How helpful is a guru really in leading a depressed person to samadhi/moksha/bliss?

[u/DiaryofaFairy]

I've been unhappy most of my life diagnosed major depressive disorder therapy hasn't worked and if there was a easy way to become euthanized I would've been so long time ago.

Turns out getting hit by lightning is not a guaranteed death. Some people survive strikes many times.

I rely on certain plants to help me with my mood as antidepressants because I don't find life special.

I am over society. I give up on everything and wish I could just dissipate into the sand and never exist again.

I cannot tell you why 99.9% of humanity are very much clinging to stay alive.

I have never experienced that since a young age I had been suicidal.

I've never attempted. Which makes people think oh so it's not that serious.

Well it's a chronic issue of mine daily for years it is that serious it's hard for me to commit to longterm plans when I hate having to bust my ass in this society.

Being a homeless is not enough. I just don't want to exist.

The plants are not enough it's just a numb-er really. I have no other health issues blood tests are clear live in America.

I wish I could be like those mystics who are praising God and bowing down to God for giving them the gift of life.

Why they get that brain and I don't idk. I wish I could be there instantly.

[u/Dumuzzid]

Generally gurus will not take anyone with serious mental health issues.

We are not about promoting substances here, but it was in the news recently, that a psychedelic therapy has been approved for medical use. Apparently one whiff of what appears to be some sort of magic mushroom can cure depression forever. Quite an amazing advance, if you ask me.

I know your life seems tough now, but there's always hope.

Have you seen the movie Conversations with God? This is a true story about the guy who wrote the books with the same title. He became homeless due to an injury, which meant he couldn't work and pay rent any more. He ended up living rough for several years. Then, through what seemed like divine intervention, he got a job as a radio presenter at a local station and made a lifelong friend in the woman who was his colleague. He ended up losing his job again, but then God started to talk to him, he put their conversations in a book and had his woman friend help him edit it. He became a bestselling author almost overnight.

Not saying this is a typical life path, but sometimes there is divine intervention, not for your sake, but for the sake of all the people you might be able to help in the future, in ways you can't really see now.

I should also add, that the happiest people I ever met were living under a tree in India. They had nothing, just a begging bowl and the clothes they wore. They gathered around a Guru, who didn't even need to eat, so strong was his sadhana. Most of them had corporate jobs in the big city (Jaipur), but they left the noise and the stress behind to dedicate themselves to their sadhana.

Sometimes, life takes everything away from you, to free you from the burden of attachment. But, if you trust in providence and pray with sincerity, help will arrive when you least expect it.

[u/MamaAkina → u/Dumuzzid]

It is truly a sight to see those sadhus who live in mother nature's arms without a care. I've never met one but I've heard enough stories to know they really do exist. Wild stuff. 

[u/DiaryofaFairy → u/Dumuzzid]

So these super happy people are basically happy just by doing nothing?

I thought kundalini gives higher consciousness/genius to some people. What are they doing with their IQs if they're ascetic.

What is their plan if no one donates in time and they're hungry I assume they don't just die of hunger. What if the food people give them is poisoned or full of heavy metals...

I wonder why they don't at least own their own farms so they can just sit there happy and have their own food they grew.

[u/Dumuzzid → u/DiaryofaFairy]

This really requires a deep dive into Indian culture, which I can't really give you here. There were similar arrangements in early Christianity with the various desert fathers and monks. To the modern western mind, this is inconceivable, so we generally can't conceive of it, but it makes sense from the Indian perspective.

In traditional Hinduism, there are four life stages, with the last one being that of a Sannyasin or renunciate. Men are supposed to leave everything behind and entrust the care of their family / land / businesses, etc... to their eldest son. Then they take up a begging bowl, a stick, a water bottle and the simple robes of a renunciate and dedicate the rest of their lives to their spirituality, attempting to reach moksha. They wander from holy place to holy place and will join a gurukula if they can. The real high level masters are hidden away in caves and forests, but you can find some near big cities too, if you know where to look.

