We needn't rescue the whole world, or even a city, or neighborhood. We begin with those around us. - Eknath Easwaran
Hinduism itself is a mosaic of different groups practicing different belief systems and worshipping various deities yet still there is unity and harmony. Debates between different groups have remains mostly verbal and have rarely resulted in violent conflicts. This same attitude is applied in the interaction of Hinduism with other religions. throughout India's history communities of Zorastrians, Jews, Christians and Muslims have settled in India and been given the respect and freedom to worship and practice their faith. - Swami Narayan Aksharpith
The young, the old, the extremely aged, even the sick and the infirm obtain perfection in Yoga by constant practices. Success will follow him who practices, not him who practices not. Success in Yoga is not obtained by mere theoretical reading of sacred texts. Success is not obtained by wearing the dress of a yogi or a recluse, nor by taking about it. Constant practice alone is the secret of success. There is not doubt of this. - Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The best signs of success are a decreasing of self-centeredness and the easing of mental afflictions. —Gampopa
1. Exercise. Sure, this may be the last thing you really want to do but physical activity is good for body, mind and spirit.
2. Write or email a note of gratitude or encouragement to a friend. You'll feel better expressing yourself this way and so will your recipient. 3. Stream a comedy program or a comedian via a streaming service or on You Tube. 4. Meditate. Ten minutes of silently focusing on your breathing - inhaling and exhaling - can leave you feel refreshed mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. 5. Listen to music that you really, really love, music which lifts you spirits no matter how low they may be. 6. Tune into a podcast of someone who has overcome a major life trauma. This will inspire you to keep chipping away at the burden of grief. 7. Bake. Bread, cookies, a cake. Enjoy what you've created. Then, enjoy it more by sharing your baked goods with a neighbor. 8. Create a gratitude list. Write down a dozen things which are good, right, positive in your life. Don't think too much about it or censor yourself. Just let the gratitude flow out of you. 9. Donate money to a person in need or to a charity. 10. Change your posture. Your body reflects how you feel. Hold your head high, straighten your back when you walk anywhere. Many Buddhist traditions do prostration or bowing as an important element of practice. Each country and lineage offers specific ways for prostrations to be performed. The practice of prostration is believed to date back to the time of the Buddha and the Pali canon mentioning that both monks and lay people prostrate before the Buddha. There are two types of prostration, short and full. In short prostration five points of the body touch the ground - forehead, two hands, two knees. In full prostration the entire body is place on the ground like a tree trunk which has fallen.
Here are some reasons why this is done:
The planet can feed everyone but not via a meat based diet. Here are some obscure but fascinating facts on this:
(cited in The Key Of Immediate Enlightenment, by Master Ching Hai) When someone with whom you are interacting becomes angry, that is out of your control. What is within your control is how you meet it. Despite feeling hurt, you can meet others’ anger with patience, kindness, and balance, rather than fear and retaliation. - Gina Sharpe
One of the most common issues for people concerning meditation is the inability to shut down or slow down the thinking mind. If that's you, then here's a way to think and meditate offered by Tracey Anne Duncan:
"Try a death meditation. No, I’m not joking. It may sound heavy, but meditating on your own death can actually make you happier. Not only does death meditation give you something really engaging to stay focused on, it can help you put the life you’re living in perspective. As Lisa Cohen, clinical professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, told me: “It does help you see what’s really important and what’s not important. Things related to status, self-esteem, or markers of status become much less important and you focus on what’s really a priority.” |
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
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