Clinical Professionals

[SeerObserver]

At a Dhamma talk recently, a point was made by one of the Bhikkhus facilitating the discussion that clinical professionals are in a really good position to understand much of the dhamma. This is because they are in constant contact with 4 things (3 of which are 3 of the 4 sights), birth, aging, illness, and death. In addition, they often have the opportunity to see the insides face to face, so to speak. That being the case, they should really be able to detach from form and beauty by seeing that our insides are all composed of visually unstimulating things, kesa, loma, nakha, danta, taco, etc.

I would be interested to hear thoughts on this, especially those of clinical professionals.

But really in general, how has your occupation or daily life experience impacted your view of dhamma?

PS - A point has also been made, although elsewhere, that oftentimes the schooling one receives may have skewed or hindered the understanding of dhamma. For example, different values get instilled by different schoolings and what may be viewed as progress and development by the modern world, is actually viewed as decline and decay by the truth of nature...things like that.

Edited April 14, 2009 by SeerObserver

[camerata]

At a Dhamma talk recently, a point was made by one of the Bhikkhus facilitating the discussion that clinical professionals are in a really good position to understand much of the dhamma. This is because they are in constant contact with 4 things (3 of which are 3 of the 4 sights), birth, aging, illness, and death. In addition, they often have the opportunity to see the insides face to face, so to speak. That being the case, they should really be able to detach from form and beauty by seeing that our insides are all composed of visually unstimulating things, kesa, loma, nakha, danta, taco, etc.

I think that's a fairly advanced practice. For non-Buddhists at least, doctors, dentists and psychologists all have very high suicide rates.

[SeerObserver]

At a Dhamma talk recently, a point was made by one of the Bhikkhus facilitating the discussion that clinical professionals are in a really good position to understand much of the dhamma. This is because they are in constant contact with 4 things (3 of which are 3 of the 4 sights), birth, aging, illness, and death. In addition, they often have the opportunity to see the insides face to face, so to speak. That being the case, they should really be able to detach from form and beauty by seeing that our insides are all composed of visually unstimulating things, kesa, loma, nakha, danta, taco, etc.

I think that's a fairly advanced practice. For non-Buddhists at least, doctors, dentists and psychologists all have very high suicide rates.

Come to think of it, you're right to say that. There is an account somewhere in the suttas of a group of monks who began to take their own lives after having meditated on such a subject. This happened because of an aversion that they formed from that practice. So it would be correct to say that this may be a practice that one has to be ready for.