Meditation Articles

This old Zen saying describes the way in which a trainee practices Zen; no striving, no ambition (to become enlightened), no goals . . . only sitting quietly. As a matter of fact, Zen considers goal making a disease of the mind! Quite a contrast from modern life where without goals we would be ...

Good friends of mine, Catholic friends, recently confessed to me. They said that although they occasionally attend their Catholic church, they have found a community church that makes them feel better. They find themselves happy when they leave, unlike their Catholic experience where they feel ...

Spirit spoke to me this morning in my dreams. It was one of those lovely dreams spaces, where I was conscious enough to know I was dreaming but not enough to lose the magic of what was happening. And then I woke up. Say what? Did that really happen? I dreamed that I had fallen in love with Ben Stiller. Even so….really? Ben Stiller? You’ve got to be kidding? Ok, I mean, he’s cute and all, but come on! I mea Brad Pitt dreams….now those are fun! But yes, I had fallen in love

Enlightenment breakthrough is peak performance meditation. If you’re eager for the challenge or just want to upgrade your practice, these guidelines will help. First, consider what breakthrough is. Let’s define the task. What Is Breakthrough? Defining The Task What is a breakthrough to enlightenment? Think of it this way. If you’ve ever had a mouse in your house you may have looked for its entry and found a hole that seemed too small, but he did pass through it.

I began meditating in my late teens after I was exposed to the research of Herbert Benson, who wrote the book The Relaxation Response. It was a wonderful study into how people meditate and the benefits of meditation. It was basic but very helpful. It got me interested in both practicing and studying meditation.

Sometimes we can catch a fleeting glimpse of ete ity in a wood, where the pungent odor of wet pine and a timeless stillness calms our troubled minds, for just a while. Or in a wondrous sunset, where we lose the burden of ourselves, for a precious moment. Or when something happens so suddenly ...

Not long ago, I did a web search for how to meditate. In each of the top twenty results were nearly identical basic instructions: Find a quiet spot. Choose the same time to meditate each day. Sit upright with your back relaxed and your spine straight.

We live in our mind with all its limitations, ideas and thoughts and most of us feel very comfortable there. Some of us live with a brief glimpse of our spirit, but many of us never see it at all. Knowing our spirit and blending it with our mind opens many possibilities in life. Our thoughts are real. As real the electronic device you are reading this on. What we THINK shapes our life. If we think that life is not going well, that we will never succeed in our endeavors, or n

The value of life If you don’t let go of your worldly worries about the futurenand making a living, you will regret it. Follow the Way, or all of your days and nightsnwill have been lived for nothing. Zen Master Doge The function of the Dhamma Master is to encourage their disciples to ...

Changing places At one time a student of mine was asking about my time as a monk in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. He listened to my words and when I had finished speaking he said, 'Ah yes, but the monks life is a special life.' I answered, 'Not when you're a monk.When you are a monk that life is your ordinary life.’

It is crucial at the outset of this article to note that yoga is of a spiritual nature and everything in existence is actually spiritual, since it came from the spiritual world originally. This is all factual and part of true celestial history. Many of us are well aware that the entire material world with all of its phantasmagoria is only an illusion that is controlled by the spiritual energy within the spiritual world. Mantra yoga is one of the higher forms of yoga. In fact

We have within us a place of power that contains the forces of life. Many people live their lives unaware of their great potentiality. Let us discover those places within ourselves and how that untapped power can change our lives, filling us with gifts far beyond our wildest imagination. Focusing on our bodyrnMost people live their lives thinking that they are the physical body and the mind. They identify with their body and spend a good portion of their lives tending to its

Meditation is a wonderful experience, but so often so many people out there stop meditating and their mind goes back to being extremely busy, active and non-attentive. They leave the meditative state of mind to go back to the every day world. I like to encourage people to truly keep their self in a present awareness all day long. This is actually the premise of the retreats I offer on a regular basis, focusing on a full day of living a meditative life.

