This helped me, so I’m sharing in case it helps someone else

It’s  a blank space baby *clicks pen* and I’ll write your name 

The only word I picked up on there was "Drrrrrink!"

And while you’re doing that:  maybe drink your cloud ️

My faith has nothing to do with me being ND and I think that faith is something that can help everyone, as long as it dosen't make one dogmatic.

Meditating is hard, but it's worth the effort, don't be put off by it not happening instantly, it's a practice and it takes practice. But I think no matter how imperfect your meditations are for some, they are none the less valuable and the most important thing is that you benefit from it.

I shall ponder on the meaning of the blankness.

Although remember im a Zen Buddhist so I'm empty of a separate self…….so maybe it makes sense ️

Far from it

Is that a blank look you're giving us?

Thank you - I haven’t investigated Taoism at all - how exciting -  I’d love to find out about that! Thank you for suggesting it - it’s not been on my radar. I like what you say about ‘different realities’ - yes - it’s extraordinary how life opens up when you begin to realise how limited our thinking is a lot of the time. But that’s usually because we simply aren’t taught to think more deeply about our own perceptions. Western societies are extraordinarily poor (in recent times) at encouraging and teaching people to really THINK. I suspect that’s partly because they don’t particularly want people to think too much! 
We are often psychologically trapped by ways of thinking that we’ve inherited from our upbringing. We are told how things are, and who we are, by people who themselves haven’t got much of a clue. One of my favourite things that Thich Nhat Hanh says is: “I walk as a free person” - and freedom is as much a state of mind as it is about what’s physically happening to us. Many of the things that stop us feeling free are mental states that are (it turns out) based on completely wrong perceptions that have been instilled in us by our culture and upbringing.  As autistic people I think we are particularly vulnerable to defining ourselves and feeling bad about ourselves because of other people’s (and societies) false perceptions about us. But this applies also to virtually every aspect of existence - things are often very different to how we perceive them to be. It’s so fascinating and also very liberating. 

Hi McFrost, I can relate to your experience with meditation. Funnily enough I’ve heard many Buddhist Monks and Nuns say that they massively struggled with meditation and even “hated” having to do it initially! For various reasons I found focusing on the breath very stressful and as so many meditation techniques involve that I struggled with that so much. Thankfully there are many different ways to meditate, and in addition you can really benefit from Buddhist teachings and philosophy without meditating at all. Meditation is fundamentally just concentration - it can be concentrating on sounds for example, and I particularly like walking meditation outside in nature because I like movement and find sitting really still not pleasant. Maybe that’s because I’m autistic? Probably! There’s all sorts of approaches. One of the things I most like about the Thich Nhat Hanh / Plum Village tradition is that it’s very accessible and not at all strict - it’s very different to many other Zen traditions which can be quite intimidating and rigid. And they have a sense of humour - and encourage that! They encourage joy rather than strict asceticism etc. Like you I find that it has helped me to keep things in perspective and to not get so ‘caught’ in things that previously I would dwell on for days and days and really obsess about. It’s opened my mind to different ways of looking at things, I’ve got more ‘space’ in my thinking - I’m more able to get a bit of distance between me and my thoughts and reactions to things. It’s extraordinary how much it’s helped me. It’s taken a couple of years to get these ways of thinking really integrated into my life - but even in the early weeks of encountering it it really made a difference. These are teachings that are very ancient and they’ve not survived for nothing - they’ve survived because they genuinely work for people. I wish you luck with learning more about Thich Nhat Hanh - I’ll ’eat my hat’ if you don’t benefit in some way or other from him - because he’s a fascinating person with a huge amount of wisdom to offer. Best wishes to you. 

Hi Kate, I have recently been looking at Zen Buddhism and started meditating just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I find it a very difficult habit to keep. I have come across the name Thich Nhat Hanh before so will investigate further, thank you.

I have been wondering how zen Buddhism could be helpful to an autistic person in particular. I think possibly my mind has made other forms of meditation more difficult and frustrating but zen seems more manageable. I have found it helpful in ignoring stuff that doesn't need to be taken seriously (like some minor slight that would ordinarily wind me up) whilst allowing me to be a bit more confident in my own principles.

All very much a work in progress of course, as it always will be.

Getting one's head around how the mind connects to reality is (almost) always worth the effort.  In a sense acknowledging that there are shed loads of different realities one might experience more intuitively.  Also that we have personal history, biases and grooved expectations that can limit access to them is very useful thing to do.

As you value Zen then you might find Taoism a useful thing to explore too if you've not done so already Kate Kestrel  .  As you may already be aware It is one of the roots of Zen.

-/\- :-)

Yes - it’s not for everyone for sure. I’m glad you’ve found something that helps. Ultimately it’s just good to know that there are things that really do help - because there were times when I lost hope that there was anything that would. I’d say to anyone - don’t lose hope there there are things out there that really can make our day to day lives an easier and happier experience. Obviously there’s no silver bullet - and all lives have some suffering or struggle - but be a bit of a detective about various approaches - investigate and try things - and sometimes other cultures and philosophies can be a great source of help. Be open minded, and also give things time. A GP might offer us a supposed ‘quick fix’ of medication (which often doesn’t work) but things like Buddhist teachings, CBT and exercise etc take time. They take longer but the benefits are more sustainable and can last a lifetime. So I think we need to be patient when trying to make change when it comes to things like reducing anxiety and depression. In most cases our suffering is a result of many years of struggle and difficulties, so it can take a very long time to build new thinking patterns/neural pathways and behaviours. 
It’s tempting to give up sometimes when trying to change how we think - but it’s worth persevering. 

It's not for me, but I recognise that many people find it helpful and fulfilling. I have my own spiritual path that helps me.

Thank you - I’m so happy for you that it’s also been helpful to you. I’ve also not visited ‘in person’ retreats etc as I find the social part of that daunting. I hope to do so in the future though - because I think that even though as autistic people we find contact with others a challenge - I think if we can do it it’s often very rewarding. I need to get out of my comfort zone I think when it comes to avoiding groups of people. 
I just wanted to add also for anyone reading this: it takes time to reap the benefits of learning Buddhist philosophy- it’s not a quick fix. Most days I’ll read or listen to something connected to Buddhist (and sometimes Hindu) philosophy. It is a matter of daily or weekly practice - not necessarily meditation (I found meditation very challenging until I encountered Walking Meditation which really suits my nature) - but just daily reminders/focus on Buddhist perspectives and teachings. When faced with a challenge now my mind naturally remembers principles like impermanence, non attachment, inter-being, letting go, being empty of a separate self etc. As time goes on it happens very naturally and I find it enormously helpful. For example if someone is rude or unkind to me in some way I no longer internalise that and start getting paranoid about that. Issues I had with my parents I can let go of now. It makes a difference every day really. Even with little practical things - like the washing machine breaking down! Buddhist philosophy just gives me a better perspective on life. 

For me, Zen Buddhism has also been useful.

Nowadays, I only conserve traces of it, and simply sit silent for 10'. I've always found a little bit hard to participate in temples, which is where I learn best but the social part frequently pulls me back. I like less to learn from videos.

Anyways, it is nice to hear that it was life changing for you, and I simply accompany your intuition that it can be helpful for many here.