Embracing Zen Philosophies

Summary

The author, a Roman Catholic, shares how embracing Zen philosophies, particularly mindfulness and letting go of what one cannot control, has positively impacted their recovery and sobriety journey.

Abstract

In this article, the author discusses their personal journey of embracing Zen philosophies, particularly those found in Buddhism, as a means to aid their recovery and sobriety. Despite being a Roman Catholic, the author found strength and hope in the teachings of Buddhism, which they refer to as Zen philosophies. The author highlights the importance of mindfulness and the practice of letting go of what one cannot control, which they found particularly helpful in overcoming shame and guilt from past mistakes. They emphasize the importance of self-forgiveness and acceptance, stating that everyone deserves a chance to learn from their past and move forward. The author concludes by expressing gratitude for their newfound understanding and the positive impact it has had on their life.

Opinions

The author, a Roman Catholic, finds value in the philosophies of Buddhism, particularly those related to mindfulness and letting go of what one cannot control.
The author believes that self-forgiveness and letting go of shame are crucial for personal growth and evolution.
The author emphasizes the importance of acceptance and realizing that the past is the past and cannot be changed.
The author asserts that everyone, regardless of their past mistakes, deserves self-forgiveness and a chance to learn from their experiences.
The author believes that remorse should be demonstrated through actions rather than words.
The author values the practice of mindfulness and letting go as a means to find forgiveness from those who have been hurt by one's past actions.
The author expresses gratitude for their newfound understanding of Zen philosophies and the positive impact it has had on their life.

Embracing Zen Philosophies

While I have always been a Roman Catholic, I have learned to open my mind into other types of faiths and spirituality as my life goes on. My struggles and difficult times have lead me to learn lessons about the philosophies of religions like Buddhism. While I am not a practicing Buddhist, I still find a lot of strength and hope from that faith. It seems as if many of their lessons seem to fit the type of struggles that I have lived through.

Sometimes their beliefs are referred to as Zen Philosophies, and some of them are very pertinent to my own life, and current values.

Throughout my journey of recovery and sobriety, I have studied the practice of Mindfulness in great detail. While I have heard about being mindful many times throughout my many tries of sobriety, I never really stopped and paid attention to it, until I got sober three years ago. When I really worked hard to master mindfulness, I started to see that many of the Buddhist Zen Philosophies strongly related to the type of life I had been living.

One of the valuable Zen points is one that tells us to let go of what we cannot control. This is very important to me, as many of my struggles were caused by the fact that I could not let go of my shame as it related to the past. Shame and guilt can be quite destructive, and it can put up a roadblock when it comes to self forgiveness. While Buddhism does not tell us that we shouldn’t be sorry, it does tell us that self forgiveness and letting of shame is crucial to our growth, and our evolving through life.

Many of my past mistakes and pain that I did unto others hurt my mental health, long after it was done. Putting the past behind me for good, was a Zen way of life that really helped me mold myself into a better sense of maturity.

Many may say that the past mistakes are not things out of control, and that I did all the hurt to my life, at my own hands, so I must deserve to be stuck. While that may be true, we still eventually will get to a place in life where we no longer can control what has already past us. We have to practice acceptance, but we also must realize that the past is the past, and the darkness of our past is no longer something we can control, or change. What’s done, is done. We have to build from those experiences, and learn what we can no longer do.

Even those of us who make mistakes, hurt others in the past, broke trust, and did dirt to others, deserve at least self forgiveness.

Remorse should be imminent when the same mistakes are no longer made.

It is not our words of apologies that matter, it is instead the way we act, as we go forward. Remorse is proven through acts.

If we can learn from our past, and show our new ways through actions, we are more likely to find forgiveness from those who have been victims of our mess.

This process has been an invaluable one for me, and years ago, I could had never imagined that I would be able to come to an awakening like this. Looking back at my unholier times, I used to feel like I was trapped in an awful cycle, and it would be that way the rest of my life. It was the practice of this particular Zen philosophy that has been the difference maker and the game changer, for a life once lost, but now has found that bright light.

Thank you for reading.

Michael Patanella

is a Trenton, New Jersey Author, Publisher, Columnist, Editor, Advocate, and recovering addict, covering topics of mental health, addiction, sobriety, mindfulness, self-help, faith, spirituality, Smart Recovery, social advocacy, and countless other nonfiction topics. His articles, publications, memoirs, and stories are geared towards being a voice for the voiceless. Hoping to reach others out there still struggling.