The Dalai Lama visited Vancouver, Canada this weekend and shared his philosophy on cultivating happiness, which is a wonderful tool for recovery from Disordered Eating.
"Everyone has the right to have a happy life, a happy future," stated His Holiness to almost 15,000 intent listeners at GM Place. His belief of building vital and sustainable communities based on small, individual acts of kindness is also one that correlates with someone recovering from an Eating Disorder.
Individuals suffering from Anorexia, Bulimia, Compulsive Overeating and all of the other disorders in between have lost their sense of connection; by becoming enveloped in a world of calories, treadmills and diets, they have cut themselves off from being truly fulfilled.
One of the most common similarities between people who have struggled with Disordered Eating is their sense of utter emptiness, usually without rationalization: they could have a wonderfully supportive family, a loving significant other and nurturing friends, but they still feel disengaged from everyone, especially themselves.
The Dalai Lama advocates that to cultivate happiness one must integrate the mind, body, spirit and soul in order for personal growth to be achieved. He believes that our Western world is full of educating our heads without connecting to our hearts. But our need for intellectual sustenance must be balanced with a full engagement of our physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions.
"Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people's hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human 'brain' with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human 'heart' with compassion."
- His Holiness The Dalai Lama
On out paths to recovery, it is of the utmost importance to reunite, first with ourselves, and then with those supportive people surrounding us. Once the disconnection can be joined, we can begin filling ourselves with empowering thoughts and inspiration, instead of trying to find them in food.
The constant knot in our stomachs of anxiety, obsession and fear can gently be untied by nurturing compassion from our own selves. If we can re-connect with our hearts and listen to what they say, then we are on the road to a fulfillment that food will never be able to satisfy.
Photos of the event:
The Dalai Lama and Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan
The Dalai Lama and his Translator
Singing the Canadian National Anthem
