Thailand: An Enriching Experience
Thailand: An Enriching Experience |
- Thailand: An Enriching Experience
- Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill — he’s not the first
- Dispute closes NKT’s Bexhill Zen Buddhism centre
- Hatha Yoga Athens, Mantra Meditation Athens and Reiki Therapy Athens
- Comical genitalia
- Mind Teaser Games - 3 Ways Which Mind Teaser Games Can Improve Your Life
- Early Morning Stress Reduction Inspiration - 5/22/2012
- Debt Reduction: Proper Utilization Of Debt Consolidation For Debt Eradication.
- Imagine
- Mind Reading Tricks - Use Mind Reading Tricks To Your Advantage
- Give your head a rest from thinking
- Things of This World
- Debt Reduction Solution: Make Creditable Status With Debt Consolidation.
- Get Proper Consolidation Of Debt With Debt Reduction.
- Breath of God: Prana, Chi, and Consciousness
- Hypnotherapy - Personal Training for the Mind?
- Meditation Courses for Genuine Seeker of Peace, Love and Happiness
- Exquisite Hand-Carved Buddha Statues
- evening courses galway . A Relaxing Time In New York City
- The Case Against Spirituality
- Conquering Monkey Mind
- Quickly Weight Reduction Exercise - Modifying Your Workout Approach
- Religious weirdness: treasures worth billions found in Hindu temple
- What Do They Mean When They Say "Conscious Business"?
- A huge impasse
| Thailand: An Enriching Experience Posted: 22 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT Article by Vikas Dubey Thailand, a well-known tourist hub, is an interesting amalgamation of traditional culture, vibrancy, youthful urban culture and above all the most exotic picturesque landscapes and beaches. With these contrasting elements, Thailand packages have a lot to offer. Thailand is gifted with some of the best scenic beauties in the entire world. With majestic mountains to the north, to mesmerizing beaches to the south and fertile lands in the center, its opulent and diverse natural sceneries are absolutely spectacular. A package Thailand enables you to explore these fascinating features.Thailand packages offer you with a comprehensive tour of all the exquisite locales. With enchanting Buddhist monasteries, white sandy beaches with pristine blue water, huge and magnificent malls, rich architectural buildings, majestic mountains and tempting Thai cuisine, Thailand is undoubtedly a complete package for an exciting and rejuvenating holiday experience. A reputed package Thailand tour can help you out in customizing your trip according to your specifications. The most preferred destinations in Thailand are Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Coral Islands, Chang Mai, Lampang, Samui Island, Chon Buri, Kanchanburi, Lop Buri and Nakhon Pathom. However, among all these places, Bangkok has successfully gained a lot of popularity and is included in probably all Thailand packages. A package Thailand cannot be chalked out without making Bangkok a part of the tour. The popularity of Bangkok has increased considerably because of its rapid modernization and this has made it a commercial hub in the global map. With some of the most innovative malls and shopping areas, Bangkok is completely a shopper's paradise. Bangkok not only represents towering skyscrapers and state-of-the-art shopping malls but beneath this glamorous world lays a rich cultural heritage which is equally attractive. Bangkok package facilitate in experiencing the best of both - the spectacular modernity and the exquisite traditional aspect. With Buddhis! m being the dominant religion, Bangkok consists of some of the most splendid Buddhist monasteries. Apart from being great architectural masterpieces, they are of huge religious importance. Some of the most famous Buddhist temples or Wats are Wat Phra Keaw, Wat Arun, Wat Prayoon, Wat Pho, Wat Benchamabophit, Wat Traimit and Wat Saket. Consisting of gorgeous Buddhist statues and vital Buddhist relics, these temples with their tranquil and silent ambience allow you to feel the serenity of spirituality. With the support of various Bangkok package, you can visit these exquisite Buddhist temples. Bangkok is a great place for all the food lovers as it consists of a wide variety of eateries and restaurants of various ranges. Plan out a trip to Bangkok with the help of numerous Bangkok package and dig into some mouth-watering delicacies of the world famous Thai cuisine. It is also famous for its spas and massage centers that will completely relax you. A boat ride along the Chao Phraya River flowing across the city is quite thrilling offering you with stunning view of this mesmerizing city. Bangkok, also called the 'City of Angels', is truly adorable and you will definitely be taken aback by the hospitality of the people of Bangkok. About the AuthorA package Thailand tour will make your holiday a fruitful one. Various travel agencies are offering a wide range of Thailand packages and Bangkok package; therefore choose the one suiting your interest and budget. Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.
