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SAUDI ARABIA EMBRACES YOGA AS PART OF MODERNIZATION

9/30/2018

With hardline clerics objecting, Saudi Arabia has, nevertheless, embraced yoga and it can now be found in it's major cities including Mecca and Medina, the country's holiest cities.

The presence of yoga classes, studios, and yoga teacher training programs are all part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's commitment to create an "open, moderate Islam". He has permitted yoga to be recognized as a sport and has sidelined religious critics.

Today Saudi Women are doing Sun Salutations, Warrior poses, headstands and handstands. Less than a year ago these activities would have created problems for them because Yoga was presented as an aspect of Hindu religion. Spearheading efforts to normalize yoga in the kingdom is Nouf Marwaai, a Saudi woman who has battled insults and threats from extremists to challenge the notion that yoga is incompatible with Islam.

"I have been harassed, (and) sent a lot of hate messages," said the 38-year-old head of the Arab Yoga Foundation, which has trained hundreds of yoga instructors in the kingdom. "Five years ago, this (teaching yoga) would have been impossible," added Marwaai, as she began training a cluster of women students at a private studio in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Yoga has the support of the Prince who has vowed to modernize his country and limit the influence of the clergy who promote a puritanical version of Islam.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/30/2018

Once one's words are spoken, they cannot be retrieved, even by four quick horses.
- Asian Wisdom

"WHY IS THE LOTUS AN AUSPICIOUS SYMBOL IN BUDDHISM?" - BEST ANSWER

9/30/2018

The growth of the lotus flower is perhaps the best metaphor for the soul as it unfolds in consciousness. It begins in the mud, like a soul caught up in the instinctive nature; then it emerges into the water as a stem, like the soul immersed in the intellect and emotions; and ultimately it appears above the water as a bud, just as the soul awakens to its spiritual nature. For the soul, this stage of the bud beginning to open as a beautiful flower marks the onset of inner striving, seeking to know oneself and fathom the mysteries of life through the introspective process of meditation. - Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Public domain image from www.pixabay.com

MEGHAN MARKLE PRACTICES VEDIC MEDITATION

9/29/2018

For several years, Meghan Markle (Prince Harry's partner) has practiced meditation - Vedic meditation to be specific. Her yoga teacher mother introduced her to this way of meditating. Vedic meditation differs from Buddhist meditation in that it's more flexible, allowing a variety of ways and style to meditate. Here are some things Markle has said about her Vedic meditation practice:

Vedic meditation is all about going with the flow of your thoughts, noticing those thoughts, and then gently bringing your attention back to your breathing in a non-judgmental way;
Vedic meditation is the simple act of sitting comfortably, closing your eyes, and noticing your breathing while also observing those times when you get lost in your thoughts, while remembering to bring your awareness back to your breathing again;
Ten minutes of Vedic meditation is an excellent start and is be done daily;
When she first began, Markle found Vedic meditation to be "endlessly daunting at first (the thoughts, the distractions, the boredom of it), but soon [it] became the quietude that rocked my world.”
There's no downside to a regular meditation practice.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/29/2018

Those people who, having obtained vast wealth, are not intoxicated by it, are not led into heedlessness and reckless indulgence which endangers others, are very rare in this world.Those who, having obtained much wealth, are intoxicated by it, led into heedlessness and reckless indulgence which endangers others, are truly far greater in number.

- Buddha

HINDUISM IS "IDEAL" RELIGION FOR MODERN AGE

9/28/2018

Hinduism is a "wonderful" religion suited for the modern era of uncertainty and questioning because it values incertitude, according to Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor.

Here's why he feels this way (and his arguments are impressive):

Hinduism rests on the fact that there is a heck of a lot we don't know about.
the wonderful fact (about Hinduism) is that in an era of uncertainty, incertitude, you have uniquely a religion that privileges incertitude.
About creation, the Rig Veda actually says "where the universe comes from, who made all of this heaven and earth, may be He in the heaven knows, may be even He does not know",
A religion that is prepared to question the omniscience of the Creator is to my mind a wonderful faith for a modern or post-modern sensibility.
"On top of that, you have got extraordinary eclecticism" and since no one knows what God looks like one is free to imagine God as one likes in Hinduism, he says

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/28/2018

Just as we get sick physically, the earth is sick too. When people are sick, they need to be treated and saved. When the earth is sick, it also needs everyone to care for it and save it. To save it, we must begin with environmental preservation. - Hsing Yun

LEARN TO LIVE WITH THE "WEEDS" IN YOUR LIFE

9/27/2018

Centuries ago a man in the East took up gardening on his small estate. Eventually, he became a proficient gardener producing some of the most beautiful plants and flowers in his community. However, one aspect of gardening frustrated him: the constant presence of growing weeds. No matter what he did, no matter how much weeding he engaged in, they came back stronger than ever.

Unable to bear the presence of weeds in his garden he visited with a member of a King’s royal garden staff. He listened patiently and took careful notes as the royal gardener offered him a variety of methods for dealing with weeds. Pleased with his new knowledge, the man returned to his estate and applied the principles. Yet, the weeds persisted returning as they always had.

Once again, he visited the royal gardener and explained asking “what else can I do about those weeds?” The royal gardener paused before speaking and then said: “There is only one other thing for you to do: you must learn to love the weeds and treat them well.”

That story is a metaphor for our living. While we may have many admirable qualities, no one of us is free from “weeds” in our lives. As we become aware them it’s easy to become frustrated with ourselves and turn to self-loathing and even self-abuse.

The lesson from the gardener applies to life in this way: we must learn to love our ‘weeds’, those flaws, imperfections which make us the unique individuals we are. If we do not do this, we will simply make ourselves more miserable. Like the gardener who could not eliminate and prevent weeds from coming up, we can’t root out every flaw. So work with the alternative which is self-acceptance and learning to love those parts of our personalities as well. Here are some words of wisdom to consider:

What self-acceptance does is open up more possibilities of succeeding because you aren’t fighting yourself along the way. - Shannon Ables

You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company. - Diane Von Furstenberg

The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself. - Mark Twain

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/26/2018

It is a law of nature that without effort one does not make progress. Whether one is a layperson or a monk, without effort one gets nowhere, in meditation or anything else. - Ajahn Brahm

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

9/26/2018

Regardless of gender, one should find one’s place in the world and identify one’s life purpose. Live according to your principles, and you will have a happy life. - Venerable Zhankong

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Victor M. Parachin ...is a

Vedic educator, yoga instructor, meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore.

Victor M. Parachin ...is a

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