[LeThanhPhong]

(Quora) What is your technique to pull yourself out of a depressive or anxious state of mind?

Answered by Bhikkhu Vilama:

Effective techniques:

1/ detect and kill
2/ immunity

--ooOoo--

My favorite techniques to deal with stress and depression and anxiety are not avoidance or passiveness. They are in fact very drastic, and I would call them “detect and kill” technique and “immunity” technique. Since I became a monk, this has been my way to deal with difficulties: face them head on, detect and kill or neutralize them from the very beginning. Let me explain:

1. Anxiety and depression are triggered by stressors: Anxiety, depression and stress have the same common denominator: dislike of reality; Anxiety is the fear of perceived reality; Depression is the turning away from reality because one doesn’t want to face it; Stress is the dislike of reality. Thus if you embrace the reality, no matter how much painful it is, all these mental issues are uprooted and die without failure.
   
   
2. Because of years of practicing mindfulness, I have developed the mental skill of scanning my mind constantly to find the very first signs of stress or stimuli which may lead to stress. Upon identify them, I find out the stressors. By analyzing these stressors, I quickly map out all possibilities that may happen and fully accept them, even the worst possibility, such as your beloved one is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tressors are now turned into anticipation and preparation, no more, no less, and all stress disappear. That’s why I call this technique “detect and kill”
   
   
3. However, this technique is not enough in case you are attached to something very important, like your money or your house or your beloved one. Enter “immunity” technique. The monkshood life requires us to lead a celibate life to detach ourselves from all worldly things and as such, serious monks don’t have any clinging, even to their own life. And logically if you are not afraid of death, you are not afraid of anything else, let alone loss of some money!
   
   
4. Needless to say, these techniques as you call them, need to be backed up by Self-confidence and Self-compassion. Luckily they come with ethics, morality and years of meditation.
   

--ooOoo--in

Let’s talk about my actual case study and how I apply these techniques in to my life and the construction of my monastery.

A. Team Local Authority, consisting of local police, city police and anti-espionage special agents (monks are regarded as foreign spy, so these agents target us as well).
They are hell bend on stopping any monk’s attempt to build Buddhist monastery. They have power to stop any construction deemed necessary, to fine and to jail and to evict people. They are brainwashed by a former communist government that holds religions are the harmful opium of the mind, and thus some opposing forces that they have to squash. And they hate religions. And they have secret policy to stonewall any effort to establish religious center, because they are still bound by UN regulation of Religious Freedom. And if they can help it, some corruption here and there would not hurt and definitely go unnoticed.

B. Team Monk (aka. me with some devoted supporters). We are the commoners, the lowly, the nobody, with pure intention of opening a small meditation monastery. And I am bound by the monastic laws that prohibit bribery in any shape and form. All I have is my self-confidence, knowledge of laws and many cultures in the world, and a crystal clear conscience, although only 10 years ago, I was still ridden of PTSD, ADHD, stress, depression and anxiety.
I visited my friend in the middle of 2018, who has a vacation home in B. city. He let me stay there to do my PhD research. The area where I stayed is a highland mountainous terrain, with breathtaking views and a surrounding magnificent nature. My supporter came and visited me. She too felt in love with the area and decided to buy a small land and offer to me. I had no idea of her intention so talk about surprise when she asked me to fill my name in the property buying contract. My natural reaction was “nah, this is not for me”. She spent a long time convincing me. I finally gave in with the condition that she would stand her name as the property owner. She agreed, signed the contract and start the ground breaking process.

Upon getting wind of the construction with the involvement of a monk (aka me), Team Local Authority dispatched local police, urban planing personnels, city police to come to my place and attempted to thwart the construction. They had to withdraw when my supporter named H. produced the contract with her name on it. She is a normal citizen so she has the right to construct her own house as she sees fit. I, on the other hand, as a monk, don’t have this civil right. A practice of detachment to wealth has worked on my favor.

The first score is now: Team Local Authority - Team Monk: 0–1

Immediately, we decided to change some details in the architectural blueprint so the monastery doesn’t look like a traditional one. By this time, enough people have come and shared their horrific experience when they were forced to knock down their own construction, after coughing up lots of money to Team Local Authority’s staff.
Team Local Authority made the second attempt singling me out to scare me away and if they had excuses they would evict me. The sooner it's finished, the better, they figured. So they summoned me to the police station. They treated me as if I was a convicted felon. They positioned me sitting face to face with a policeman in the middle of the interrogation room, with four other in the four corners; Two of whom sat behind my back; All were glaring and staring at me in a menacing manner.

I came prepared. A glance was all I need to figure out their plot. They started first asking me to produce I.D., Driving License, Monkhood I.D., Permanent Residence Paper, etc. All papers were in order, especially I come from the biggest city. They eyed each other, preparing for the second assault. Next they asked me about my education, and I was more than happy to show them my MPhil degree and my Phd candidacy and various certificate of languages I am endowed with. They were very impressed. I was sure even their top boss couldn’t go that far.
Then they tried to attack my faith and belittle my knowledge. In a cool, calm and collected manner, I schooled them the knowledge of philosophy and religions. Their element of surprise wasted, they looked like high school boys caught red handed failing to do homework. They tried to connect me to the construction to which I denied. Finally they let me go, without threats of eviction. They could, but they didn’t. I reckoned my self-confidence and my fearlessness triumphed. They realized I was not a helpless victim they thought I was.

The second score: Team Local Authority - Team Monk: 0–2

Then they struck where they think our weakness is: H. They summoned her and questioned her large project’s usability and tried to coerce her into confession of religious construction. I had prep her well for response. And they also had to let her go.

The third score: Team Local Authority - Team Monk: 0–3

Fast forward to many other attempts to harass me and preemptively attack, force me to pledge non-usage in H.’s land, in response to which I was always able to deflect and neutralize all of them, without the necessity of bribery.

I was like a chess grand master making pre-meditated steps in the chess board.

The fourth score: Team Local Authority - Team Monk: 0–4

The final victory came when it became clear to me that to stay legally in the newly built buildings, H. would have to transfer the land to me (I could purchase the land, but not the buildings on it). That and a few more steps until I legally owned everything. Before I was issued the final paper, Team Local Authority got wind of this and tried to interfere, this time it was a blatant attempt to force us to bribe them. They would wait outside of the town hall and tried to intercept our submitting final application. I dealt them a final KO by delaying the submission until one month later. Team Local Authority gave up, unwillingly so in the end. They showed up uninvited on my door a few more times, and I always politely refuse to let them even a single time.

The final score: Team Local Authority - Team Monk: 0–5

This cat and mouse game was going on the course of one year. I had next to zero stress, no depression and no anxiety.
To pull this off, I accepted that we might not finish the construction, that I could be evicted. Not a big deal since I did not covet my own property, aka “immunity” technique. Because of this, I was able to turn the whole ordeal into a mindful exercise of detecting stress and getting rid of it, aka “detect and kill” technique.

Wish you the same