The most fundamental discovery of this new science: We are wired to connect.

Neuroscience has discovered that our brain’s very design makes it sociable, inexorably drawn into an intimate brain-to-brain linkup whenever we engage with another person.  That neural bridge lets us impact the brain—and so the body—of everyone we interact with, just as they do us.

Even our most routine encounters act as regulators in the brain, priming emotions in us, some desirable, others not.  The more strongly connected we are with someone emotionally, the greater the mutual force.  The most potent exchanges occur with those people with whom we spend the greatest amount of time day in and day out, year after year—particularly those we care about the most.

During these neural linkups, our brains engage in an emotional tango, a dance of feelings.  Our social interactions operate as modulators, something like interpersonal thermostats that continually reset key aspects of our brain function as they orchestrate our emotions.

The resulting feelings have far-reaching consequences, in turn rippling throughout our body, sending out cascades of hormones that regulate biological systems from our heart to immune cells.  Perhaps most astonishing, science now tracks connections between the most stressful relationships and the very operation of specific genes that regulate the immune system.

To a surprising extent, then, our relationships mold not just our experience, but our biology.  The brain-to-brain link allows our strongest relationships to shape us in ways as benign as whether we laugh at the same jokes or as profound as which genes are (or are not) activated in t-cells, the immune system’s foot soldiers in the constant battle against invading bacteria and viruses.

That represents a double-edged sword: nourishing relationships have a beneficial impact on our health, while toxic ones can act like slow poison in our bodies. 

Take, for example, empathy, the sensing of another person’s feelings that allows rapport.  Empathy is an individual ability, one that resides inside the person.  But rapport only arises between people, as a property that emerges from their interaction.  Here the spotlight shifts to those ephemeral moments that emerge as we interact.  These take on deep consequence as we realize how, through their sum total, we create one another.

— From the prologue to Social Intelligence

Source: DanielGoleman.info

The quiet time after the holiday rush is a great time to think about your plans, goals and intentions for the new year.  You can use various techniques to set the tone for 2007 including:

Quiet contemplation of the current year, reviewing events, accomplishments, progress, disappointments, setbacks and unfinished business.  Getting a perspective on the last year can be helpful in determining where you are and where you’d like to be.  You might also want to clear out the clutter of thoughts and emotions related to this year’s experiences, using mental imagery to let go of the highlights and challenges of 2006 and create a space for the next year to unfold with a fresh mind and heart.

Affirmations are a positive way to clarify your goals and intentions for the upcoming year.  It can be very effective to write a few goals, state them out loud and quietly to yourself, and repeat them daily or several times for a few weeks until they feel solidly planted in your subconscious brain.  When you affirm what you want, you deliver a message of hope and intention that reverberates internally and externally, causing you and others around you to line up behind your aims and objectives.

Visualizations are a way to make your goals more concrete by picturing yourself taking steps toward their accomplishment and using the power of your imagination to clear out potential blocks, fears or doubts.  You can take a few minutes to state your affirmations, followed by a short mental focus on moving toward success or letting go of fear.  Or you can incorporate visualizations of your goals into a longer meditation, where you set the stage for your imagination by using deep breathing, soft music and mindfulness techniques to bring yourself to a deeper sense of relaxation and openness.

Many people report positive results from working consciously with their mind and thoughts.  If you haven’t tried before, perhaps 2007 is a good year to set your intentions and see how it works for you.

–  A.G.R

 

According to the theory of Acupressure, gently massaging a few of the points we have already discussed in previous posts can help alleviate the symptoms of "After the Holiday Parties" Syndrome, sometimes referred to as "too much of a good thing," or a hangover, which can be the result of too much food, drink, socializing, hanging with family, etc. (see May 9, 2006 post: What is Acupressure?).

An effective way to work with these points is to sit comfortably or lie down, close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply, and gently press or massage each point with your thumb or fingertips on both sides of the body for 1 minute each (a total of 8 minutes).  Follow the order of points listed below, left and right side for each point.