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| Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill — he’s not the first Posted: 22 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT
Breivik uses meditation as a form of mind control – a way to focus the mind and exclude responses that get in his way. You could argue that he is meditating wrongly, but I think his testimony shows that the effect of … Read the original article » Read More @ Source
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| Dispute closes NKT’s Bexhill Zen Buddhism centre Posted: 22 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT
While scouring the headlines for stories that might fit on Wildmind's blog under the "news" category, I came across the intriguing headline "Dispute closes Zen Buddhism centre," discussing problems at the Maitreya Zen Buddhism Center of the New Kadampa Tradition, or NKT, in Bexhill in East Sussex. Unfortunately both newspapers that carried the story had removed the article. But a friend came to the rescue by pointing me toward Google's cache of the story, and someone on Facebook sent me a link to a blog which presents one side of the dispute (read the blog from the bottom up). First, a bit of background. The NKT were founded by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, and they're one of the largest Zen Buddhism movements in the UK. Probably in terms of the number of centers they have, they are the absolute largest, although some of the "centers" are no more than rooms rented for an evening class. They have a strong expansionist policy. The NKT is also famous for the "Dorje Shugden Controversy," which is, to my mind, a rather weird dispute about a Tibetan Deity. Dorje Shugden is a deity who has been worshipped in Tibetan Buddhism since the 1700s. However, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama came to the conclusion that Shugden is not an enlightened being but is a worldly figure, and he first spoke out against his worship and then issued a ban on the practice. Since Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is a firm believer in Shugden, this caused a bitter dispute between the NKT and the Dalai Lama. This puts the NKT in the unfortunate position of being opposed to one of the most popular and revered figures in the world. This particular story, however, has nothing at all to do with the Dorje Shugden dispute, which is a phenomenon I find weird (it's a dispute over a figure I consider to be purely imaginary). It seems to have to do more with tensions between an individual, and legally autonomous, local center of the NKT, and the central organization itself, to the point where the central NKT is attempting a takeover. Whether or not they have good reason to do that I don't know, but it doesn't seem that they have the legal right to do so, if indeed the local centers are constituted as independent charities with their own boards of trustees. Bearing in mind that we only have one side of the story presented here, the Maitreya Zen Buddhism Centre, which is a charity registered under English law and with its own board of trustees, ended up with a resident teacher, Kelsang Chodor, who made organizational decisions that were unpopular with the board. A teacher who was asked to stop teaching refused to do so, and when Chodor bypassed the trustees in some of his decision making he refused to meet with them. The newspaper article outlines the background and explains the build-up of the conflict:
One of the trustees claims that the central NKT tried to replace the board of trustees, which would seem to be an illegal course of action:
As the newspaper article puts it, "This appears to have become a struggle for control between a handful of volunteers and the umbrella organization which has more than 1,000 branches throughout the country." The blog also alleges that the NKT made "repeated threats of litigation" against the center. From an organizational point of view I find this fascinating, partly because the organization I'm part of (Triratna) is similarly constituted in such a way that individual centers are independent. But what's difference we don't have a "head office" that could attempt a takeover. The most that could happen if a center were, for example, to go off the rails, is that the center could be told that they could no longer consider themselves to be affiliated with the parent organization. This actually happened once, with our Croydon center, where the Order member in charge of the situation there had created a kind of personality cult based on manipulation and bullying. He wasn't the only person involved, because he had created a kind of "gang" that maintained control using the same techniques he himself employed. After attempts were made to correct the situation through dialogue, Sangharakshita, then founder of the Triratna Order, told the board of trustees that they would have to change their ways or cease being affiliated with the rest of the Triratna Community. And things did change as a result, with the ringleader leaving both the Croydon center and the Order. The Bexhill situation is also interesting to me simply because it's got to the point where a Zen Buddhism center is no longer functional because of internal politics. That's quite an extraordinary situation, and I've never head of that happening before. I'm not sensing a lot of dialog going on, which is unfortunate. Of course we don't really know what's going on. I've