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Buddha is the Sanskrit word for “awakened one.” It refers to an awakened being who has awakened to the truth of the universe and has vowed to teach other sentient beings the truth, liberating them with infinite compassion. - Hsing Yun
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It is unwise to follow a course of action that is easy and pleasant to do, but that, when done, leads to what is unwholesome, for a fool does not reflect thus, and does it, and the doing of that action leads to long-term harm and suffering. […]I must discern that even if a course of action is difficult and unpleasant to do, but, when done, it leads to what is wholesome for me and all sentient beings, I must do it, and thus, the doing of that action leads to long-term welfare and happiness.
This is the perfection of discernment.
—Jetsun Taranatha, Essence of Ambrosia
This is the perfection of discernment.
—Jetsun Taranatha, Essence of Ambrosia
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In its latest revision to a disease classification manual, the U.N. health agency said this month that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a mental health condition. The statement confirmed the fears of some parents but led critics to warn that it may risk stigmatizing too many young video players.
WHO said classifying "gaming disorder" as a separate addiction will help governments, families and health care workers be more vigilant and prepared to identify the risks. The agency and other experts were quick to note that cases of the condition are still very rare, with no more than up to 3 percent of all gamers believed to be affected.
Dr. Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO's department for mental health and substance abuse, said the agency accepted the proposal that gaming disorder should be listed as a new problem based on scientific evidence, in addition to "the need and the demand for treatment in many parts of the world."
Dr. Joan Harvey, a spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, warned that the new designation might cause unnecessary concern among parents.
"People need to understand this doesn't mean every child who spends hours in their room playing games is an addict, otherwise medics are going to be flooded with requests for help," she said.
Others welcomed WHO's new classification, saying it was critical to identify people hooked on video games quickly because they are usually teenagers or young adults who don't seek help themselves.
"We come across parents who are distraught, not only because they're seeing their child drop out of school, but because they're seeing an entire family structure fall apart," said Dr. Henrietta Bowden-Jones, a spokeswoman for behavioral addictions at Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists. She was not connected to WHO's decision.
WHO said classifying "gaming disorder" as a separate addiction will help governments, families and health care workers be more vigilant and prepared to identify the risks. The agency and other experts were quick to note that cases of the condition are still very rare, with no more than up to 3 percent of all gamers believed to be affected.
Dr. Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO's department for mental health and substance abuse, said the agency accepted the proposal that gaming disorder should be listed as a new problem based on scientific evidence, in addition to "the need and the demand for treatment in many parts of the world."
Dr. Joan Harvey, a spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, warned that the new designation might cause unnecessary concern among parents.
"People need to understand this doesn't mean every child who spends hours in their room playing games is an addict, otherwise medics are going to be flooded with requests for help," she said.
Others welcomed WHO's new classification, saying it was critical to identify people hooked on video games quickly because they are usually teenagers or young adults who don't seek help themselves.
"We come across parents who are distraught, not only because they're seeing their child drop out of school, but because they're seeing an entire family structure fall apart," said Dr. Henrietta Bowden-Jones, a spokeswoman for behavioral addictions at Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists. She was not connected to WHO's decision.
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Most people understand that eating vegetarian leads to a healthier life. Now, more research indicates that the health benefits are greater than have been assumed. Experts say, in fact, we may be underestimating the benefits of eating plant-based foods.
“We have just been doing some calculations looking at the question of how much could we reduce mortality [by] shifting toward a healthy, more plant-based diet — not necessarily totally vegan — and our estimates are [that] about one-third of early deaths could be prevented,” Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Medical School, said during a medical conference in Vatican City late last month.
Massive amounts of research all points to the same fact: a vegetarian diet is tightly linked to a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, and chronic diseases.
“We have just been doing some calculations looking at the question of how much could we reduce mortality [by] shifting toward a healthy, more plant-based diet — not necessarily totally vegan — and our estimates are [that] about one-third of early deaths could be prevented,” Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Medical School, said during a medical conference in Vatican City late last month.
Massive amounts of research all points to the same fact: a vegetarian diet is tightly linked to a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, and chronic diseases.
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With an ever increasing number of Westerners living in South Korea, one Korean Zen master has been reaching out to them offering Buddhist teachings in remarkably user friendly ways. Ven. Pomnyun, 65, well-known for his sharp and insightful impromptu Dharma dialogues with people of all walks of life in simple layman's terms explained:
"There are over 2 million foreigners living in Korea, which is about 4 percent of the total population. By 2020, more than 3 million foreigners are expected to call Korea home. The expat community is a permanent part of Korean society contributing every day to its diversity and richness. But their voices are often not heard in public policy debates that impact their lives. I believe that it is time we should pay attention to what worries and doubts those expats have while living in the country," he said explaining the reason for his first English dialogue session with the foreign community in Korea.