Meditation or dhyan is a key part of Hindu life. Old sages and rishis used to exercise meditation for years. Deep meditation enabled them to accomplish the toughest task kin life. By dint rigorous meditation in adverse climate, the sages often could satisfy the Gods and got boons from them. It may not be possible for a layman to meditate for hours, not to speak of years, but half an hour of meditation daily will do miracle for our body and mind. Mediation makes our life more

Some believe that spiritual is to belong to the church ecclesiastical: lords spiritual and temporal. Others believe that spiritual is on, or consisting of spirit or spiritualist, supe atural or spiritual. So is the spiritual seat of moral or religious nature. Spiritual is that relating to sacred things or matters; religious devotion sacred. Spiritual is that is on the mind or intellect. While we refer spiritual as more spiritual, most spiritual, less spiritual or least spiritual, it means the soul having no body, form, or substance. The scope of spiritual and spiritual growth is very wide.

There are countless ways to meditate, more than two hundred in India alone. Among these, one is based on science not tradition. It uses feedback – visual proof of attention to assure success. Here’s what you need to know. Attention: The Key To Success At first glance we see differences. There’s sitting and walking meditation, vocal and silent, eyes open, eyes closed. Methods vary, yet all work in the same way: attention brings success.

An onion is peculiar in that it has many layers. It also causes you to cry when you peel off the layers. So we could say that the state of the onion is complex, as well as tearful! Our country is kind of like an onion. Fifty states all wrapped around a flag that gets more tattered every day. There are those that say we should live by state's rights and forget about the federal government. That sounds okay, but then all the liberals would move away from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and into Massachusetts, Oregon, and Vermont!

There are many reasons why we don’t do things that we know are good for us. When I first was exposed to meditation, at about 19 years of age, I was working on my first academic degree. I had begun studying the positive effects of meditation. My exposure to meditation was very scientific, very medical. I learned how meditation was good for your heart, your stress levels and just overall good for your health. I would describe it all in very scientific and medical descriptions exclusively.

"So, you are ready to renounce everything," a John said. Then he smiled and added, "Words are spoken with ease, my good friend, compared to the actual experience of this discipline, although there are some key seekers who live in the forest quite comfortably. Some live without irritation; not ...

These days whenever a politician repeats a promise over and over again commentators say that this promise has become a “mantra” for that politician. For the journalists, the word “mantra” means a meaningless phrase that is repeated endlessly. For yogis however, a mantra is a word or collection of words, which has the power of liberating a human being from all limitations. How can the repetition of a word or a few words have the capacity to bring about such miraculous results

There must be something wrong with the way I talk. I decided this must be the case because when I say I teach meditation, people frequently say, "Oh, you do yoga?" Meditation… yoga… I don’t think they sound like the same words – do you? Many people, however, seem to think they are the same thing. Yes, Pantanjali's yoga included meditation, and there is yoga in some of the Tibetan Buddhist schools of meditation. But meditation and yoga are not the same things and often not even remotely related.

Meditation, as known as a famous spiritual ritual to gain relaxation, actually has others lots of advantages. Here they are: 1. Love and compassio Once we opened up more communication links between our surrounding environment, automatically the feeling of love and compassion emerging in. Knowing that nature and us is one component, it will make us realize and easy to understand about differences about each others and it will guide us to improve relationships, both in romantic or casual way. 2. Discover our purposes and gifts

Yoga and blackberries, may not be the obvious combination. But the time is now ripe (in the UK at least) to put the two together. Timing is everything in the land of blackberry picking. It is utterly crucial to success. Last year the time came and went, and I was left bereft of a freezer of hand-picked smoothy fodder. The smoothy maker was relegated to the dud-kitchen equipment drawer to gather dust. This year though, I have remembered! There is something very wonderful in

Hold her tight, tonight. Let her dream of what her life will be, her fairytales of love and happiness. Hold her tight, tonight. Hold her tight tonight, so that monster truth can’t steal her dreams, not this night. This night, let truth not meet time, not yet . . . please not yet. Hold her ...