The four points and their locations and post dates are:

1. Acupressure Point LI 4, source point on the Large Intestine Meridian (May 23, 2006 post):

Location: In the webbing between the thumb and index finger.  The bones of the thumb and index finger form a v-shape at the base of this webbing.  The most effective way to apply pressure to LI 4 is to slide your thumb along the webbing until you reach the junction of the thumb and index finger bones. 

Caution: Pregnant women should not hold or apply pressure to LI 4 until they have gone into labor.

2. Facial Beauty Point (St 3) (October 31, 2006 post):

Location: Below the cheekbone, directly down from the pupil (center) of the eye.

3. Three Mile Point (St 36) (October 17, 2006 post):

Caution: If the points or surrounding areas are sensitive or painful, press or massage very gently at first, and gradually increase the pressure only up to a threshold of mild discomfort at most, not severe pain.

Caution: This acupressure information is not a substitution for qualified medical advice.  If you don't know what is causing pain or other symptoms, consult a medical doctor before you start treating yourself.

                 "I will honor Christmas in my heart, 

                                              and try to keep it all the year."

    I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma.  I was just a kid.  I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"
    My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been.  I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me.  I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.
    Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm.  Between bites, I told her everything.  She was ready for me.  "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous!  Don't believe it.  That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad.  Now, put on your coat, and let's go."
    "Go?  Go where, Grandma?" I asked.  I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun.  "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.
    As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.  That was a bundle in those days.  "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it.  I'll wait for you in the car."  Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
    I was only eight years old.  I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.  The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.
    For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.  I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.  I was just about though, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker.  He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's second grade class.
    Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat.  I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter.  His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.  I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement.  I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat.  I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it.  It looked real warm, and he would like that.  "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
    "Yes," I replied shyly.  "It's ... for Bobbie."  The nice lady smiled at me.  I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.  That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.  Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.
    Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.  Then Grandma gave me a nudge.  "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."
    I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.  Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.  Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie.
    Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes.  That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous.  Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

- Author Unknown

 

All that is limited by form, semblance, sound, color is called object.
Among them all, man alone is more than an object.
Though, like objects, he has form and semblance,
He is not limited to form.
He is more.
He can attain to formlessness.

When he is beyond form and semblance, beyond "this" and "that,"
where is the comparison with another object?
Where is the conflict?
What can stand in his way?
He will rest in his eternal place which is no-place.
He will be hidden in his own unfathomable secret.
His nature sinks to its root in the One.
His vitality, his power hide in secret Tao.

- Chuang Tzu

translated by Thomas Merton

 

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A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

illustrated by P.J. Lynch

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge opens on a Christmas Eve as cold as Scrooge's own heart.  That night, he receives three ghostly visitors: the terrifying spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.  Each takes him on a heart-stopping journey, yielding glimpses of Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, the horrifying spectres of Want and Ignorance, even Scrooge's painfully hopeful younger self.  Will Scrooge's heart be opened?  Can he reverse the miserable future he is forced to see?  Now in an unabridged edition gloriously illustrated by the award-winning P.J. Lynch, this story's message of love and goodwill, mercy and self-redemption resonates as keenly as ever.

Ranging from spot art to full spreads, with something to savor on almost every page, Lynch’s illustrations offer a real flavor of Victorian England and make the most of the inherent drama of the story.  The gold-embossed spine and thick, textured paper contribute to the appeal of the package.

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This classic book should be in everyone’s library.  We’ve all seen movie and TV versions, but there’s nothing like the original.  - A.G.R

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Long before the dawn of any of the modern Judeo-Christian-Islamic faiths, rituals followed a more simplistic path.  Guided by the natural cycle of birth-life-death-and-renewal, the ancients marked their seasons by celebrating each phase of the wheel of life.  Both male and female principals, god and goddess, were honored.  Each was given honor as the sun and moon entwined in their cosmic dance.  The festivals that mark the change of season—winter, spring, summer and fall—have been transposed to our modern world.

