Illustrator Wendy MacNaughton and writer Courtney E. Martin (From Brain Pickings)
29 May 2017
The difference between...
feeling depressed and feeling rejuvenated when meeting someone from the past is this:
If meeting person/persons from the past stress you and evoke feelings of unhappiness or sadness, raise complicated thoughts and negative reflections, remind you of slaps in the face or being turned down, or bring up memories of instances when you were rebuffed or made to feel small, then this is reliving the past and any further meetings with this person or persons should be avoided. We don't need to spend our energy dealing with hurts...
However, if the person/persons you are meeting bring in happiness of shared memories, laughs, a feeling of companionship and camaraderie and the atmosphere is convivial, then this meeting is a trip down memory lane.
Why I'm making this distinction is because one does come up against the past... people we've known at various earlier stages of our life do suddenly make an appearance. One comes across references to people and events that were probably responsible for changing the course of our lives.
We need to know if we are -
reliving the past ------ debilitating
or
going down memory lane ------ invigorating
If meeting person/persons from the past stress you and evoke feelings of unhappiness or sadness, raise complicated thoughts and negative reflections, remind you of slaps in the face or being turned down, or bring up memories of instances when you were rebuffed or made to feel small, then this is reliving the past and any further meetings with this person or persons should be avoided. We don't need to spend our energy dealing with hurts...
However, if the person/persons you are meeting bring in happiness of shared memories, laughs, a feeling of companionship and camaraderie and the atmosphere is convivial, then this meeting is a trip down memory lane.
Why I'm making this distinction is because one does come up against the past... people we've known at various earlier stages of our life do suddenly make an appearance. One comes across references to people and events that were probably responsible for changing the course of our lives.
We need to know if we are -
reliving the past ------ debilitating
or
going down memory lane ------ invigorating
17 May 2017
Awareness...
is the main part of mindfulness.
The Buddha taught awareness in every single aspect of living. For instance, enjoying tangerines went like this:
Look at the tangerine - really look at it - the color, shape...
Peel it slowly and carefully
Take one segment at a time and enjoy eating it, conscious all the time of the taste of the tangerine
Gather up the peels
There is no hurry, and yet no time is lost. Thus there is no strain or stress in the mind or body. This is the beauty of awareness and mindfulness.
This is mindful eating and the Budda ate all his meals in this way. His followers did so too.
This is just one small example. One has to practice this in everything one does. It takes time and effort till it becomes an effortless part of our living. As soon as the mind starts wandering, one concentrates on the breathing to bring back the focus and concentration...
The Buddha taught awareness in every single aspect of living. For instance, enjoying tangerines went like this:
Look at the tangerine - really look at it - the color, shape...
Peel it slowly and carefully
Take one segment at a time and enjoy eating it, conscious all the time of the taste of the tangerine
Gather up the peels
There is no hurry, and yet no time is lost. Thus there is no strain or stress in the mind or body. This is the beauty of awareness and mindfulness.
This is mindful eating and the Budda ate all his meals in this way. His followers did so too.
This is just one small example. One has to practice this in everything one does. It takes time and effort till it becomes an effortless part of our living. As soon as the mind starts wandering, one concentrates on the breathing to bring back the focus and concentration...
16 May 2017
Mindfulness...
is awareness. The opposite of mindfulness is ignorance. Ignorance that everything - including us humans - is impermanent.
Feelings - pleasant, unpleasant, neutral - are impermanent.
Perceptions - believing that things are permanent, believing that there is a self - are impermanent.
Physical presence - birth, existence, age, death - is impermanent.
Mental states - fear, anger, hatredm arrogance, jealousy, greed - are all sources of suffering because they all arise due to ignorance.
Once we look deep inside us, no matter how painful it may be, and realize the cause of these mental states, the ignorance about them is removed, and we will be liberated from them and feel free in our heart.
We cover the reality with all kinds of things, little realizing that the reality is that everything is impermanent and therefore, will pass.