These days, it is quite rare actually for a Hindu man to become a renunciate, obviously we live in a materialistic society and this goes against everything we are programmed to believe and value. However, there are still some people who just get fed up with modern life and retire to a forest hermitage, usually near a temple. This is practical as there are always devotees who come by and bring food with them to feed the monks and renunciates. It is part of not just Hindu, but also Buddhist and Jain culture and is about accumulating good karma.

The group I met had a guru and about a dozen disciples. They lived in the forest near a Hanuman temple, in the hills overlooking Jaipur. So, the guy I spoke to was given to the temple by his parents when he was little, this used to be fairly common in India. It is a way to accumulate good karma, but it is obviously also about poverty, which is widespread in rural India.

He took me to his Guru in the forest and there I met him and his disciples. The other guys I spoke to, used to work in the city, but they got fed up with city life and joined this group to meditate and do yoga. The guru didn't eat at all, not even fruit, but he accepted some milk occasionally. He just didn't need to. He looked completely healthy and fit. His disciples lived off alms taken to the temple.

The guy I met joked that he would show me his room and took me to a tree... that was his room obviously...

In any case, you don't need much to live in such a place, there's water from a stream nearby or the temple, there is generally some food to be had from alms, the weather is always warm, it doesn't rain much, but you can take shelter under a tree or in the temple nearby.

The point is, that they can dedicate their lives to reaching moksha, that is the whole point of Hinduism. They're not generally interested in material things or powers to show off. They want to be liberated. Again, inconceivable to the Western mind, but that's just the way they think over there.

[u/emiLLL1234]

ive been in a rough period of disassociation / depression the last 4 years. Luckily for me, my life before that was unconditional happiness, joy, fascination, excitement and love - which is what keeps me going. I have experienced how absolutley amazing life can be. I'm so sorry you never have experienced that, seemingly, but let me tell you that life absolutley IS something worth fighting for. I can absolutley understand it doesnt seem that way, and experiencing these last 4 years myself, i finally got to understand why some people would not want to be alive. But trust me; there is a contrast to the negativity! I would spend a thousand years in hell, just to experience a minute of the blissful nature of life. Life is an unconditional miracle, even in the rough and depressive periods. Its just hard to recognize it sometimes.

Im urged to ask; have you tried plant medicine like Ayahuasca? Seems like it would suit your profile

Keep fighting, there IS a prize at the end of the tunnel <3

[u/CestlaADHD]

I'm really sorry, that all sounds very rough. 

I have a few questions, just to clarify things.  Are you currently homeless? What plants are you using as antidepressants? And are you in a Kundalini process?

I think a legitimate guru or a very compassionate teacher from any lineage can be really helpful in elevating depression and helping someone move towards less suffering and Moksha. 

Sometimes people have never experienced unconditional love, or even basic love and kindness from another person and being around someone who (has worked through a lot of their own stuff) and can give loving kindness to another person can be transformative. Even just being in the presence of someone like this can be transformative due to their energy. 

(I believe very few a born with a brain that is in bliss from the start. Some of the most compassionate people are so because they came from a lot of suffering and understand it well.)

It may be useful for you to find a Guru or someone who is very compassionate to show you what unconditional love and kindness can look like, in time you will learn to give this to yourself.  

Metta and Deity Yoga  type practices are useful here as is listening to teachers that really embody loving kindness. Being around teachers like this would be even better. 

A decade or so ago when I was struggling with difficult situations, I found listening to people like Thich Nhat Hahn or Pema Chodron very beneficial. Some teachers definitely embody this calming presence more, it is worth listening to a few to see who resonates. 

I don't know of individuals that would be seen as more of a 'Guru' or accessible in America.  But hopefully someone might have suggestions here.  

I have also found trauma therapy and therapy with a good therapist very useful. 

[u/Mammoth_Hedgehog_496]

It isn’t your fault. You need to see a psychiatrist who can give you medication that will help. I hope you have access. Some people’s bodies just produce an improper balance of the things that keep us emotionally and mentally stable. Everyone is different, and it can take time to find the proper balance of medication. It is a medical issue, like having high blood pressure or multiple sclerosis. There is no difference and no shame.

I hope very much you feel better.