The celebration of equinox and solstice are commonly referred to as pagan holidays.  Although the term pagan is used to describe any number of non-Christian belief systems, the actual term means something far different.  The term's origins are from the Latin word "paganus," meaning "country dweller."

Although Christianity had taken hold in most of the towns and cities of the old Roman Empire, it wasn't widely embraced outside of those enclaves.  Those whose livelihood depended on the natural cycles of the seasons still followed those ancient beliefs.

As a result, the term paganus became synonymous with one who not only lived in rural areas (most of ancient Europe and Great Britain) but also one who did not follow the teachings of the Church.  In time, and through language changes, the old Latin word became shortened to pagan.  While its original meaning became lost in the passage of time, the reference to non-Christian belief systems remained.

On or around December 22nd, the Winter Solstice is the first day of winter.  Opposite from its summer counterpart, the Winter Solstice represents the shortest day of the year.  In ancient times, people celebrated the Winter Solstice as a time when their goddess gave birth to the god.  As the god grew and matured, the sun would shine for longer and longer during the day.

For this reason, pagans would decorate their homes with many lights and candles in the anticipation of the longer days to come.  Over time, the pagan light traditions associated with the Winter Solstice became more and more closely associated with Christmas traditions.  Modern Christmas celebrations still make use of ornate light displays.

Although celebrations of the solstice and equinox come to us from a far more simplistic time, they are, nevertheless, the foundations for our modern way of life.  In a deeper sense, they are the rhythms of our existence in that they mark the change of our seasons.  While these celebrations have evolved over time, they are as timeless and eternal as the Earth's orbit.

Source: Equinox and Solstice

Tratak, also called candle gazing, is a method of concentrating on a point of light; serving as a visual reminder to use lighthearted attitudes in living.

To begin:
In your meditation place, sit up straight facing a low table and light a candle.  Fold your hands in your lap.

Take some moments to just look at the flame, letting your eyes almost shut.  Begin to feel the warmth of light emanating from the candle flame.  It can be a reminder that even a little kindness, from lighthearted actions, makes another's day warmer and brighter.

If you do close your eyes you will probably see the reverse color of the candle flame in your vision.  Focus on that for a minute or as long as you can.

Now, begin to breathe evenly: breathe in counts 1, 2; breathe out counts 3, 4; breathe in counts 5, 6, and go on for another minute.

Let go of counting but continue to breathe evenly.  Reflect on how you could add one form of lighthearted activity to your life, such as: showing patience; being kind; allowing another to express themselves without interruption; adopting an attitude of seeing a glass half full rather than half empty; doing a volunteer activity; helping a person in need.

Finish your meditation with a prayer or affirmations of well wishes for family, friends, community and world peace.

Take a deep breath, stand and stretch.

Source:BellaOnline's MeditationSite

Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity.  This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self-realization.  Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul.  Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions.  - B.K.S. Iyengar

The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic system, which is often identified with the fight-or-flight response, and the parasympathetic, which is identified with what's been called the relaxation response.  When you do yoga - the deep breathing, the stretching, the movements that release muscle tension, the relaxed focus on being present in your body - you initiate a process that turns the fight-or-flight system off and the relaxation response on.  That has a dramatic effect on the body.  The heartbeat slows, respiration decreases, blood pressure decreases. 

Family, friends and readers were shocked this week by the passing of Richard Carlson, author of the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” series that has helped and inspired thousands with practical and insightful advice.  Richard incorporated the principles of positive thinking, perspective, patience and humor into his writing, and was well loved not only for his ideas but for the compassionate way in which he expressed his thoughts and suggestions.

Please visit Richard’s web site for more information or to send condolences to his family.