This article is adapted from Sai Maa's book Petals of Grace: Essential Teachings for Self-Mastery.rn rnDear ones, remember that meditation is a natural state, an experience that allows you to discover your inner being. Through meditation you realize who you are. Through meditation your consciousness shifts. This can be very subtle. You may notice the shift in your everyday activities. Limitations may vanish and you begin to see your own inner light shine brighter and brighter

Below are some specific key words or phrases you can use in saying No to the other's demand in a way that flows naturally from your Yes, your power, and your respect. Remember that your tone and underlying intent need to be congruent with your words if they are to have the right impact.nn"No" or "No Thanks"nnThe simplest word for setting a limit is No. It is a word of pure power. For those of us who shy away from the use of power and have a tendency to accommodate or avoid, i

Praying is asking for help, and meditation is the act of receiving. Some people get so conce ed about procedure when they hear the word meditation that they never actually meditate. They have this worry that they have to sit in a particular position for an extended period of time. It does not have to be that way.

If you are among the people who had taking on meditation on their new year's resolution list, good for you. It's probably one of the healthiest decisions you'll ever make...if you actually manage to do it and reap the rewards, that is. If this is your first go at it, you must be aware that the percentage of people that actually get the full benefits of restructuring their mind through meditation is small (compared to the number that decides to try it). It's not easy In other

Self: Your consciousness of your own identity. Esteem: The condition of being honored. Self-esteem: Honoring oneself. As we can see, self-esteem is a rather “self” ish condition that we necessarily feel obligated to create artificially when we are insecure. The fact that we must go out of our ...

I recently read an Arizona Daily Star article about how Transcendental Meditation® is being taught in an alte ative-minded school. Now, since I teach meditation myself, you might expect I’d be happy about this, particularly since the article reports positive results. If only it were so easy. Let’s examine why it’s not.

Ironically, one of the main things that keeps us from awakening to our true nature is knowledge. We think we know things, and knowing these things keeps us from being awake. Our belief that we have true knowledge keeps us caught up in our perceptions, labels, and opinions, making them appear as realities rather than the biased points of view they actually are. If truth is a matter of perspective, can we call it truth? If situations change depending on how we look at them and on who is doing the looking, can we really trust our judgments to be true knowledge?

There are hundreds and thousands of worlds in the natural world indoors. There are hundreds and thousands in the natural world from the outside world of infinite inner world. Many people tried to understand the inside and outside the natural world of infinite inner world several times in many period and become fatigued before concluding anything. It is a statement widely spoken by the classical literature dealing with the fundamental principle of karma in Hinduism.

The side effects of meditation are positive and countless. Studies have demonstrated that those who meditate on a regular basis have reduced illness, stress, and need for rest.nnBut one of the most compelling reasons to meditate is that the process of meditation itself is sublime. Meditation is not dependent upon the result, but the act of meditation itself is a blissful one, transporting one to a state of contentment and tranquil awareness during the training of meditation i

Here is a recipe for disaster: China and other Asian countries, being pressured at home by rising inflation, is forced to raise prices on all those goodies we buy at Wal-Mart, but not high enough to encourage us to compete again. This would be a formula for runaway inflation along with job ...

It’s been called the monkey mind – the endless chattering in your head as you jump in your mind from thought to thought while you daydream, analyze your relationships, or worry over the future. Eventually, you start to feel like your thoughts are spinning in circles and you’re left totally confused. One way to tame this wild creature in your head is through meditation – although the paradox is that when you clear your mind for meditation you actually invite the monkey

Suddenly, I found myself in a mist, and through the mist I dimly made out what appeared to be a cave. As I moved closer, my perfected insight revealed exactly what it was – the den of the Great Dragon of Self. Three of the dragon’s guards lie dead and decomposing at the entrance, obviously ...

Many years ago, when I began working on my first Masters Degree at Princeton, I had an experience that really helped me change my life and put me on a new path, a new direction for how to live my life. Towards the end of my degree I had made many accomplishments while at Princeton. I had was graduating with honors, I had won many awards for some research work I had done, I had been accepted into one of the top PhD clinical psychology programs in the United States, and all seemed to be going well.

