Browse Meditation

How does gratitude work? What's the point of it? Will this new craze of daily gratitude be something that changes my life? If it did, what would it change, how would I be different? Isn't gratitude some kind of religious thing? Like meditation, gratitude has been sidelined with religious beliefs to be practiced once a week, if you attend some religious facility. However, is it really? I recovered a note from a friend from 1998: Thoughts for this week: Abundance:

The idea of creating a community or a group of unified like minded folks is a great idea, but what happens when there is conflict? As long as there are individuals with different worldviews, there will be conflict. Lack of conflict resolution techniques has been the undoing of many communities and it is the most crucial skill to learn if a community is to become successful. Basic Maturity Is A Pre-requisite First of all, the members of the community must have a certain level of maturity to begin with.

When we hit our mid-forties, our bodies stop fooling around and become serious about disintegrating! It can seem at times as if we age 20 years in the span of one or two years, which can be quite a shock if we have been so caught up with life that we haven't noticed the subtle, almost invisible ...

Although meditation is thousands of years old, it is relatively new in the west. Here in America, new ideas seem to introduce themselves at three levels. First, a new idea is viewed as threatening and it is feared. Later, it is made fun of, ridiculed and laughed at. And finally, it is accepted ...

"Now King, I'll ease your curiosity a bit. Listen closely. The Great Weapons you will master through this inner work are three: A concentrated mind, an investigative mind, and an insightful mind. Concentration is your sword. Investigation is the skill of wielding the sword. Insight is the ...

What is spiritual awakening? Invoking the spiritual wisdom of the inner soul is spiritual enlightenment. Many spiritualists learned that even religious fundamentalists say they can provide or contribute to spiritual development. If you feel something deep and profound wisdom and true to your inner wisdom beyond thought, and he is impulsive in your heart and becomes a guide for you, there is a certain degree of spiritual awakening. Many petitioners are the sole collector of spiritual development and have not tasted the truth.

LETTING INTUITION WORK FOR YOU The psychologist Carl Jung was once asked if he believed in God. He responded I don’t just believe, I know. Intuitives often feel the same way, many of you as readers don’t just believe it exists, you know it does. Intuition is just another sense like seeing, hearing or smelling. It’s a sense we all share.

Ron Scolastico, Ph.D. has worked with many people whose loved ones have died and who are sad because they do not sense the presence of their deceased loved one. Recently he was asked the following question. I hope you find the answer helpful. QUESTION: “Often, people will vow that, after their death, they will contact and ‘never leave’ their loved one after they die. However, more often than not, the surviving person does not feel the presence of the deceased loved one. Why is this?” ANSWER: It is because of perception within the human who is still living.

Counting calories, ordering special diet meals, measuring out portions - these are indications that we remain mesmerized and captivated by food - food has taken over our entire lives with no escape; food is an addiction no different from heroin, and maybe more dangerous because we think that ...

Mantras have influenced thinking about meditation for a long time. That's not surprising: mantras are a time tested tool, helping people grow spiritually for thousands of years. But given the broad ignorance in the West about mantras and the wide variety of ways mantras are approached by meditation teachers, novice meditators (and some veterans, too!) will confront a confusing mix of information about how to use them in their own meditation practice.

We go to war to defend our religion. It has happened throughout history and is happening now. Once we label ourselves as a Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Jew, we feel that this label must be defended. This is a separation, where those who don't believe as we believe become the enemy, and ...

While we often do not think of gods and deities when we think about Buddhism, the fact remains there are symbolic gods and goddesses in certain modes of Buddhist practice. This is most evident in Tibetan Buddhism where the Goddess Tara appears frequently in symbols and images. Those interested in the subject of Tibetan Buddhism would certainly benefit from taking a closer look at this particular goddess. Such an exploration would aid in gaining an understanding of what she represents. From this, a clearer understanding of what Tibetan Buddhism represents can also be derived.

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 Atta. Three of the dragon's guards lie dead and decomposing at the entrance, obviously ...

No, it's not to make babies! Although making babies is a very important consideration regarding the propagation of our species, especially in Europe and the United States where the birth rate is plummeting, it's not the prime purpose. And it's not to keep you company. Or make you financially or ...

Is the world an illusion? No, of course not. When someone says the world you perceive is an illusion, they are either being figurative or they are mistaken. The world is the world. It is that in which we live. Why do they say the world is an illusion, then? Because, as I have mentioned in other articles, too many of our perceptions are clouded by judgement we make that are other than that which we perceive. Think of the beginning of vision. Think of different animals and the way they see. Certainly the eyesight of various animals is different. Do they all live in the same world?

