There are two different states of human existence: first, to live without thinking of death; second, to live with the thought that you approach death with every hour of your life. The more you transform your life from the material to the spiritual domain, the less you become afraid of death. A person who lives a truly spiritual life has no fear of death. Continue reading
Top of Mind
The Parable of the Bird and the Cow Plop
There was a bird that lived in Canada. One winter he announced to the other birds, “I’m not flying south for the winter. I’m staying right here!”
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Book Recommendation – Macrobiotics for Dummies by Verne Varona
“Never wanted to buy a book called for dummies. I have taken a couple Macrobiotic cooking classes. The Chef told me a good book to buy was Macrobiotics for Dummies. I have truly enjoyed this book. It contains all the information, I was looking for and it has great recopies and guides. Great book for beginners or people interested in Macrobiotic Cooking.”
“This practical guide uses a body, mind, and spirit approach to introduce you to the basics of this popular diet. You’ll see how to use macrobiotic principles to enhance your health and happiness; prepare the right foods to increase your energy and fight off disease; and make lifestyle changes to support your new way of eating.
Begin on the path to healthy living — understand the science behind macrobiotics and how to apply the principles to your daily life
Heal the macrobiotic way — discover the foods and nutrients that influence good health and heal common diseases.”
When the mind is free from all conditioning, then you will find that there comes the creativity of reality
Our problem is how to free the mind from all conditioning, not how to condition it better. Do you understand? Most of us are seeking a better conditioning. Continue reading
What spiritual practices are practical to pursue in a busy world?
Q: What spiritual practices are practical to pursue in a busy world? Most people have jobs, families, and many distractions. Continue reading
Disease-Prone Beliefs
To ascertain our own disease proneness, we can look at the following questions:
Do I worry about my health, holding fear thoughts in mind about what might happen to me?
Do I get a secret feeling of fear, excitement, and danger when I hear about a new disease that is currently being reported and in vogue?
Do I spend time on constant checkups, reading about diseases, getting frightened by TV stories about them?
Am I interested in hearing about the diseases of famous people? Continue reading
20 Ways Sitting in Silence Can Completely Transform Your Life
“Silence is a source of great strength.” ~Lao Tzu
For over two years I spent one out of every four weeks in silence. At the time I was living at a Zen Monastery and every month we would have a week-long silent retreat.
During this retreat we sat meditation in silence, ate in silence, worked in silence, and only communicated through hand gestures and written notes.
At first living like this was hard, but over time I learned to grow to appreciate silence. By the time I left I learned that silence was my friend and teacher.
What did silence teach me?
1. Satisfaction
I used to think I needed to watch TV every night. But at monastery I went without and discovered I didn’t need it.
Silence taught me to be happy with less. Pick something that’s weighing you down and let it go. Your life will thank you.
2. Expression
When you can only talk by writing a note, you only say what’s important. Before the monastery I talked a lot but said little.
Silence taught me that a few simple words well spoken have more power than hours of chatter. Think of one simple thing you can say that would help someone feel better and say it.
3. Appreciation
Being able to speak makes life easy, but when I couldn’t talk I learned how much I relied on others.
Silence taught me to appreciate the value of relating to others. The next time you see your friends or family, try to really listen. Deep listening expresses deep appreciation.
4. Attention
Several times at my first retreat I thought my phone was vibrating. But then I would remember I didn’t have my phone. It showed me how my phone divided my attention.
Silence taught me how important it is to let go of distractions. The next time you are with someone you care about, try turning off your phone and putting it away. It will make paying attention easier.
5. Thoughts
I once sat a retreat next door to a construction project. What amazed me was how easily my thoughts drowned out the noise. I realized if my thoughts were this loud, I’d better make them as wise as possible.
Silence taught me the importance of shaping my thinking. Take time each day to notice your thoughts and let go of thoughts that don’t serve you.
(Contributed by Mr. Balasunder)
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/20-ways-sitting-silence-can-completely-transform-your-life
Mouna
The word mouna has two meanings. The first is silence. Learning to be silent is a practice of pratyahara. Speech, or shabda as it is known in Sanskrit, is an expression of prana shakti or pranic force. A lot of energy is wasted in speech. If you analyze what you say during the day, you will understand that very little speech is constructive or worthwhile. The more you speak the more pranic energy you lose; the less you speak the more pranic energy you conserve. We all like to chat but there is no awareness, no concept, of words being related with prana or energy. If you have to give a lecture for one hour continuously, you feel tired afterwards. Why? You only spoke, you did no physical exercise, yet you feel tired. This is due to the loss of pranic energy. So if you can control your speech, you retain the pranic energy. Continue reading
we come factory equipped for cooperation, compassion, and generosity..
There are four independent brain circuits that influence our lasting well-being, Davidson explained.
The first is “our ability to maintain positive states.” It makes sense that the ability to maintain positive states or positive emotions would directly impact one’s ability to experience happiness. These two great spiritual leaders were saying that the fastest way to this state is to start with love and compassion. Continue reading
True Nature of Prayer
Question : I want to ask something from God. What should I ask?
Osho: Go to God’s door as a lover, not as a beggar.….
…….Firstly : don’t ask for anything. That is meditation, that is feeling, that is the state of no mind. Secondly: if you do ask, then ask for godliness, ask for such a kindness that you can be accepted.
But if this much love has not arisen, then just ask that your heart is filled with love:
Fill my heart with so much love today
That I become a rejoicing lamp.
Place a drop of honey on my tongue today
So that I can even drink venom, singing.
Don’t fall below this. If you go below this then prayer becomes completely corrupted, it is no longer prayer.
–From Die O Yogi Die By Osho Continue reading
ONE TUSK 