Ordinary Life A monk went to Joshu and said “I have just entered your monastery, please teach me.” Joshu asked, “Have you eaten your porridge?” The monk said, “Yes master, I have.” Joshu replied, “Then wash your bowl.”nn(Zen Koan) It is a ...

Spiritual growth takes us away from the physical world of thought and things. Spiritual growth leads to internal autonomy beyond this physical life and connects to the conscience and the Lord, the unity of God.r

Last week, it probably looked like I was talking to myself in the grocery store. But at 8 months pregnant, I was talking to the little girl in my belly. This has been happening for months. I’ll hear a clear message, like a thought in my head that I know is not mine: “Mommy, don’t buy those apples, buy the mangoes.” Or, “I like that red juice you had the other day.” Sometimes she’s much more animated. I’ve even heard her say “Goody Goody Gumdrops,” and I’

The minister, enough Vitalis in his hair to lube a Buick, places his palm on the forehead of the afflicted. rn“Praise the Lord—you are healed!” As if on cue, the afflicted obeys gravity and falls backward, stricken with the spirit, into the arms of the good reverend’s assistants. Then, she walks back to her seat—without the use of her canes. A miracle?rn rnNo, it’s called subjective validation. The parishioner wants desperately to please the minister and believe i

The new year is here and we are all ready for new changes to occur. We are done with the dark and heading for the light in so very many ways. Rejoice for the time is now! Get your spacesuit laundered and ready to wear! n WE'RE OUT OF THE WOODS AND INTO THE LIGHT! At this time the thirteen ...

Growing up in the Catholic tradition, I believe that I can understand some of the feelings that Christians, Muslims, and Jews might have about people who don't believe in a creator God! And Buddhists are guilty! I wouldn't be surprised if they think that Buddhists have a one-way ticket to hell ...

A Thai farmer is in a ditch planting rice in the searing, Southeast Asian heat. He is old, uneducated, ill, toothless, and his body is small and frail, weathered from years of hard labor. Is this old, useless farmer less than you? You, who are educated, beautiful, healthy, relatively young, ...

Recently my daughter slammed her hand in the door and it was very painful for her. I had done a similar thing many years ago and initially it was a very painful experience for about maybe ten seconds. I started to breathe slowly and deeply and the pain went away quickly. There still remained a slight, dull ache for a while but overall the pain was gone. I’m sure my daughter and I aren’t unique in having painful experiences to us.

If you are anything like most people your daily tasks at home may range from picking up toys or caring for the ones you love. Your work duties may be anything from the mundane, trivial or essential. And no matter what your day's activities may bring you if you are seriously interested in discovering and experiencing that inner peace within you might be surprised to know that allowing yourself to accomplish your daily activities with Love and Joy is the gateway to that Inner Peace.

Through meditation we can bring about greater peace of mind and powers of concentration. The length of time we meditate is not as important as the focus we give during our meditation. If we can meditate with a silent mind for 5 minutes we can bring to the fore our own divine qualities of inner peace and inner happiness. This is a inner joy independent of any outer success or outer prosperity.nnWhen offering meditation classes for the Sri Chinmoy Centre I offer these 7 tips wh

They say practice makes perfect but when it comes to meditation, all bets are off. You can meditate with no increase in practice skill. You can even lose skill over time. As Buddhist tradition says: “After twenty years you can finally say you’ve begun to learn how to sit. Many will take even longer.” A feedback method stands alone as free of this problem, assuring steady, reliable practice skill increase. Here’s how the best way to meditate was discovered and how it works. How Feedback Delivers The Best Meditation

Performing any deed, good or bad, has repercussions. A bad deed obviously sets us up for a load of bad karma and bad luck. But how could a good deed, that sets us up for good karma, punish us? The punishment comes from the illusion that someone performed the deed. When we perform a deed from a ...