The Buddha said: To accept life means to accept impermanence and emptiness of self. The source of suffering is a false belief in permanence and the existence of separate selves. Thus, one understands that there is neither birth nor death, production nor destruction, one nor many, inner nor outer, large nor small, impure nor pure. All such concepts are false distinctions created by the intellect.
Thus, once we understand, accept, and believe in the impermanence of everything, we will be free from the suffering that all these cause us...
Feelings - pleasant, unpleasant, neutral - are impermanent.
Perceptions - believing that things are permanent, believing that there is a self - are impermanent.
Physical presence - birth, existence, age, death - is impermanent.
Mental states - fear, anger, hatredm arrogance, jealousy, greed - are all sources of suffering because they all arise due to ignorance.
Once we look deep inside us, no matter how painful it may be, and realize the cause of these mental states, the ignorance about them is removed, and we will be liberated from them and feel free in our heart.
We cover the reality with all kinds of things, little realizing that the reality is that everything is impermanent and therefore, will pass.
The Buddha said: To accept life means to accept impermanence and emptiness of self. The source of suffering is a false belief in permanence and the existence of separate selves. Thus, one understands that there is neither birth nor death, production nor destruction, one nor many, inner nor outer, large nor small, impure nor pure. All such concepts are false distinctions created by the intellect.
Thus, once we understand, accept, and believe in the impermanence of everything, we will be free from the suffering that all these cause us...
12 May 2017
The second...
The Buddha teaches the wisdom hidden in 'Observing our breathing'.
No matter what we are doing, we need to learn to be aware of our breathing.
Optimal breathing is:
Diaphragmatic
Nasal
Deep
Smooth
Even
Without sound
Without pause
Check this out when you are lying down or sitting still. It doesn't happen all at once or within a particular time frame. A lot of practice is needed.
There are many times during a day that the breathing changes. Once we get into the habit of observing our breathing, we will notice when the breathing has changed. We then need to bring our breathing back to where it was.
Steps that may help:
1. Sit comfortably straight on a cushion, or wherever you feel comfortable.
2. Close your eyes and let your body rest. This will allow the breath to start flowing deeply.
3. Let your breath flow without a pause. Slowly, slowly you will see the breath becoming smooth.
4. You will now find yourself starting to relax. Allow your whole body to relax.
5. Let your attention slowly move through your whole body releasing the tight spots and tensions.
6. Whenever the mind wanders - and it is natural for the mind to wander - bring your attention back to the breathing. (If you give any wandering thought your attention, your energy will get into it and the distraction will result in stress). Keeping the attention on the breathing is a practice that takes time, so don't be disheartened. It needs a lot of practice.
You will see that once this becomes a habit, you will observe your breathing no matter what you are doing...while walking, while working, while washing the dishes, while doing housework, while working out.....no matter where you are or what you are doing, you will observe your breathing.
Observing our breathing helps in many ways. One prime example is when we are stressed or unhappy about something. We need to just stop what we are doing...thinking.........and concentrate on our breathing.
Gradually our breathing becomes deeply relaxing - this is when we know that our session of observing our breathing has been successful. Observing our breathing is the foundation of mindfulness...
No matter what we are doing, we need to learn to be aware of our breathing.
Optimal breathing is:
Diaphragmatic
Nasal
Deep
Smooth
Even
Without sound
Without pause
Check this out when you are lying down or sitting still. It doesn't happen all at once or within a particular time frame. A lot of practice is needed.
There are many times during a day that the breathing changes. Once we get into the habit of observing our breathing, we will notice when the breathing has changed. We then need to bring our breathing back to where it was.