Here is a sampling of his inspirational work:

Let Go of Fearful Thoughts

Don’t Worry, Make Money

“At the risk of being overly simplistic, let me suggest you try something that can change your life.  Make a commitment that, for the next month, you will practice dropping and/or ignoring any negative and fearful thought that enters your mind.  As fears come to your mind, gently but firmly let them go.  As they return (which they will), let them go again.  It’s easier than you think.  It just takes courage and a little practice.  Do this again and again until they disappear completely.  You’ll discover that life is so much easier and more fun without the interference of fearful thoughts.”

Get Mad, but Not That Mad
Temper Your Temper for the Holidays (excerpt)

Don’t Get Scrooged

“There are so many ways for people to let us down.  And just as my friend didn’t tell me that I shouldn’t be angry or disappointed, I won’t tell you that.  But do we have to get as mad as we do?

We may think we don’t have any control over the degree of hurt or anger we feel.  Feelings just happen.  But that’s the beauty of “why so mad?”  It stops the runaway train of our feelings for a moment, and often, by simply stopping to notice and question them, we can change—or at least diminish—them.  

The goal is perspective.  Is your anger proportionate to the slight?  Is there some reason that you are reacting the way you are, never mind what they have done or said?  If you’re having a bad day, or grappling with an illness in the family, or struggling at work or with your finances, something that might not normally get under your skin can become the excuse to let off unrelated steam.  Are you angry because of what someone has done, or because it’s the fifth time that person has done it?  Asking “why so mad?” not only helps you understand what you’re feeling but nine times out of ten takes quite a bit of the oomph out of those feelings.”

Finding Life after Death (excerpt)

What About the Big Stuff

Source: Richard Carlson’s Web Site

“Our way through life should not be difficult—but it is.  The fact is that our lives are filled mostly with picking and choosing.  “I want this, but not that.”  And because things are not anything other than the way they really are, we suffer.  Nowhere is this more apparent and painful than when we are trying to find life after death.  We so desperately want things to be the way they were.  But they are not.  So the longing itself becomes an additional source of suffering. 

After almost two decades of meditation and a personal lifetime commitment to truth, I have both good and bad news to report.  The bad news is that there is no hiding from the painful thoughts that are the inevitable by-product of the death of a loved one.  The comforting news is that it’s possible to relate to our pain in a more compassionate manner.

As painful thoughts and feelings arise, we are tempted to go in one of two directions.  Sometimes we indulge ourselves in painful memories or anticipate future pain.  We become immersed and absorbed in the pain, and our thoughts frighten us.  Or instead of thinking about our loss, or even talking about it to others, we repress or deny its existence.  As thoughts come up, we push them away.  We pretend they don’t exist.  We keep busy and distract ourselves. It’s too painful to face—so we don’t.

A third option is not a compromise.  It’s neither an indulgence, nor is it any form of denial.  It’s simply a compassionate acknowledgment of the truth.  As thoughts arise, we don’t push them away—or hate them.  Nor do we run.  We simply see them as they are: “There’s pain, and there’s loss.  And now I’m missing my child, my partner, my lover, my friend.”  The thoughts are not judged or altered, nor is the pain minimized in any way.

But while this is going on we relate with compassion to whatever is arising.  We send love and kindness to ourselves and to our thoughts.  As we do, an openness and a spaciousness begin to emerge.  In the absence of mental energy running toward the future—or the past—our pain begins to soften and dissolve.  Healing begins.  We become stronger.

We just keep giving our pain space, over and over again, for however long it takes.  Days, months, years—or an entire lifetime.  It doesn’t matter.  We keep allowing whatever is—to be there.  Just as we would hold a child close to our heart to keep her feeling safe and comforted, so would we do the same for ourselves.  Offer no resistance.  Don’t push it away.  Instead be kind and compassionate to your pain, as you would be for that child, or for your best friend.”

A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple.  He had been given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs, and trees.  Next to the temple there was another, smaller temple where there lived a very old Zen master.  One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took extra care in tending to the garden.  He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs, combed the moss, and spent a long time meticulously raking up and carefully arranging all the dry autumn leaves.  As he worked, the old master watched him with interest from across the wall that separated the temples.

