Oh well.

Jamie