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.

Although yoga is practiced in the U.S. by more people than ever before, there is still a great deal of misinformation in the West about the true nature and purpose of this sacred science. Most people associate yoga with the physical practice of postures, called “asanas.” But this is like saying ...

I was lying on the floor of my little hut in Thailand suffering from one of the many tropical fevers to which I seemed to succumb, and I saw, for the first time in my life, that nothing truly mattered. I found myself directly in the moment. Given the fact that as a Buddhist forest monk I was not ...

Humanity has always looked to the transcendent, a human trait pursued in many ways. And who can really say which way is right or wrong regarding an inherent desire to transcend this earthly life when our time is up. The religious insist that they are right, and spiritual seekers say likewise. So in order to solve this spiritual conundrum, I came up with thirty distinguishing features (and counting) of both groups, so that you may make a judgment. Please do not infer that these features are all right or all wrong, they are only different ways to approach a most interesting subject.

Have you noticed the interest being generated in the ranks of our young people by the political races? It reminds me of the sixties when young people took a hard turn left. Many of the kids raised after this, however, took a decidedly turn right, ala Reaganites. It seem that these shifts occur ...

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 ...

MEDITATION BRINGS MANY BENEFITS Most people are astounded to discover the many benefits of practising meditation every day. Before embarking on this journey of discovery, the practice can be viewed as a waste of time. However, as you read this article you will begin to understand why meditation should be a key practice in your daily life. Here are some of the main benefits people discover.rn· Deep relaxationrn· Stress reliefrn· The gaining of mental disciplinern· A sustained sense of well-being *Achieving complete relaxation is just one of the many benefitsr

The way we live is key to describing what we are, which can be quite different from our lofty ideals of what we are. And if we consider what we should be, what the loftiest ideal for a human being would be, perhaps what Thomas Kelly suggests (as off the wall as it appears) is the answer: "The ...

A machine does what it is programmed to do until it eventually breaks down. Until then, it repeats its limited, repetitive actions endlessly. As human beings we are programmed as well, by our culture, our traditions, our education, but most importantly by our minds. There is usually very little that is unique about any of us. Some of us raise families, some live alone. Some will kill, others will heal.

Conqueror limped stiffly but was always eager to begin a new journey, loving the spontaneity of adventure as much as I did. Occasional wafts of warm air greeted us as we made our way down the mountain persuading me to take off my fur wrap and tie it to the horse. I wasn't sure where we were ...

"There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare. With this well known quote, the Bard points to an important reality about human life: that our experience can be parsed in different ways, and one of the most useful is drawing a distinction betwee SENSATION and STORYLINE. Sensation is the mechanical transmission of a physical event to our awareness.

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.

Once upon a time, in a magical land far across the sea, there lived together a donkey and an elephant. This was very difficult, because they both had such different ways. The elephant loved to trample trees and make a lot of noise, while the donkey nibbled on lowly grasses and said almost ...

From the Bible, we learn all kinds of things about God. What we don’t know about God, however, are things like; what does He do on Sunday afte oons? Since we are created in His likeness, He must like the same things we do. Doesn’t that make sense? So, He must like football games! Go Packers!nn ...

Business ethics are quickly becoming meaningless. As a matter of fact, ethics can actually become roadblocks to maintaining the almighty bottom line. We have seen this lately in the mortgage markets where dishonest loans lined pockets on Wall Street while ruining many common people's lives. ...

Imagine if you had been given a gift -- a magic wand of sorts --and you were told that you could use this wand at any time to create what you wanted in life. How much would you pay for such a gift? What would you be willing to sacrifice to get it? Now, what if I told you that this gift was ...

Anger is energy, an emotion, and it is part of the experience of life. Anger can become your greatest enemy toward developing good health and well being or it can become your greatest ally toward healing and finding personal peace. It all hinges upon how you relate to your emotions. Before we ...Anger is energy, an emotion, and it is part of the experience of life. Anger can become your greatest enemy toward developing good health and well being or it can become your greatest ally toward healing and finding personal peace. It all hinges upon how you relate to your emotions.

