I Never Listen to Voices Inside my Head

I never listen to voices inside my head, for my thankfulness to Amida in gratitude has helped me find my own voice.

In my opinion, voices are considered a form of "externalization" arising due to the complex aspects of one's own psyche that represent repressed emotions and feelings. In the case of psychosis, one loses touch with reality and does not realize the voices are actually the mind speaking to itself, giving warning.

When a person says he is hearing voices, he does not associate these voices with his own voice, but considers them as alien to him. Instead, he considers them to be other people talking inside his head.

However, on close examination, each voice is his alone, because the hallucinations are coming from his mind.

If he claims the voices are that of other people, it is confirmed as a hallucination, since the mental manifestation of a voice will usually be his own inner voice, even though it appears another person's voice is "heard."

Truth be told, I have never heard voices when depressed. Nor have I considered suicide when at my lowest. For I lack the will to carry through suicide or even murder, due to a strong reliance on Buddhism during any crisis.

Since the karmic debt of suicide and murder violates the Buddhist precept against killing, it would mean that I would have to work off that debt in a future life.

If I advanced in my spiritual progress in a future life to remember this present life, then it is possible that in that future life the mind would have enough omniscience to be thankful for whatever karmic merit I do.

Perhaps this is why I do not remember my past lives because I am not spiritually advanced to both remember any of those past lives and handle their implication on this life.

Returning to the hallucination of hearing voices, I do not consider them to be real.

Today, my study of Buddhism, especially Pure Land and Tibetan Buddhism, is helping occupy my time.

If there are voices in my mind, they are all cheering me on as one voice, my inner voice. For I smile and laugh more often. Indeed, my love of life, which is so precious, has outshone any need to suppress my feelings of happiness and love.

As the result, all thoughts of despair have been relieved by this positive change in my life. For the only voice in my head is my own inner voice, and it says "Namu Amida Butsu".