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Ajahn Chah (1918-1992) was Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest Tradition. Highly revered and loved, he was instrumental in bringing Buddhist teachings to the West. When an aging student was approaching her death, she asked for his advice on how to die. Here are five of his insights:
1. Don't be surprised by death. "You should understand that even the Buddha himself, with his great store of accumulated virtue, could not avoid physical death."
2. Let go of the body and be satisfied. Just like the Buddha released his body and the burden it had become, "now you too must learn to be satisfied with the many years you’ve already depended on your body. You should feel that it’s enough."
3. The body deteriorates, the mind does not. This is something very important to remember at the time of death. " The Buddha taught that we should ensure that it is only the body that is locked up in jail, and not let the mind be imprisoned along with it. Now as your body begins to run down and deteriorate with age, don’t resist that, but don’t let your mind deteriorate with it. Keep the mind separate. Give energy to the mind by realizing the truth of the way things are."
4. Don't blame your body. Our physical self is subject to change and decay. That's just way it is. "Actually there’s nothing wrong with the way the body is. It’s not the body that causes you suffering, it’s your wrong thinking. When you see the right wrongly, there’s bound to be confusion." Be at peace with the way things are. This too, is very important.
5. Let go of all externals. Use your end time for meditation to bring peace and relieve any struggle. "Don’t go grasping at thoughts of your children and relatives, don’t grasp at anything whatsoever. Let go. Let the mind unite in a single point and let that composed mind dwell with the breath. Let the breath be its sole object of knowledge...... look on the breath as if it were a relative come to visit you. When a relative leaves, we follow him out and see him off. We watch until he’s walked or driven out of sight and then we go back indoors. We watch the breath in the same way. If the breath is coarse, we know that it’s coarse; if it’s subtle, we know that it’s subtle. As it becomes increasingly fine, we keep following it, while simultaneously awakening the mind. Eventually the breath disappears altogether and all that remains is the feeling of wakefulness. This is called meeting the Buddha."
1. Don't be surprised by death. "You should understand that even the Buddha himself, with his great store of accumulated virtue, could not avoid physical death."
2. Let go of the body and be satisfied. Just like the Buddha released his body and the burden it had become, "now you too must learn to be satisfied with the many years you’ve already depended on your body. You should feel that it’s enough."
3. The body deteriorates, the mind does not. This is something very important to remember at the time of death. " The Buddha taught that we should ensure that it is only the body that is locked up in jail, and not let the mind be imprisoned along with it. Now as your body begins to run down and deteriorate with age, don’t resist that, but don’t let your mind deteriorate with it. Keep the mind separate. Give energy to the mind by realizing the truth of the way things are."
4. Don't blame your body. Our physical self is subject to change and decay. That's just way it is. "Actually there’s nothing wrong with the way the body is. It’s not the body that causes you suffering, it’s your wrong thinking. When you see the right wrongly, there’s bound to be confusion." Be at peace with the way things are. This too, is very important.
5. Let go of all externals. Use your end time for meditation to bring peace and relieve any struggle. "Don’t go grasping at thoughts of your children and relatives, don’t grasp at anything whatsoever. Let go. Let the mind unite in a single point and let that composed mind dwell with the breath. Let the breath be its sole object of knowledge...... look on the breath as if it were a relative come to visit you. When a relative leaves, we follow him out and see him off. We watch until he’s walked or driven out of sight and then we go back indoors. We watch the breath in the same way. If the breath is coarse, we know that it’s coarse; if it’s subtle, we know that it’s subtle. As it becomes increasingly fine, we keep following it, while simultaneously awakening the mind. Eventually the breath disappears altogether and all that remains is the feeling of wakefulness. This is called meeting the Buddha."
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Silence is God’s first language. Everything else is a poor translation. - Thomas Keating
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First there was hot yoga. Then came . . . . cat yoga, goat yoga, naked yoga, beer yoga, etc, etc, etc. Now, a New York studio is offering "cold" yoga with the room temperatures set between 42 and 64 (60 and over is considered "hot") . Here's the theory behind cold yoga according to Johnny Adamic, co-founder of cold yoga.