When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work.  "Isn't it beautiful," he called out to the old master.  "Yes," replied the old man, "but there is something missing.  Help me over this wall and I'll put it right for you."

After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow over and set him down.  Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the center of the garden, grabbed it by the trunk, and shook it.  Leaves showered down all over the garden.  "There," said the old man, "you can put me back now."

Source: Zen Stories

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The Power of Now

by Eckhart Tolle

Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment.  And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice, and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly "living in the now" means.  Foremost, Tolle is a world-class teacher, able to explain complicated concepts in concrete language.  More importantly, within a chapter of reading this book, readers are already holding the world in a different container--more conscious of how thoughts and emotions get in the way of their ability to live in genuine peace and happiness.

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This book is a basic guide to living in the present.  The question and answer format is helpful in understanding the concepts from different points of view.  - A.G.R

The book icon above links to Amazon.com.  Purchases of books and other items through this link help support this site.  Thank you.

Note: S-l-o-w Learner is a series based on the premise that I seem to require more time than most to learn basic life lessons.

I have chronic neck pain.  For a person who prides himself on taking responsibility for the ongoing maintenance of his health and wellbeing through various holistic methods, this is quite an admission. 

I’m continually surprised whenever I’m confronted with any bodily dysfunction, from cracked tooth to sore muscles to headache.  After all, I’m a regular practitioner of yoga; I meditate; I work with my breathing all the time; I take vitamins and Chinese herbs, for goodness sake!  How could these physical breakdowns be happening?

Fortunately, I have friends in the healing arts that are willing to work with me to “cure my ills.”  This turns out to be both the good and bad news.  Good because I always feel better after a session with one of them.  Bad because I come away with yet another reinforcement that my physical, mental and emotional state at any given time is ultimately my responsibility.

What I keep learning (and subsequently forgetting) over and over again is that the condition of my body is often a reflection of a deeper state of being.  In a perfect design of nature, the aches and pains are literally calling to me, trying to tell me something about what’s going on in my life.  Perhaps my thinking is clouded by negativity, my emotional state is unbalanced, or I’m operating out of some old belief that isn’t serving me in the present.

Which brings me back to my pain in the neck.  After a few recent therapeutic sessions, involving both bodywork and counseling, I was finally willing to embrace that my neck (and shoulders and back, using my neck as the “mouthpiece”) was trying to tell me something.  Deciphering the code, however, took further self reflection until I reached one of those “aha” moments that often come in the middle of a sleepless night.

The message?  I feel burdened, and that deep seated feeling is blocking me from being more effective and successful in my work.  This revelation seems so obvious to me now, and I probably sensed it on some level of awareness.  But it often takes much contemplation and support from others to gain the kind of down to your toes insight that has the potential to help alter the way you approach a situation.

In order not to waste this hard-won new information I have set an intention to begin each morning upon waking with this mantra: Embrace life as a gift rather than carry it as a burden.

And the greatest benefit of neck pain to a slow learner like me?  When I feel the pain, I’ve slipped from gift to burden.  The pain is my opportunity to listen and learn.

–  A.G.R

 

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, Director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, one simple way to bring awareness into your life is through walking meditation.  "This brings your attention to the actual experience of walking as you are doing it, focusing on the sensations in your feet and legs, feeling your whole body moving," Dr. Kabat-Zinn explains.  "You can also integrate awareness of your breathing with the experience."

To do this exercise, focus the attention on each foot as it contacts the ground.  When the mind wanders away from the feet or legs, or the feeling of the body walking, refocus your attention.  To deepen your concentration, don't look around, but keep your gaze in front of you.