Everybody knows at least one of them. They are the people who have all the best things in life: the wonderful relationship, the great career, the beautiful house, the luxury car… the entire package. Good things just seem to fall into their laps. Hopefully, one of those lucky, wealthy people you are thinking about right now is yourself. If not, read on, because you have the power to create your own wealth, just as the “lucky” people do. Now, here’s the shocker: “Lucky” people aren’t really lucky.

Lack of adequate guidance Lack of resolve or faith Lack of confidence Lack of courage DistractionsnLaziness Anger Lack of adequate guidance: According to the Buddha, who is arguably the quintessential expert on enlightenment, in order to become enlightened we must understand how to ...

There are many ways that we can improve our lives, all being touted in mainstream news. We can eat right and exercise. We can spend time with friends and laugh at a few good jokes. We can even spend time in nature to boost our moods, but did you know that above all else, the sounds we listen to are one of the most important indicators of our experience of the world?

How to relax and focus instantly in any situatio Natural deep breathing opens your higher consciousness Remain cool and calm in any crisis Simple step by step guide I've listened to a lot of people conce ing meditation. First, let's recognize that there are all kinds of meditation. The ...

1. Confusing the real purpose of a relationship. Relationship is a mirror in which you can see yourself in reflection. You may think that you are a certain way, but relationship will reveal the true you every time. Therefore, the real purpose of relationship is to understand yourself. Once you ...

The Buddha would have made a great CEO. He was all bottom line, and the bottom line was freedom, or enlightenment. If something didn't contribute to this directly, then he didn't teach it. One day he was in a forest with his monks, and he said to them, "Which is more, monks, the few leaves ...

These seven areas are not necessarily the ones we think of or connect to when discussing the spiritual life. They are not only unusual, but authentic measuring sticks if we truly want to determine what progress we have made. Some of the terms may be unfamiliar, but their strangeness doesn't mean ...

1. Misunderstanding what a relationship is all about. A relationship is an opportunity to give, rather than take. If one or both partners have plastered on their forehead, "What's in this for me," things will get dicey. The key to a successful relationship is always uncompromising trust, and ...

Sex … Money … Power … Fame … Good Looks … Ambition … Successnn If any of these Seven become tangled up in the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride), look out! Otherwise, they are simply to be enjoyed, but not to bet the farm on - it's only when we begin to ...

Recently someone sent me an inquiry, "I've read your books and I'm beginning a meditation practice. But the question that keeps popping up in my head is: Does activating your kundalini make you a happier person?"

Millions of people all over the world use meditation techniques to relax and restore their bodies and their minds. One of the most beneficial meditation techniques is called guided imagery meditation. Guided imagery uses music along with verbal suggestions that paint a picture in your mind to ...Millions of people all over the world use meditation techniques to relax and restore their bodies and their minds. One of the most beneficial meditation techniques is called guided imagery meditation.

Have you ever noticed that pious persons of all major religions - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, carry out various kind and colors of chains of Prayer beads in his hand or wearing it form of necklace. What is this string of Prayer beads? This Mala beads for prayer is a sacred tool to be used for deep meditation / prayer in consciousness or counting prayer sessions.

Have you ever considered the flower? It doesn’t live long, but while it does, it displays itself so beautifully. It doesn’t conce itself with tomorrow, or yesterday; only this one precious moment is important as it unfolds its petals. It positions itself so that it doesn’t crowd the other ...

I normally have pretty good luck with the Law of Attraction. But perhaps the focus on “stress reduction” this month on the blog has caused my stress level to rise a bit. One bright side to that is I have lots of situations to apply the stress relief tips that are being shared. One stress reduction strategy is to take time to respond to someone when angry. I faced a situation with my website that initially got me incensed.

On my way up the mountain carrying some roofing materials I stopped to catch my breath, and as I unconsciously gazed at a scrub cedar tree that I had trimmed a month before to make the trail, an insight popped up. They happen at random like this, and seldom have anything to do with the thinking mind, they just come from another place. If I happened to die at the foot of this tree, the 70 % water that this body consists of and the remaining ash that's left over would quickly sink into the soil at the base of this tree and disappear.

Being born again is a great start, but if you are finally ready to complete this "work in progress," here are seven areas to monitor: nn · Is there any lingering ill-will toward others that may not agree with you?nn· Are you self-righteous? (I'm right; you're wrong!)nn· ...

Most people admit that world peace is something they’d like to see in their lifetime. However it’s not usually one of the reasons people give for wanting to learn to meditate. Solutions to the conflict and the disasters facing the world today are on the minds of most of us. Along with hearing ...