- Hakuin
Once a person is able to achieve true single mindedness in his practice and smash apart the old nest... into which he has settled... Wisdom immediately appears.
- Hakuin Each noble act we do, each loving word we say, and every highest hope and aspiration of our minds, brings us a step yet nearer unto that unutterable bliss.
- Allan Bennett Your friend's dignity should be as precious to you as your own. - Ethics Of The Fathers
The less we know about the chattering, muttering voice in our heads that tells us what to do, what to believe, what to buy, which people we should love, and so forth, the more power we grant it to boss us around and convince us that whatever it says is true. —Mingyur Rinpoche
Researchers have known for decades that aerobic exercise delivers significant benefits for overall brain health. Recently, scientists have taken a close look at yoga and brain health saying that the evidence clearly shows that yoga enhances the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise. This review was published in the journal Brain Plasticity. Here are some key ways yoga strengthens the brain.
* Yoga increases hippocampus volume. This area of the brain is involved in memory processing and is known to shrink with age. It's also the structure which is first impacted by dementia and Alzheimer's disease. * Yoga strengths the amygdala. This brain structure controls emotional regulation and is larger in those who practice yoga compared to those who do not. * Yoga improves cognitive brain function. Along with stronger, healthier emotional regulation, yoga practitioners improve brain performance on cognitive tests as well as learning and memory. University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Neha Gothe, one of the lead researchers on this study, concludes that "yoga is not aerobic in nature, so there must be some other mechanisms leading to these brain changes." Dr. Gothe believes that yoga's ability to enhance emotional regulation is a key to yoga's positive effects on the brain. She notes that various studies link stress in both humans and animals to shrinkage of the hippocampus and poor performance memory tests. "The practice of yoga helps improve emotional regulation to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and that seems to improve brain functioning," Dr. Gothe adds. I found my sparrow Sonrin dead one morning and buried him just as gently as I would my own daughter. - Ikkyu
“Our temples have traditionally been against it—for the past one hundred years or so—in L.A. in particular. Prayer in classrooms is like telling the children that there is only one form of communication with the supreme reality. The implication is that the ultimate reality is separate from us, which is problematic from a Buddhist point of view. Why not make prayer mandatory for postal workers instead? Why mandate prayer only for children, who do not have a choice? For generations Japanese-American Buddhists have had to contend with such language as ‘One nation under God.’ ‘Let us pray’ was a refrain commonly accepted, but not something that we felt included in.” - Masao Kakuryo Kodani
Do not create a gap between your life and the Buddha's life.
- Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi You can learn to not want what you want, to recognize desires but not be controlled by them. - Bhante Gunartana
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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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