"Heat gets in the way of your workout performance, In cooler temperatures—anywhere from 40 to 64 degrees—your perceived rate of exertion is lower, which means you can work out harder and sustain your maximal best performance for longer."
Commenting on cold yoga, writer Emily Abbate states: "When you're cold, your body has to use more energy and work harder to maintain your core body temperature (shivering indeed burns calories). Cool environments could help better your sleep quality and can help your alertness—if you've ever tried to sleep without air conditioning in July, you know this is true. Some studies have suggested that exposure to colder temperatures be used as an alternative strategy for exercise, while others go so far as to claim that a lack of cold exposure is a contributing cause of obesity."
For yoga, however, there's a huge downside: when a room is too cold the body is cold and muscles tighten. There can be an enormous risk for injury.
My opinion: traditional yoga is ideal, has passed the test of time, and doesn't need all this contemporary "tinkering". There's too much novelty becoming attached to yoga making it no longer yoga.
"Heat gets in the way of your workout performance, In cooler temperatures—anywhere from 40 to 64 degrees—your perceived rate of exertion is lower, which means you can work out harder and sustain your maximal best performance for longer."
Commenting on cold yoga, writer Emily Abbate states: "When you're cold, your body has to use more energy and work harder to maintain your core body temperature (shivering indeed burns calories). Cool environments could help better your sleep quality and can help your alertness—if you've ever tried to sleep without air conditioning in July, you know this is true. Some studies have suggested that exposure to colder temperatures be used as an alternative strategy for exercise, while others go so far as to claim that a lack of cold exposure is a contributing cause of obesity."
For yoga, however, there's a huge downside: when a room is too cold the body is cold and muscles tighten. There can be an enormous risk for injury.
My opinion: traditional yoga is ideal, has passed the test of time, and doesn't need all this contemporary "tinkering". There's too much novelty becoming attached to yoga making it no longer yoga.
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1. Identify the best ways to deal with the issue . . . such as joining a grief support group, seeking out information for managing life through a crisis.
2. Accept support . . . from those you know to be kind comforters and encouraging supporters. Avoid those who just "don't get you". They'll hold you back.
3. Be realistic about "getting over it" . . . This means practicing patience with yourself because recovery from the unpleasant is unpredictable and often takes longer that one expects.
4. Care for yourself . . . Avoid the temptation to become careless. Even though you may not feel like, be sure to exercise regularly, eat nutritious meals, balance your desire to be alone with time to be with others. Stay engaged in life. Don't give up on yourself.
2. Accept support . . . from those you know to be kind comforters and encouraging supporters. Avoid those who just "don't get you". They'll hold you back.
3. Be realistic about "getting over it" . . . This means practicing patience with yourself because recovery from the unpleasant is unpredictable and often takes longer that one expects.
4. Care for yourself . . . Avoid the temptation to become careless. Even though you may not feel like, be sure to exercise regularly, eat nutritious meals, balance your desire to be alone with time to be with others. Stay engaged in life. Don't give up on yourself.
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Yet another survey reveals that yoga and meditation practices are rising rapidly in the United States and includes a growing number of children under 17 who are taking up the practices.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), conducts a large survey every five years to determine health issues and practices of Americans. After evaluating nearly 30,000 responses, the NCCIH reported:
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), conducts a large survey every five years to determine health issues and practices of Americans. After evaluating nearly 30,000 responses, the NCCIH reported:
- yoga was the most commonly used form of complementary health in the last 12 months among US adults, and the trend was increasing, from 9.5 percent adults practicing in 2012 to 14.3 percent of those surveyed in 2017.
- the use of meditation had also increased, from just 4.1 percent in 2012 to 14.2 percent in 2017.
- children's use of yoga and meditation has also increased significantly over the time of the two surveys.
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In everything, no matter what it may be, uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting, and gives one the feeling that there is room for growth. - Yoshida Kenko
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Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist author, teacher and peace activist from Japan. During world war II, he suffered with tuberculosis as a young man. Because of the war, all traditional treatments (rest, recuperation, meditations) were not available to him or his family. He is no stranger to sickness.
