Hi, i'm in some places where there are people full of problems (like physical handicap, depression etc.) and i was thinking to let them know that at least a possibility of a spiritual quest exists. I'm no expert in this field but more or less i've got 3 hits:

- vipassana
- metta/four immeasurables/self-decentering practices
- advaita/actualism
- others...?

The biggest problem is to present this stuff in a way that can be interesting, intruguing, cool. Also brief and a bit organized.

What do you think, for great suffering beings, should i begin to tell about noting, vibrations and the maps? They're fairly interesting. I must say i have no subjective experience on these things, i'm really at the beginning.

I cannot link MCBT because a brief but nice, even better funny introduction would be needed.

Metta and the stuff would also be an idea, because it treats suffering immediately, but it isn't much interesting though.

Suggestions accepted! It's not urgent.

Hmm, I don't know if I'd recommend them to do MCTB-style vipassana. It isn't really very pleasant, except for the brief A&P, and equanimity at the end, and of course stream entry which changes a lot. But up to A&P it can be boring, and post A&P up to Equanimity it can be hellish. For people who are already suffering from depression, that might just be a terrible idea.

If anything, samatha would be better, as it is calming and soothing... but someone doing samatha might inadvertently trigger A&P and then the same analysis applies.

Metta sounds nice cause it makes you feel really good.. and for immediately relieving suffering that might be a good idea. I don't think it can hurt - a bit of metta to brighten one's day.

I would recommend Actualism as a practice with a more permanent result, since just starting to apply HAIETMOBA even halfheartedly seems to make one feel better. And once it starts working the people can see for themselves whether they want to keep going. It might still bring up 'stuff'.. in any case to take it all the way all the 'stuff' must be dealt with.. but the emphasis on felicity (which I have not often followed, true) and delight and sensuousness seems like it would make for an easier path. I see the actualism method as essentially doing what psychiatry tries to do, except all the way.. so it teaches you to be your own therapist, in a way, not by having that therapist-patient relationship, but by having a best-friend-to-best-friend relationship with yourself.

DISCLAIMER: I really don't have much experience with depression and other mental problems, so take all this with a grain of salt and take into account other people's advice here, too.

The state of depression itself can be hellish. But in the long run many people get somewhat used to it and tend to deem depression as a normal state of being. So, perhaps the Dark Night could be felt by depressed people just as "normal" as they feel or have felt their ordinary lives. While the gap between the Dark Night and the previous life of a normal person could be much wider, ranking the new state as remarkably hellish. Does this make sense?

Thanks for the rest, i'm thinking about it.