Steps that may help:
1. Sit comfortably straight on a cushion, or wherever you feel comfortable.
2. Close your eyes and let your body rest. This will allow the breath to start flowing deeply.
3. Let your breath flow without a pause. Slowly, slowly you will see the breath becoming smooth.
4. You will now find yourself starting to relax. Allow your whole body to relax.
5. Let your attention slowly move through your whole body releasing the tight spots and tensions.
6. Whenever the mind wanders - and it is natural for the mind to wander - bring your attention back to the breathing. (If you give any wandering thought your attention, your energy will get into it and the distraction will result in stress). Keeping the attention on the breathing is a practice that takes time, so don't be disheartened. It needs a lot of practice.
You will see that once this becomes a habit, you will observe your breathing no matter what you are doing...while walking, while working, while washing the dishes, while doing housework, while working out.....no matter where you are or what you are doing, you will observe your breathing.
Observing our breathing helps in many ways. One prime example is when we are stressed or unhappy about something. We need to just stop what we are doing...thinking.........and concentrate on our breathing.
Gradually our breathing becomes deeply relaxing - this is when we know that our session of observing our breathing has been successful. Observing our breathing is the foundation of mindfulness...
08 May 2017
As I read...
Old Path White Clouds by Thich Nhat Hanh, I will be sharing some of the things that we, lay people, can benefit from....things that all of us can do as a community, even though we don't see each other.
The First:
Whenever the Buddha walked, he and his bhikkus walked slowly and with great ease. They 'walked just to enjoy the walking, unconcerned about arriving anywhere at all. No one seemed anxious or impatient to reach their destination. Each man's steps were slow, balanced, and peaceful.'
I believe there is a great deal of wisdom hidden here. To walk - slowly and with ease - fully engaged in just walking - with no anxiety or impatience - in order to reach a specific point.
By extension, no matter what we do, we need to do it slowly and with ease - fully engaged in what we are doing at that moment - with no anxiety or impatience about the dozen other things that may be waiting for our attention and time.
Two things emerged from reading this - a) the Buddha got to where he wanted to be at the end of the day, and b) he was not tired or stressed or anxious.
This means that if we go about our work, and all the chores the day demands of us, the way the Buddha did, we would not only be able to finish all that we wanted to, but we would be able to do it without feeling like a rag at the end of the day...
I found a resonating thought in my Native American wisdom meditation:
Whenever we walk on the Earth, we should pay attention to what is going on. Too often our minds are somewhere else, thinking about the past or thinking about the future. When we do this, we are missing important lessons. The Earth is a constant flow of lessons and learnings which also include a constant flow of positive feelings. If we are aware as we walk, we will gather words for our lives, the lessons to help our children; we will gather feelings of inter-connectedness and calmness. ~ Cleone Thunder, NORTHERN ARAPAHOE
The First:
Whenever the Buddha walked, he and his bhikkus walked slowly and with great ease. They 'walked just to enjoy the walking, unconcerned about arriving anywhere at all. No one seemed anxious or impatient to reach their destination. Each man's steps were slow, balanced, and peaceful.'
I believe there is a great deal of wisdom hidden here. To walk - slowly and with ease - fully engaged in just walking - with no anxiety or impatience - in order to reach a specific point.
By extension, no matter what we do, we need to do it slowly and with ease - fully engaged in what we are doing at that moment - with no anxiety or impatience about the dozen other things that may be waiting for our attention and time.
Two things emerged from reading this - a) the Buddha got to where he wanted to be at the end of the day, and b) he was not tired or stressed or anxious.
This means that if we go about our work, and all the chores the day demands of us, the way the Buddha did, we would not only be able to finish all that we wanted to, but we would be able to do it without feeling like a rag at the end of the day...
I found a resonating thought in my Native American wisdom meditation:
Whenever we walk on the Earth, we should pay attention to what is going on. Too often our minds are somewhere else, thinking about the past or thinking about the future. When we do this, we are missing important lessons. The Earth is a constant flow of lessons and learnings which also include a constant flow of positive feelings. If we are aware as we walk, we will gather words for our lives, the lessons to help our children; we will gather feelings of inter-connectedness and calmness. ~ Cleone Thunder, NORTHERN ARAPAHOE
05 May 2017
I'm reeling...
under the emotions I'm experiencing, having just finished a powerful book - Mayada, Daughter of Iraq, by Jean Sasson.