only seen one side of the story, and even if I was aware of both sides it would be impossible to be certain of the facts. Unfortunately, as the newspaper reports, "The head office was approached several times for a comment this week but none was forthcoming." The NKT has quite a traditional authoritarian structure (traditional for Tibetan Buddhism, anyway), where monks and nuns are basically told where to go and when. The NKT tries to be highly centralized, with the guru making decisions for the local centres, but the local centers are (as I understand it) legally separate entities, and so ultimately the guru (or the central organization) has limited legal control over them. That suggests a fragility in the NKT. Two ways to hold a local center in place when it has problems with the central organization are dialogue and authoritarianism. In this case the NKT seems to have adopted an authoritarian approach, through wielding power. This following excerpt from the blog reveals a fascinating twist in how this power is being used:
Creating an alternative website for the center — one not controlled by the trustees — is an extreme step, or mis-step. It suggests that the NKT is struggling, within an authoritarian mind-set, to bring one of its centers back into the fold of central control. This tactic, of setting up an alternative website, is one I've seen the NKT use before, albeit in a different form. Several years ago, members of a Zen Buddhism Center in England were surprised to discover that the NKT had set up a website using the name of their center, which was not in any way NKT affiliated. This was almost certainly a breach of trademark law as well as a breach of UK charity law. It was also rather unpleasant — a kind of spiritual "phishing" attempt. The situation, fortunately, was resolved through dialog between the two organizations. Back in the Bexhill power struggle, the blog also describes a new management team being sent in to wrest control from the elected trustees:
Generally, if the board of trustees is properly constituted, then an outside entity has no legal standing to take over the center. Even the parent body — the NKT — can consider itself to be only the spiritual, rather than the legal, head of the center. [This may not be the case with the NKT, although I believe that charities are meant to be independent and not under central control.] It seems that having opted for an authoritarian approach, the NKT is finding that it's not a viable option, or at least not a straightforward one. I take no pleasure in reporting these events. The situation must be intensely painful for all concerned, and I truly hope that dialog and trust can be restored. I wonder, however, whether dialogue is now even possible in Bexhill now that the authoritarian path has been chosen? Trust is more easily broken than restored. This pain is evident both in the comments of Andrew Durling, one of the trustees, who has been at the epicenter of the conflict:
It's also evident in the comments of a woman who had been attending classes at the Maitreya Centre:
As the Buddha said, "Spiritual friendship is the whole of the spiritual life." It's worth remembering that as we witness this painful conflict. Read More @ Source
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| Hatha Yoga Athens, Mantra Meditation Athens and Reiki Therapy Athens Posted: 22 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Article by Hiram Rivas Most instructors do it for the like of the matter, no to make funds, so this is a wonderful area to commence.New Age or Astrological RetailerIf you can locate a retailer that sells products associated to new age matters, mysticism, astrology, reiki or other like topics then you may well also find another person that is willing to mentor your or holds lessons. Usually instances they might also be ready to refer you. Reiki is an historical Japanese practice that shares quite a few of the exact techniques that are demanded for Astral Travel, these as rest,meditation and worry reduction.InternetOf course, there are a great deal of courses and e-guides available on the world-wide-web. Lots of of these are fairly beneficial. It's ideal to come across a person that has a cost-free electronic mail program very first. This way, you can consider the information ahead of getting.Reiki or YogaIf you need to have a mentor or a system to enable you get commenced and you just can't uncover a great training course or anyone you have confidence in to help you, then take into consideration taking Yoga. Yoga teaches quite a few of the affiliated and necessary knowledge that you will will need. For illustration, yoga teaches you how to get in touch with your inner staying. Yoga teaches mediation and relaxation. Yoga teaches you to be in touch with the planet all-around you that you cannot automatically see.These are all really precious life knowledge, but are also the preliminary techniques that you need to have to conduct Astral Projection. You may perhaps locate this is all you will need. As soon as you master really comforting, astral journey normally comes extremely quickly.Reiki equally can train you a lot of what you want to know to get started off with Astral Projection. A class in reiki, if accessible, would also be quite beneficial to assisting you reach the state of mind you need to find to get started with Astral Journey.There are various solutions that you can contemplate if you want to study astral