Yet, he makes this provocative observation: "We must not forget that living a life free of illness is not everything. If you concentrate too much on your health and neglect other aspects of your life, you will become preoccupied by excess prudence which does not result in a truly satisfactory life."
What, then, is needed in addition to good health? His reply: "One can live a meaningful life only when he has an objective or an ideal whose achievement deserves is lifelong devotion, or whose value is everlasting and remains unchanged even after he dies."
Yet, he makes this provocative observation: "We must not forget that living a life free of illness is not everything. If you concentrate too much on your health and neglect other aspects of your life, you will become preoccupied by excess prudence which does not result in a truly satisfactory life."
What, then, is needed in addition to good health? His reply: "One can live a meaningful life only when he has an objective or an ideal whose achievement deserves is lifelong devotion, or whose value is everlasting and remains unchanged even after he dies."
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When you feel diligent and enthusiastic you meditate, and when you feel lazy you meditate. — Ajahn Chah
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(public domain image from www.pixabay.com)
If you have a friend who is from India, be sure to wish him or her "happy diwali" today!
Known as the festival of lights, Diwali is one of the most important and popular celebrations in India. The theme of Diwali is that good triumphs over darkness. It is celebrated not only by Hindus worldwide but also by Jains and Sikhs. The date for Diwali varies slighlty from year to year because it is based on a lunar calendar – the 14th day of the lunar month of Ashvayuja. This usually falls between the end of October and into the first two weeks of November.
The festival lasts five days with each day designated for a specific spiritual focus. Various deities are worshiped during Diwali with the main one being Laksmhi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The origin of Diwali has been lost in history, however, it can be traced back to around 1000 CE. More ancient mythological stories in various Vedic texts provide inspiration for Diwali. Light is an important spiritual symbol for Hindus as it is for many in other religions.
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American Zen Buddhist teacher and social activist Bernie Glassman passed away at his home in Massachusetts early on Sunday (11/04) morning at the age of 79. Glassman suffered a debilitating stroke in January 2016 but, along with his wife, remained active within the Zen community he founded. Glassman is survived by his wife, Eve, two children, Alisa and Mark, and four grandchildren.
Born in 1939, and a former aeronautical engineer at McDonnell-Douglas, with a PhD in applied mathematics, Glassman first encountered Zen as a student when he was assigned Huston Smith’s The Religions of Man for an English class. He began meditating in the early 1960s and soon afterwards found a teacher in the form of Japanese Zen master Taizan Maezumi (1931–95) in Los Angeles. Glassman went on to become one of the original founding members of the Zen Center of Los Angeles.
In 1980, Glassman moved back to New York City from the West Coast and established the Zen Community of New York. In 1982, he opened Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, to help alleviate homelessness in the area and provide jobs for residents who lacked education and skills. According to the Greyston Bakery: “Since 1982, we have developed and refined Open Hiring, assembling a remarkable team of bakers by hiring without interviews, resumes, background checks, or applications.”
Glassman authored several books, including The Dude and the Zen Master (2013), Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen (2003), Bearing Witness: A Zen Master's Lessons in Making Peace (1999), and On Zen Practice: Body, Breath, Mind (1999).
Born in 1939, and a former aeronautical engineer at McDonnell-Douglas, with a PhD in applied mathematics, Glassman first encountered Zen as a student when he was assigned Huston Smith’s The Religions of Man for an English class. He began meditating in the early 1960s and soon afterwards found a teacher in the form of Japanese Zen master Taizan Maezumi (1931–95) in Los Angeles. Glassman went on to become one of the original founding members of the Zen Center of Los Angeles.
In 1980, Glassman moved back to New York City from the West Coast and established the Zen Community of New York. In 1982, he opened Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, to help alleviate homelessness in the area and provide jobs for residents who lacked education and skills. According to the Greyston Bakery: “Since 1982, we have developed and refined Open Hiring, assembling a remarkable team of bakers by hiring without interviews, resumes, background checks, or applications.”
Glassman authored several books, including The Dude and the Zen Master (2013), Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen (2003), Bearing Witness: A Zen Master's Lessons in Making Peace (1999), and On Zen Practice: Body, Breath, Mind (1999).