Once again the power of the word freedom hit me.
When doing something, we need to focus entirely on what we are saying or doing. Though we all do not live in police states, one never knows when one might step on another's sensibilities, or infringe, no matter how lightly, on another's personal space, or say/write/do something without thinking of the consequences this can have... Even in a totally politically free country, are we really free to do and say and behave any which way we like? or want to? Besides the damage this kind of thing is bound to create, be assured that we too will be victims of this damage. I don't think there is any room for any callousness or frivolity in freedom.
This does not mean we allow ourselves to be frightened, or behave falsely.....it just means that we need to be aware of the fact that something we say carelessly, or without thinking, may cause someone, somewhere grief...and worse, may get deflected right back on to us and we will be left defending what we meant by what we said....
Once again the power of the word freedom hit me.
When doing something, we need to focus entirely on what we are saying or doing. Though we all do not live in police states, one never knows when one might step on another's sensibilities, or infringe, no matter how lightly, on another's personal space, or say/write/do something without thinking of the consequences this can have... Even in a totally politically free country, are we really free to do and say and behave any which way we like? or want to? Besides the damage this kind of thing is bound to create, be assured that we too will be victims of this damage. I don't think there is any room for any callousness or frivolity in freedom.
This does not mean we allow ourselves to be frightened, or behave falsely.....it just means that we need to be aware of the fact that something we say carelessly, or without thinking, may cause someone, somewhere grief...and worse, may get deflected right back on to us and we will be left defending what we meant by what we said....
03 May 2017
Carving a bit of time...
out of every day.
Sharing something that has started working for me...
I go to the gym 3 times a week for a full workout. I also go on Sunday evenings, because that is a bad time for me and being out of the house, engaged in something, in a happy atmosphere, helps.
The other three days when I'm at home, I thought of going for a brisk half-an-hour walk in the morning. It worked for a while but my gym instructor insisted that if I do the walk then I must give myself one whole day of total rest, otherwise the body would collapse under the strain. He suggested, instead, a 20-minute yoga work out combined with meditation. I was hesitant at first, but I trust my instructor implicitly so decided to give it a go. Believe me, this is helping and I'm the most surprised!!
Of course it didn't start off as a 20-minute session. When I first started, I felt terribly restless during the meditation time of 5 minutes I'd scheduled for before the yoga work out. Also, I found, to my dismay, that I couldn't do the yoga asanas and pranayams my instructor had suggested. The list of daily chores kept pinging on my brain, and I was restless and uncomfortable thinking I was spending precious time on yoga when I should be doing something that needed doing around the house. Gradually, very gradually, I forced myself not to quit. Forced myself to keep at it. Forced myself to just be on the mat. I couldn't do anything, not even the meditation....I was so tense....but then when I kept sitting there, every scheduled day, the tension eased off.
And now, slowly but surely, it is working.
I realized that one cannot do any yoga if the mind is troubled/in turmoil/uneasy/not at rest. My mind had to be absolutely calm and quiet. So I decided to concentrate on my 5-minute meditation. It didn't happen right away, but after a few days I could calm and quiet my mind. The asanas also took some time to work out the way they should (even now, if my mind is not totally calm, I cannot do the asanas successfully). Likewise for the pranayams. When I found I could handle these, I fixed another 5-minute meditation time at the end of the session.
Now I can spend 30 minutes without any panic attack! Best is this little bit of time sets me up for the day and I find that I can comfortably finish all my chores without rushing. The other things that used to turn on panic attacks are also all easing off. Loneliness was another thing that used to set off the panic button, but now that too has stopped, and I am more in charge of myself. Feelings and thoughts keep coming, but they are not to be taken seriously. They are just visitors, Zen Buddhism says, and as such should be allowed to move on and out of us. We need to keep only those thoughts and feelings in our mind that are uplifting...