proje! ction bu t can not obtain a class locally. The physical poses (asanas) are the least difficult to comprehend and grasp, nonetheless, they are just a single element of this process, and when improvement of this factor on your own can yield incredible bodily outcomes, the improvement of the other branches are in essence staying ignored, which once again, is a shame, seeing that this is where most persons are in need to have of support.What is Enlightenment?Spiritual Enlightenment is the realization that you are portion of a greater complete... that you are linked to the universe, and to every thing in it, just as a leaf is portion of a tree. It is so uncomplicated, but so challenging, due to the fact just as we commence to recognize this or catch a glimpse of it (sattori in Japanese), some thing blocks it from remaining evident and we are once more shrouded in darkness and apprehension. The Buddha referred to enlightenment as the close of struggling due to the fact it is this feeling of dis-connectedness that is the root of all struggling. Volumes have been composed on this mysterious realization which do it significantly far more justice than I can in these kinds of a quick area... I would extremely suggest the performs of Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, J. Krishnamurti and extra recently Eckhart Tolle for a additional complete knowledge.What is the Connection? About the AuthorKyveli offers you an oasis from the hectic and sometimes overwhelming tempo of metropolis daily life.Hatha Yoga Athens Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Shiva Rea Yoga Shakti 
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| Posted: 22 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT
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| Mind Teaser Games - 3 Ways Which Mind Teaser Games Can Improve Your Life Posted: 22 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Article by Greg Frost Mind teaser games are games that build up on your strategizing techniques, planning, logic, visual workout, attention and memory. Your brain also gets worked out 90% of the time when you play these mind teaser games. Playing mind teaser games are definitely encouraged as according to Einstein, we humans only use 10% of our brain most of the time. So why waste the other 90%? All the planning, strategizing, and memory work done during the game will definitely help you to have the extra edge as compared to those who thinks that mind teaser games are just another substitute for kiddy's playground. In this 21st century, there are over thousand of card games, memory games and role-playing games to choose from. Now, most of the mind teasers games are available on the advanced level to cater for the older players. So now, no one should have the reason to shun away from these mind teasers games. It might sound incredulous to you that these mind teaser games can actually help you to improve your life. Playing mind teaser games is a great way to make you practice on your planning skills, memory and attention span. It might seem a little bit kiddish to some because many failed to realize that this method is the most easiest method that anyone can use to cultivate the essential working skills - basically planning and strategizing. Playing mind teasers games also helps to give you your motivation. When the going gets tough, playing mind teaser games will help to make you release all angry veins. Playing games are just one of the most reliable and easiest method to make you shake loose and release all tension. Everyone needs a break at times. Successful people are people who work smart. Working a little bit too hard can bend and break you, especially if you stretched a little bit too far. To improve your life, you will definitely need to take a short breather at times, and only then you will get to re-focus yourself and proceed on with your money-making journey. Mind teaser games most of! the tim e involves 2 or more players, and this makes everything just more interesting. Every game involves a string of challenges. This is where you will get to build up on your problem-solving skills and develop the ability to withstand challenges. While these might occur to you only on game level, the ability to solve puzzles and win games will help to build up on your working skills on real life level. It might sound impossible to some, but smart gamers are actually great problem solvers too. Mind teaser games are supposed to mean more than just normal games. These games actually can help you a lot, especially if you are an avid chess and solitaire player. Mind teaser games are for everyone; so do not restrict you from trying out new brainteasers games. Everyone needs his or her fair share of fun too! So, it is time to make full use of the other 90% of the brain and get the most out of life. About the Author Discover The Revolutionary Methods That You Can Implement To Literally 'Reprogram' Your Mind at http://www.mindsecretsexposed.com for success. Learn how to harness your mind power and achieve massive success. Click Here to grab your FREE copy of the Mind Se Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Rick Hanson - Understanding Neuroplasticity 
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| Early Morning Stress Reduction Inspiration - 5/22/2012 Posted: 22 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT  "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." ~Siddhฤrtha Gautama       Read More @ Source 
