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48 EASTERN HORIZON | PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

5 WAYS TO BE HAPPIER

& LESS DEPRESSED

THROUGH BUDDHISM

By Francesca Biller

Francesca Biller is an award-winning investigative journalist and has reported for
print, radio and television for nearly twenty years. As a reporter, she has widely
covered the issues of politics, the economy, women’s issues, families, race, the
media, popular culture, children and a variety of other topical and timely issues.
Awards include The Edward R. Murrow award, two Golden Mike awards and four
Society of Professional Journalists First Place awards. Currently, she primarily
writes political satire, op eds and essays with a focus on women, children, politics
and pop culture for various blogs, websites and other media outlets.

As a young child, I did not realize how fortunate I was to have a Buddhist mother.

I simply assumed that all children grew up with the gifts of wisdom, sound solace and
a tangible sense of calm.

But after I flew the safe nest and breast of my mother, I learned that the rest of the
world was not so quiet, not so reflective, and not very serene at all. I learned much too
quickly that the world was often a bitter, ugly and angry place, and much too loud for
my sensitive ears. But it was just that sensitivity that I learned from Buddhism that
helped me through the pain and looming despair I would face.

Such painful periods included watching my infant daughter undergo open heart
surgery, enduring an abusive relationship for years, and suffering severe injuries in a
car accident.

There were also periods when I simply felt blue from the rigors that life can often
have on you. These include the day-to-day experiences of relationships, work, having
and raising children, trying to keep up or even find the Joneses, helping with aging
parents, and the first years of early childhood when one often feels so alone.

As I look back upon my life, and live each day with a brighter spirit as I have grown
older and hopefully wiser, the words of my Buddhist mother always whispers gentle
and soothing words straight into my spirit.