Sharing something that has started working for me...
I go to the gym 3 times a week for a full workout. I also go on Sunday evenings, because that is a bad time for me and being out of the house, engaged in something, in a happy atmosphere, helps.
The other three days when I'm at home, I thought of going for a brisk half-an-hour walk in the morning. It worked for a while but my gym instructor insisted that if I do the walk then I must give myself one whole day of total rest, otherwise the body would collapse under the strain. He suggested, instead, a 20-minute yoga work out combined with meditation. I was hesitant at first, but I trust my instructor implicitly so decided to give it a go. Believe me, this is helping and I'm the most surprised!!
Of course it didn't start off as a 20-minute session. When I first started, I felt terribly restless during the meditation time of 5 minutes I'd scheduled for before the yoga work out. Also, I found, to my dismay, that I couldn't do the yoga asanas and pranayams my instructor had suggested. The list of daily chores kept pinging on my brain, and I was restless and uncomfortable thinking I was spending precious time on yoga when I should be doing something that needed doing around the house. Gradually, very gradually, I forced myself not to quit. Forced myself to keep at it. Forced myself to just be on the mat. I couldn't do anything, not even the meditation....I was so tense....but then when I kept sitting there, every scheduled day, the tension eased off.
And now, slowly but surely, it is working.
I realized that one cannot do any yoga if the mind is troubled/in turmoil/uneasy/not at rest. My mind had to be absolutely calm and quiet. So I decided to concentrate on my 5-minute meditation. It didn't happen right away, but after a few days I could calm and quiet my mind. The asanas also took some time to work out the way they should (even now, if my mind is not totally calm, I cannot do the asanas successfully). Likewise for the pranayams. When I found I could handle these, I fixed another 5-minute meditation time at the end of the session.
Now I can spend 30 minutes without any panic attack! Best is this little bit of time sets me up for the day and I find that I can comfortably finish all my chores without rushing. The other things that used to turn on panic attacks are also all easing off. Loneliness was another thing that used to set off the panic button, but now that too has stopped, and I am more in charge of myself. Feelings and thoughts keep coming, but they are not to be taken seriously. They are just visitors, Zen Buddhism says, and as such should be allowed to move on and out of us. We need to keep only those thoughts and feelings in our mind that are uplifting...
01 May 2017
A reminder to all girls...women...
Don't Be Beautiful
They keep saying that beautiful is something a girl needs to be.
But honestly? Forget that. Don't be beautiful.
Be angry, be intelligent, be witty, be klutzy, be interesting,
be funny, be adventurous, be crazy, be talented -
there are an eternity of other things
to be other than beautiful.
And what is beautiful anyway
but a set of letters strung together to make a word?
Be your own definition of amazing, always.
That is so much more important than anything beautiful, ever.
~ Nikita Gill
~ Nikita Gill
A new take on freedom...
The Kabbalah says that it is very easy for us to think that freedom is the ability to do whatever we want.
However, spiritually speaking, freedom is actually the fortitude to refrain from doing or participating on all that pings on us. It is the strength of mind to decide how we want to behave or be.
And so, though the idea of freedom is very attractive, it carries with it the responsibility of what we do with it.
On one side we have the power of self-determination and on the other is this ocean of freedom. What are we going to do with this power...?
First, whatever we choose to do should not harm us or hit back at us, and second - but as important, if not more important - we must not do anything to harm anyone around us.... This would make us feel truly free.
However, spiritually speaking, freedom is actually the fortitude to refrain from doing or participating on all that pings on us. It is the strength of mind to decide how we want to behave or be.
And so, though the idea of freedom is very attractive, it carries with it the responsibility of what we do with it.
On one side we have the power of self-determination and on the other is this ocean of freedom. What are we going to do with this power...?
First, whatever we choose to do should not harm us or hit back at us, and second - but as important, if not more important - we must not do anything to harm anyone around us.... This would make us feel truly free.
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