"One thing that you find out when you have been practicing mindfulness for a while is that nothing is quite as simple as it appears," says Dr. Kabat-Zinn.  "This is as true for walking as it is for anything else.  For one thing, we carry our mind around with us when we walk, so we are usually absorbed in our own thoughts to one extent or another.  We are hardly ever just walking, even when we are just going out for a walk.  Walking meditation involves intentionally attending to the experience of walking itself. "

I suspect most people would agree that life is stressful.  What specific situations cause us more or less stress, to what extent we feel it and how we cope with it vary greatly.

Stress management is a broad term relating to raising our awareness of how stress specifically affects each of us and to providing a variety of approaches and techniques for keeping those effects from damaging or overwhelming us.

Wherever you are on the continuum of awareness, causes and effects, and methods for coping, here are a few basic ideas you may find helpful in approaching the broad area of stress management:

1. Slow down once in a while.  As long as we keep moving at the break-neck speed that modern life seems to expect, we have little opportunity to gauge how we’re feeling and what condition we’re in, physically, mentally and emotionally.  No matter how challenging, try to carve out some spaces of time for yourself, to be quiet, to think, to tune in, to take a reading on yourself.

2. Don’t forget to breathe.  Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how much of the day you spend breathing a very shallow and constricted breath, depriving your body and mind of the life-giving oxygen needed to function at the optimum level.  Whenever you become aware of your shallow breathing, take a few slow deep breaths in and out and notice if it makes a difference in how you feel and think.

3. Exercise regularly.  So much has been written about the benefits of exercise, yet how many of us still find it difficult to incorporate exercise into a weekly routine.  Aerobics classes, walking and running, yoga, swimming, biking – choose one or more and set your intention to get yourself moving for at least a half hour 3 times a week.

4. Bodywork and massage can be very beneficial in the relief of muscular tension, minor pain and other stress symptoms.  There are so many approaches to try: various massage techniques, acupressure, cranio-sacral, Feldenkrais, shiatsu, etc.  Ask friends or associates for recommendations and try different approaches to see if one seems more effective for you.

5. If you haven’t already, try meditation.  Many different approaches are available, and meditation is becoming so mainstream that you can find classes at day spas, yoga centers and even through your local recreation departments and adult education centers. 

Caution: This information is not a substitution for qualified medical advice.  If you are experiencing persistent pain, mental distress or other symptoms that are causing you concern, consult a medical doctor as part of an overall stress management approach.

-  A.G.R

 

From “The Gift” by Daniel Ladinsky

Copyright © 1999 by Daniel Ladinsky. 

The Tao Te Ching (see Saturday, April 15 post: What is the Tao Te Ching?) contains 81 chapters of ancient wisdom.  This one discusses judgment, acceptance and detachment:

Chapter 2  Making things ugly

When people see beauty, they think, "that's beautiful."
Thinking of something as beautiful makes you think other things are ugly.
Calling something "good" forces you to call some other things "evil."

The ideas "difficult" and "easy" support each other.
"Long" and "short" define each other.
"High" creates "low."
"Tone" creates "noise."
"Before" creates "after."
"Have" creates "don't have."

This is why the Sage acts without effort and teaches without words.
New things are created and the Sage just accepts them.
Things fade away and the Sage accepts that too.

A Sage can have things without feeling they "own" them.
The Sage does things without putting an emotional stake into the outcome.
The task is accomplished, but the Sage doesn't seek credit or take pride in the accomplishment.
Because the Sage is not attached to the accomplishment, the accomplishment lasts forever.

Source: About the Tao, translation by Robert Friedler

Note: There are many translations of the Tao Te Ching, some of which are copywrited.  Robert Friedler is willing to share his work to help further awareness of this great wisdom.

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A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings

by Coleman Barks

Coleman Barks has played a central role in making the Sufi mystic Rumi the most popular poet in the world.  A Year with Rumi brings together 365 elegant and beautiful translations of Rumi's greatest poems, including fifteen never-before-published poems.  Barks includes an Introduction that sets Rumi in his context and an Afterword musing on poetry of the mysterious and the sacred.  Join Coleman Barks and Rumi for a year-long journey into the mystical and sacred within and without.  Recognize and embrace the divine in the sublime, in the ordinary, and in us all.

