Namaste All
I did a site search for the word "samvega" and nothing came up. So I figured I would start a thread on what Samvega is and see if anyone is interested in dicussing it.
Samvega is a Buddhist concept (I believe).....here is the definition:
"The oppressive sense of shock, dismay and alienation that come with realizing the futility and meaningless of life as it's normally lived; a chastening sense of our own complacency and foolishness in having let ourselves live so blindly; and an anxious sense of urgency in trying to find a way out of the meaningless cycle".
All 3 clusters of these feelings are felt at the same time during a Samvega experience. Here are a few symptoms that come along with experiencing Samvega:
1) A puzzling failure of previous sources of satisfaction
2) A heightened concern with authenticity
3) A deeply felt internal imperative to stop business as usual
4) A sense of urgency about realizing deeply hidden talents and gifts
5) A call to explore a path that might give transcendent meaning to the enigmas of life.
I know that I personally had a "samvega" experience in February 2005. It was a defining moment (actually 3 days) in my life. It started with me trying to commit suicide and continued (once I was unsuccessful) with a solid three days of crying (no eating no sleeping) while locked in the psych ward of a hospital, ending with the most profound silence I had ever felt (at that point in my life). During that time of Silence I realized that this state of Being was where I wanted to live from for the rest of my life and that I would do whatever was necessary to stay in/get back to that point. This was the beginning of my search for "enlightenment." I believe that a lot of people have "samvega" experiences but that usually (in this society) they are called "mid-life crisis'". I can't know this (as my "mid-life crisis" came long before "mid life" [I was only 24]) but I have a suspicion that this is essentially what people who are going through what is often termed as a "mid life crisis" are experiencing. Anyone gone through a mid-life crisis and is willing to comment on whether the definition of samvega fits with your experience?
Love!