Temples in the West

A great teacher of mine once told me that there would come a time when everything I’ve done in my life will all make sense. I knew his words to be true, and while I may still be years or decades from that ultimate recognition, I have been watching the pieces fall into place ever since.

Temples in the West derives from the lyric in the song about my mum, Debbie Dawn. The song tells the story of how she was hospitalised with psychosis when I was a young boy. This experience, and the conversations we have had about it since, shaped my life and curiosity in ways I only really started to unravel in recent years.

The line goes:

‘…the doctors call it all delusion

They’ve never seen it for themselves

The nurses made her crawl around until her knees were bruised

Well, I guess there ain’t no temples in the west...’

In this context, the ‘temples in the west’ line points to the lack of understanding, compassion or adequate treatment for mental ailments here in the west, whereas in Eastern parts of the world, those having experiences akin to psychosis are placed in temples and cared for, seen to be having a holy experience, coming close to god and truth.