Coleman Barks is a renowned poet and the bestselling author of The Essential Rumi, The Soul of Rumi, Rumi: The Book of Love, and The Drowned Book.  He was prominently featured in both of Bill Moyers' PBS television series on poetry, The Language of Life and Fooling with Words.  After having taught English and poetry at the University of Georgia for thirty years, he now focuses on writing, readings, and performances.

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The poem a day format affords the reader a gradual experience of the beauty and power of Rumi.  - A.G.R

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Now that meditation has entered mainstream Western cultural experience, researchers have applied scientific measurements to the subjective experience of silence, fullness and eternity.  They have discovered that the physiological state of meditators undergoes definite shifts toward more efficient functioning.  Hundreds of individual findings show lowered respiration, reduced oxygen consumption and decreased metabolic rate.  In terms of aging, the most significant conclusion is that the hormonal imbalance associated with stress – and known to speed up the aging process – is reversed.  This in turn slows or even reverses the aging process, as measured by various biological changes associated with growing old.  From my experience with studies on people using Transcendental Meditation, it has been established that long-term meditators can have a biological age between 5 and 12 years younger than their chronological age.

The most fascinating aspect of this research, which has been ongoing for over two decades, is that the biological process of aging itself does not have to be manipulated; the desired results can be achieved through awareness alone.  In other words, meditation alters the frame of reference that gives the person his experience of time.  At a quantum level, physical events in space-time such as heartbeat and hormone levels can be affected simply by taking the mind to a reality where time does not have such a powerful hold.  The new paradigm is showing us that time has many levels and all are available to us in our own consciousness.

Deepak Chopra

Ageless Body, Timeless Mind

 

By Sara Goudarzi
LiveScience Staff Writer

The longstanding advice to "sit up straight" has been turned on its head by a new study that suggests leaning back is a much better posture.

Researchers analyzed different postures and concluded that the strain of sitting upright for long hours is a perpetrator of chronic back problems.

Using a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers studied 22 volunteers with no back pain history.  The subjects assumed three different positions: slouching; sitting up straight at 90 degrees; and sitting back with a 135-degree posture—all while their spines were scanned.  

"A 135-degree body-thigh sitting posture was demonstrated to be the best biomechanical sitting position, as opposed to a 90-degree posture, which most people consider normal," said study author, Waseem Amir Bashir, a researcher at the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada.  "Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness."

For complete article: LiveScience Health Sci Tech

love is a place

& through this place of

love move

(with brightness of peace)

all places

yes is a world

& in this world of

yes live

(skilfully curled)

all worlds

In Buddhism, a buddha is any being who has become fully awakened, or enlightened; has permanently overcome greed, hate and ignorance; and has achieved complete liberation from suffering.  Buddhists consider enlightenment, also called nirvana, the highest form of happiness. 

Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism, is often referred to as "Buddha", or "the Buddha."  The word buddha literally means "awakened" or "that which has become aware."  Buddha as a title may be translated as "The Awakened One".

The teachings of the Buddha are called the Dharma.  The Dharma teaches that all suffering arises from attachment, particularly attachment to worldly desires.  Nirvana is attained by learning to achieve peace of mind by overcoming the attachment one has to various material objects as well as emotional desires such as envy, greed, lust, and pride.

A common misconception views Buddha as the Buddhist counterpart to “God.”  Buddhism, however, does not teach the existence of a supreme creator or depend on any supreme being for enlightenment.  Buddha is a guide and teacher who points the way to nirvana.

Generally, Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been the only buddha.  The Pali Canon refers to Gautama Buddha at least once as the 28th Buddha.             

Buddhism teaches that anyone can become a buddha, be awakened and experience nirvana. 

Source: excerpted from Wikipedia