His recent talk in the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhist History and Culture in downtown Seoul, was fully booked with over 200 attendees from around the world. An extremely popular speaker and teacher, Ven. Pomnyun had more than 600,000 attend his "Hope" lecture tour from 2011 until 2014 across 436 locations within the country. In 2014, he visited 106 cities around the world in 114 days and delivered 115 talks to more than 20,000 people there including Koreans living overseas. This year more talks with expats are scheduled than with Korean audiences.
"There are over 2 million foreigners living in Korea, which is about 4 percent of the total population. By 2020, more than 3 million foreigners are expected to call Korea home. The expat community is a permanent part of Korean society contributing every day to its diversity and richness. But their voices are often not heard in public policy debates that impact their lives. I believe that it is time we should pay attention to what worries and doubts those expats have while living in the country," he said explaining the reason for his first English dialogue session with the foreign community in Korea.
His recent talk in the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhist History and Culture in downtown Seoul, was fully booked with over 200 attendees from around the world. An extremely popular speaker and teacher, Ven. Pomnyun had more than 600,000 attend his "Hope" lecture tour from 2011 until 2014 across 436 locations within the country. In 2014, he visited 106 cities around the world in 114 days and delivered 115 talks to more than 20,000 people there including Koreans living overseas. This year more talks with expats are scheduled than with Korean audiences.
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Yoga arises from nature and teaches us to live in harmony with the Earth and the stars. It is not simply a manmade or historical invention, but a means of integration into the cosmic life. Yoga is inherently an ecological pursuit and promotes ecological awareness, concern for the environment, respect for the Earth and all of its creatures, large and small. Yoga affords us a planetary vision in which we look at the world as a whole, not divided into conflicting countries and communities. - David Frawley
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Meditation is the greatest quest ever conceived, and it is open to everyone. Meditation brings out the deepest desires, to know who you really are, to achieve fulfillment, to turn chaos into orderliness, to create a life whose satisfactions can never be undermined or taken away from you. - Deepak Chopra
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An Indian yoga guru celebrated International Yoga Day by teaching a class with a world record-breaking 105,000 students. Baba Ramdev, a famed yogi, headed a yoga lesson early Thursday morning in Kota to celebrate International Yoga Day and smash the Guinness World Record for largest yoga lesson, which was previously set by 55,506 people last year in Mysuru, India.
Guinness World Records confirmed Ramdev's lesson broke the record with at least 105,000 people participating, but an official count was not yet available and reports suggested nearly 200,000 people may have been participating.
International Day of Yoga is being celebrated around the world not only on the actual June 21st date but in the weeks before and after. Here in Tulsa, I'm leading a 2 hour "mini" retreat on Friday June 29th Yoga and Meditation For Better Health. If you're local, please join me in celebrating International Day of Yoga that night.
Guinness World Records confirmed Ramdev's lesson broke the record with at least 105,000 people participating, but an official count was not yet available and reports suggested nearly 200,000 people may have been participating.
International Day of Yoga is being celebrated around the world not only on the actual June 21st date but in the weeks before and after. Here in Tulsa, I'm leading a 2 hour "mini" retreat on Friday June 29th Yoga and Meditation For Better Health. If you're local, please join me in celebrating International Day of Yoga that night.
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(public domain picture from www.pixabay.com)
Shortly before his master died, he asked his disciple, Indian Buddhist Monk Bodhidharma, to leave south India and travel to China in order to spread Buddhism. It was a long and dangerous journey with stops to teach Buddhism in Java, Indonesia, Bali, Sumatra, Malayasia before ultimately settling in central China at the Shaolin Buddhist Temple some time in 540 CE. The Shaolin Temple had been established 30 years earlier.
Budhidharma was shocked at the poor physical shape of the monks. They were overweight, lethargic and frequently ill. He immediately organized daily classes made up of pranayama (breathing exercises) and, significantly, introduced them to south India’s ancient martial art system called Kalaripayat. This combination of breath work and martial arts training improved the monks’ health enabling them to remain alert while meditating for long periods of time daily. The Kalaripayat martial arts component offered them the added benefit of defending themselves against gangs who roamed the countryside.
Though Bodhidharma's focus was on meditation and Buddhist teachings, many of the monks were more drawn to the physical lessons eventually creating a Chinese version of Kalaripayat which became known as Shaolin Kung Fu. With the passage of time time, the Shaolin Temple came to be associated as a martial arts training school rather than a traditional Buddhist monastery.
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Members of India's Indo-Tibetan Border Police wear military fatigues, with thick boots and heavy jackets. Their jog is to guard the vast border between India and China, where the mountaintop temperature can drop to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. To help them cope with their duties as well as the altitude (9,000-18,000 feet) and the cold, they practice yoga, meditation and yogic breath exercises called pranayama.
To see pictures of these guardians doing yoga in full gear go to cnn.com at this link:
www.cnn.com/2018/06/21/asia/international-yoga-day-himalayas-border-police-trnd/index.html
To see pictures of these guardians doing yoga in full gear go to cnn.com at this link:
www.cnn.com/2018/06/21/asia/international-yoga-day-himalayas-border-police-trnd/index.html