When we see that we have been reborn,
only to ripen and become scattered
once again to these great winds,
these karmic winds, without a self,
without being able to remain,
like so many seeds scattered to the wind,
when we see the futility of this world,
the futility of our own life,
when we see that ego cannot exist
in this bardo of life and death,
Our fictitious self we have nurtured
is nothing whatsoever,
just something that rampages through
lifetime after lifetime,
attaching itself to cyclic existence,
spreading death and destruction;
When we see this dark dull world
for what it is, as it is,
with beings suffering,
suffering for no apparent reason,
When we see that all of our actions
lead to more of the same,
depression sets in, envelops us throughout,
expanding our sense of dread,
a deep dark place where only futility exists,
even though we cannot tell,
we cannot see where it comes from;
When we see this darkness looming,
we can take that as a great blessing,
adopting this illness to our Sacred Path,
because now we can easily deduce
that only awakening will help;
Only awakening will help in the least;
Our wandering through this dark mist,
from time immemorial,
can be only liberated by our own
limitless powers found within,
by our own great light,
which completely releases us
from this dark soup,
this agony of cyclic existence;
At last, we can awaken
We will awaken with our aspiration,
At last, at last, at last!
A poem by Robert Aho © 2025
Depression is really a bit of an enigma to people, especially those who have never experienced such a thing. This includes people who study or specialize in the treatment of the condition. Even though we think of it as just a mood, associating it with great sadness, depression is really more of a physical condition, an illness similar to arthritis, something much like inflammation or a chemical imbalance which pervades our entire body, not just a condition of the brain.
If you experience depression, looking at it directly, you can easily see what that is, you can see the energetic expression of that throughout your entire body. If you really look at what is going on, you can see that it’s much more than just a condition of mind. Certain events such as stress or illness can trigger depression; but, also, certain foods, toxins, or our environment can trigger depression. Sometimes it is for no reason at all. It is not entirely clear why it happens.
When we feel a sense of futility in our lives, it is not uncommon to dive into a dark place of deep sadness that seems almost overwhelming. I speak from experience, not from a medical point of view. I’ve dealt with depression my entire life, even as an infant. This had much to do with my tragic death in my very short previous life, and this rebirth into another part of the world far from what I had known, as I described in The Frog: A Spiritual Autobiography, Spanning Many Lifetimes. If you die violently in war or in any other violent way, expect to be depressed in your next lifetime.
Even though depression is pervasive throughout the world, an illness that has been identified for quite some time, no one really knows what that is, what causes it, or how it can be cured. Medical treatments seem to be not much better than a bandage, and people complain about the side effects. We still have much to learn in this regard.
From a spiritual point of view, however, there is much we can do that will help. When we have any sort of pain, and, I must add that depression is extremely painful, we can simply step aside. We can remain present in our awareness, seeing depression for what it is, then shift slightly.
You will not want to cover it up or ignore the pain, nor should you want to pull it closer or push it away. If you do any of those things, it will become much worse. Simply look at mind, look at the pain, accept what is and let it be.
If you become very adept at your meditative practices, depression will be no problem at all. You will be able to bring your Spiritual Practice to a level where you won’t always notice that you are experiencing depression. Your energy will become much more vibrant. As always, the key to achieving such spiritual power is Bodhicitta, or the aspiration to awaken, suffused with great compassion.
When I came back from the death bardo in this lifetime, I felt an extremely painful depression. Even though I had been the light of Dharmakaya for an eternity, existence in this physical realm was overwhelmingly painful. I knew that only awakening would be any help for anyone, and I knew that this would be difficult for people to understand. We can’t just die, hoping that it will be over. It doesn’t work that way. This is depressing.
Liberation requires awakening. We must take good care of our lives and cultivate positive conditions. Never harm yourself or others in any way. As much as you can, always aspire to awaken.
Blessings in Light,
Robert Aho