[Buddha-l] Personality disorders and anatta

[Stefan Detrez]

You believe a psychopath can choose to generate compassion and get cured?

2010/11/25 Dante Rosati <danterosati at gmail.com>

> generating compassion is simply a choice, and the best medicine.
>
> On Nov 25, 2010, at 3:52 PM, Stefan Detrez <stefan.detrez at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I think Franz is saying that particularly severe personality disorders
> > cannot be cured with anatta based therapies. He also points to the
> question
> > I have to what extent realizing selflessness can be achieved by people
> who
> > have no clearly defined self image. Ironically, people with low esteem
> > should be nearer to enlightenment than others, since they have less to
> work
> > on. Nowhere is it clear that he states that generating compassion is a
> bad
> > idea. I suppose generating selfless compassion presupposes a sense of
> self,
> > however paradoxical that sounds. Can you comment on that?
> >
> > Happy Thanksgiving, Franz!
> >
> > 2010/11/25 Dante Rosati <danterosati at gmail.com>
> >
> >> wow, someone who thinks generating compassion is a bad idea! thats
> >> impressive!
> >>
> >> On Nov 25, 2010, at 3:35 PM, Franz Metcalf <franz at mind2mind.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hello all,
> >>>
> >>> On Nov 25, 2010, at 10:42 AM, Dante Rosati wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> low self esteem, like most forms of mental inbalance, is caused by
> >>>> self-obsession. mental illness = narrowing horizon. generating
> >>>> bodhicitta is probably the most immediately effective treatment,
> >>>> although anatta meditations proabably wouldn't hurt either.
> >>>
> >>> I would counsel against the use of anatta meditations for people with
> >>> low self-esteem. As Jack Engler has famously said, you need a self
> >>> before you can lose it. This is why meditation centers have learned to
> >>> routinely advise borderline personality types to receive psychological
> >>> counseling/therapy before they begin serious meditation.
> >>>
> >>> Indeed, I lack the time to fully explain, but I find myself doubtful
> >>> of everything Dante wrote in the above quote except that mental
> >>> illness can be seen as a narrowing of horizons. Sorry to be so blunt
> >>> and to now withdraw, but it is Thanksgiving Day here in America and I
> >>> have other obligations.
> >>>
> >>> With thanks for the existence of buddha-l,
> >>>
> >>> Franz Metcalf
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> >>
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> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > 'In some awful, strange, paradoxical way, atheists tend to take religion
> > more seriously than the practioners' - Sir Jonathan Miller.
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-- 
'In some awful, strange, paradoxical way, atheists tend to take religion
more seriously than the practioners' - Sir Jonathan Miller.