A Zen Master was troubled by depression before he was Enlightened. 

He was asked if his depression had disappeared. 

He replied, “Before Enlightenment, I was depressed.  After Enlightenment, I am still depressed.” 

“So, what has changed?” queried his student. 

“I now look at my depression differently.” 

It may be impossible to change the distressing situations around us.  We may feel powerless to affect a child on drugs, a philandering spouse, prevent a dear one from dying – or even make someone love us. 

This does not mean that we take no action.  Go ahead.  Be furious when you tell your child of  your disapproval.  Raise hell with your spouse.  Or, leave. 

 We are entitled to our feelings. We must allow ourselves the rage and grief at the conditions of our lives. That piece of us which is part of the Love of the Universe must DEMAND our life back. 

If we can’t change the outside condition, we are left with one alternative. To change ourselves.

It is not spiritual to turn the other cheek in the physical world by denying what is happening.  Take action! 

Then, let go of  our attachment to the outcome of what we have done.  Give the object of the action the opportunity to handle our decisions.

That is looking at things differently. 

We have given away our power.  We have sacrificed our integrity – to keep peace – to get approval – acceptance – prestige – importance, favor. 

We have given ourselves away because we thought these things would bring us happiness at last. They have not. 

We have compromised ourselves in a futile attempt to control.  We go from goal to goal, from one answer – one relationship to another, searching for contentment.  Searching for completion – wholeness. We feel guilty, disappointed, as we discard one thing, one person after another.  Or, they discard us.  That person is also heartbroken because we are all doing the same thing.  Looking outside of ourselves for fulfillment.  Sure someone or something will come along to solve our problems and finally give us peace.

We are thieves, stealing from each other, to get the love we want.

Peace comes when we finally forgive the people we feel are the cause of our problems.  Nobody has the great love which will heal us.

Enlightenment comes when we trust that the love we need is available from a Higher Source. But, we must ask for it and trust it is there.  We need do nothing to have it.  We deserve it. Then, it may flow from us to the source of our distress. 

The first step is looking at it differently. 

This is a process.  A road.  It is not instant.   We take a lot of detours along the way to find something that is available to us.  Something we already have.

We are here to learn in this schoolroom we have chosen.  If we didn’t want to practice, we probably wouldn’t be here.

It is a challenge, on this spiritual journey, to remember that and yet live an ordinary life filled with tragedy, family, friends, annoyances, bills, anger and loneliness. 

To try to keep in mind that we are spirits having a physical experience – not just bodies who are connected to spirit.  To be in it and yet not of it.  To value the journey we have chosen.

Can we look at this larger picture?  Can we look at our depression differently?  Probably not all the time.  And we may need some medical help to assist us on our journey.  To have the courage to feel worthy of a good life.

But progress can be made if we remind ourselves that we – and everyone we encounter are gentle children who are doing the best we can in this difficult environment.  All of us.  Even the situations and people who are hurting us the most.

We have come into the world to heal ourselves.  And although we cannot always understand, this is the way we heal our world. 

There is a beautiful passage from A Course in Miracles that is one of my favorites.  I think the Zen Master would approve of it.

“And as you let yourself be healed, you see all those around you, or who cross your mind, or whom you touch, and those who seem to have no contact with you, healed along with you. Perhaps you will not recognize them all, or realize your offering to all the world when you let healing come to you. But you are never healed alone.  And legions and legions will receive the gift that you receive, when you are healed.”  W,262