In his book, Buddhist Yoga, Kanjitsu Iijima, notes: "Drinking water has life in it. Do not kill it before drinking. Let us drink fresh, unboiled water and stop drinking boiled water. Goldfish cannot stay alive in cooled, boiled water." He recommends drinking a glass of water upon arising as the body dehydrates during a long night of sleep. "The cells of the body will rejoice in being washed and purified" upon the first morning drink of water.
Buying bottled water is a very popular purchase. However, not all bottled waters are alike with many simple grabbing a bottle without reading the label. Distilled water is actually dangerous to health because it is boiled and robbed of natural minerals. Among the health issues which can emerge from regularly drinking distilled water are tooth decay, electrolyte imbalance and mineral deficiency.
In his book, Buddhist Yoga, Kanjitsu Iijima, notes: "Drinking water has life in it. Do not kill it before drinking. Let us drink fresh, unboiled water and stop drinking boiled water. Goldfish cannot stay alive in cooled, boiled water." He recommends drinking a glass of water upon arising as the body dehydrates during a long night of sleep. "The cells of the body will rejoice in being washed and purified" upon the first morning drink of water. I believe that love, compassion and altruism are the fundamental basis for peace. Once these qualities are developed within an individual, he or she is then able to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony. - Dalai Lama 14th
Stop looking at each other’s fautls. Start to appreciate each other’s qualities. Life is short. The period we have to appreciate each other is quite limited. - Gelek Rinpoche
Never wrestle with the mind. When the mind is jumping and wandering much, make no violent effort to control it but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first. Then it will gradually become quiet and look to you for orders. - Swami Sivananda
The real "test" whether or not our meditation is "successful" or not reveals itself in the way we live and interact with life when we get off our meditation cushion. During the 20th century and continuing into the present, many Buddhist leaders have been promoting what they call "engaged Buddhism", meaning, sit on the mat but then get off and into the world affecting everyone and everything around you with the positive, the beneficial, the noble.
Robertson Work, a Buddhist and author of several books states this position clearly: "If Buddhists focus on cultivating compassion just within themselves, they are not being Bodhisattvas. A compassionate being who understands the truth of interbeing and impermanence is motivated to liberate other beings from delusion and suffering. Bodhisattvas, as engaged Buddhists, must take part in political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental actions that relieve suffering. This includes engagement at various levels—family, community, city, state, nation, international, and planetary. Of course, this is an impossible mission but we have always known that the vows to relieve all suffering are such. However, we continue to make this vow and take every action that we can within our spheres of influence." I would like to bring into play the importance of taking a break whenever possible, in order to recalibrate. Time spent in nature, in silence, in meditation, chanting, or ritual, offer us the chance to find balance and reconnect with our true selves. - Kris Ladusau
In the West we live in large houses and apartments. Thich Nhat Hanh notes that most Westerners have a room for everything - eating, sleeping, watching television - but too often there isn't a space for mindfulness and meditation. "I recommend that we set up a small room in our homes and call it a 'breathing room', where we can be alone and practice just breathing and smiling, at least in difficult moments" he writes in Peace Is Every Step. "This little room should be regarded as an Embassy of the Kingdom of Peace."
A new study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion claims that adding 10 minutes of meditation before or after a brief walk significantly reduces anxiety in university students. The study which involved 110 students in their early 20s, also showed that a 10-minute walk by itself did not result in significant changes in their anxiety, which suggests that meditation before of after aerobic exercise can help reduce anxiety levels more than just physical exercise alone.
We live in a culture where more is the sign of success. More income, more money, more clients, "more" car, house, clothing etc. This "more" type of success flows over into meditation as well and I, for one, am often skeptical about meditation retreats which require lengthy periods of a person's time such as ten day intensive meditation retreats, a full month, a full year and even three year solitary retreats. I'm not alone in this way of thinking. Several leading, experienced meditation teachers who have themselves engage in lengthy sitting don't recommend them. One example is modern Chinese Buddhist master, Hsing Yun. He describes long meditation sessions as "dead wood", "still ashes" and "wearisome." He explains that his meditation training took place at various major Buddhist temples in mainland China. "In seven-day Zen retreats, despite my own experience of the extreme joy of meditation, I do not advocate sitting in deep concentration like dead wood and still ashes. For the true essence of Zen originates in the mind, not in solitary and wearisome sitting." Another experienced meditator who says "less is more" is Ernest Wood, an early British Yogi who went to India in 1908 and remained there for more than four decades studying and engaging in intensive meditation. He feels quality is far more important than quantity of time spend in meditation. "Constant, quiet, calm practice means regular periodical practice continued for sufficient time to be effective. The results of this practice are cumulative. Little appears at the beginning, but much later on. The time given at any one sitting need not be great, for the quality of the work is more important than the quantity. Little and frequently is better than much and rarely. The sittings may be once or twice a day, or even three times if they are short. Once, done well, will bring about rapid progress; three times, done indifferently, will not. Sometimes the people who have the most time to spare succeed the least, because they feel that they have plenty of time and therefore they are not compelled to do their very best immediately; but the man who has only a short; time available for his practice feels the need of doing it to perfection." It is generous to compliment another. It shows we are not verbally stingy. By handing over power through praise we demonstrate magnanimity, recognizing and confirming another person’s good qualities. - Sakyong Mipham
|
Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
May 2024
Categories |