THE DEPTH
Confessions of a Closet Buddhist BY OWEN O’NEIL FOUNDER AND CEO OF CLINICS CAN HELP @CLINICSCANHELP
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s an American Buddhist, I’m amused at times at the way people portray how I’ve aspired to live my life. I don’t really blame them. You can find statues of The Buddha decorating the walls of restaurants, for sale as lawn ornaments at local nurseries, and even as part of a prestigious collection at the Norton Museum of Art. In my experience, many Westerners haven’t had a commonsense introduction to Buddhism to put it in any kind of context. It’s still the “exotic religion from the East,” but for me, it has a much deeper meaning that, until now, I’ve been a bit reluctant to share with many other people While I’m not exactly a closet Buddhist (I’ve co-led meditation retreats for years), I’ve definitely kept things low-key. It means a lot to me, so I hold it close, but I think it is time to share it a bit and see if what I have to say has any benefit to anyone else.
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THE WELL OF PBC / FEB ISSUE 2022
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[Meditation]wasn’t even that relaxing at first, and it could be downright stressful if I practiced too hard or too long, but with continual practice, my whole world opened. My anxiety went downhill, I started sleeping better and became a better listener.
