Since leonard passed away, I did many searchs to get info about some stuff I didn't knew or misunderstood about him, his path..Geez..he is quite a character.
Someone who has known him gave a full hour interview about the man and his spiritual path last week.
Despite very attached to his jewish roots, traditions and culture, he crossed several spiritual valleys and let such deep stream flow through his mind, soul, heart..and learned from those many experiences. He became a real master of the christian bible and got into intensive learning of buddhist studies with a japanese zen monk (in seclusion at the mount baldy monsatery in LA). (that time of his life was devoted to learn from the old master, to get better knowledge of himself and life...)
He would say later, that he mostly realized that the main questions of life remains unansewered..so one must learn to cope with it. :confused2: (Inf act..this not knowing and uncertainty is a cause of suffering, fear, and anxiety...) Since his childhood (a melancholic refugee mother and a dad who died whe Leonard was a kid...) hie lived with a ''depressive'' background in his thoughts, in his mind..He was a broken..but all his life his tried to overcome it and sing for others others who too are broken...
This had been reported recently about his chronic depression:
Cohen’s work in fact, has done far more than sustain him in his twilight of a music career that has endured for half a century. He has enjoyed a spectacular third act that defies the laws of showbiz physics. By the time he entered his seventies, Cohen had retreated from the spotlight, and was living a quiet life in Los Angeles, with his children, Adam and Lorca, close by. His chronic depression had miraculously lifted, and he seemed in no hurry to do anything. * see below his realizaton after his years at the onastery.
One thing he said and is obvious with Leonard Cohen is he has truly been a truth seeker...and he kept away of falling into any dogmatic belief...he kept his spirituality wide opened to any experience and would say that his favorite figure was Jesus:
'' 'm very fond of Jesus Christ. He may be the most beautiful guy who walked the face of this earth. ''
He also said he has no ''spiritual path...''
This is quite something for a jew .
About his Zen monk seclusion of 4-5 years, he would say he did a first attempt and couldn't make it..too much difficult. He left and went back to women... lol (poor man...His whole life was mostly about woman beauty contemplation and to enjoy it...
)
Then he did a second attempt...and it was the right one!
At the monastery, Cohen cooked, cleaned, and sat. Sitting meditation, known as Za-Zen, aims to tame monkey mind, frenetic thinking, by studying the self to forget the self. It worked for the songster. But it took three decades of instruction and the mellowing of old age to put the musician in a neutral, monkish state of mind.
“When you stop thinking about yourself all the time, a certain sense of repose overtakes you, ”he said.
“It happened to me by imperceptible degrees and I could not really believe it.”
and he would never give up on buddhist practice of meditation while he never abandonned a sort of belief (or sense) there is a Lord...(withouh any certitude on that) so he sang it...
Here are a few songs I listened lately and love..may be you will enjoy! One is about healing..It played on the radio, a long night this last week when I was particularly agitated fighting my own demons......Beautifull songs! was like when daddy would caress our back with his large and warm hand , to make us babygirls relax till we would fall asleep....any fear gone.......
Come healing
[video]https://youtu.be/MUB1O2cT2gM[/video]
Lullaby
[video]https://youtu.be/VlwVu9_IvjM[/video]
Because Leonard Cohen was not ''only'' dark and
In the event you need it, it may comfort you..