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| Debt Reduction: Proper Utilization Of Debt Consolidation For Debt Eradication. Posted: 22 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Article by Marychapman If you are suffering for reducing the debt issues there is necessary to you that consider to over the debt reduction levels with suitable medium with proper manner. Moreover, in most cases for getting advertisement trick most of the debt companies are offering to the consumer's immediate and suitable minimum monthly repayments. These sorts of techniques are really worked and increase the positive concentration of the consumers to attempt for quick removal of money owing issues with debt consolidation. It is reliable pecuniary tool that is given proper and convenient approval of debt loan fro cutting down the financial issues without any demanding aspects. Debt reduction in the debt consolidation is effective and suitable medium to given consumers ease and proper utilization of loan in the eradication of financial issues with convenient and appropriate approach. This medium is contained over the countless beneficial views that are provided consumers proper and minimum assistance in term of paying off at once to the lenders and imposed over the consumers monthly payments. It is consisted over the affordable rate of interest that is given complete and secure aspects to the consumers with immediate and proper accomplishment of the debit issues. Subscribe debt consolidation without any convenient approach to provide ease and suitable loan with proper manner. The option there are based over the relief option by the consumers is based over suitable and effortless medium that financially supports to the consumers in terms of offering sufficient sums of funds with apprehension medium. It contained with proper and suitable rate of interest that is bearable by the borrowers and suitable to repay the funds. The monthly payment is imposed over earning caliber to repay the funds with convenient approach. Thus, each payment is reduced the burden of debt steadily. Undoubtedly, without proper and suitable medium of funds there is convenient and suitable approach to get the deal for removal of fastest! and pro per loan. Via this aspects consumers not only get removed all sorts of financial mismanagements with appropriate and apposite medium by offering consumers in repayments strategy without. The duration is consisted over within 3 years. The debt reduction is convenient and proper planned this is purposed to be realistically offering how much consumers could afford repay off the debt mismanagement within suitable and convenient funds. Avoid the financial stress to remove the monetary issues for immediate and possible sake of immediate concise of several money owing. Get perfect commitment that is provided consumers immediate and suitable adoption of ease and convenient funds without any hassle full procedure. There is online procedure to dealing with pay out once in month. Lenders consider to those are provided instantaneous circumstance to the applicant for removal with suitable loan without any demanding aspects. About the AuthorThis press release is submitted by Federal Debt Relief which is the number one Debt Relief Company in USA. Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.
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| Posted: 22 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Editor's note: This is a guest post from Chris Guillebeau of ChrisGuillebeau.com.Imagine a life where all your time is spent on the things you want to do. Imagine giving your greatest attention to a project you create yourself, instead of working as a cog in a machine that exists to make other people rich. Imagine handing a letter to your boss that reads, "Dear Boss, I'm writing to let you know that your services are no longer required. Thanks for everything, but I'll be doing things my own way now." Imagine that today is your final day of working for anyone other than yourself. What if—very soon, not in some distant, undefined future—you prepare for work by firing up a laptop in your home office, walking into a storefront you've opened, phoning a client who trusts you for helpful advice, or otherwise doing what you want instead of what someone tells you to do? All over the world, and in many different ways, thousands of people are doing exactly that. They are rewriting the rules of work, becoming their own bosses, and creating a new future. Some of these unexpected entrepreneurs found their freedom through online communities, creating digital goods that were sold for a fair price. Others took to opening retail storefronts in actual neighborhoods—a yarn shop in Portland, a coffee bar in South Carolina. Some were natural-born entrepreneurs, determined to go it alone from a young age. But most were ordinary people of all ages and backgrounds, who transitioned to a new career after growing disillusioned with the world of traditional work. They all did it by pursuing two twin concepts: freedom and value. Freedom is what we're all looking for, and value is the way to achieve it. The magic formula of skills + usefulness is how you change the world. When you value freedom above other things, you'll make different choices. Your priorities will shift. You'll have more time for your family and more time for the hobbies you enjoy. When you focus on helping others, connecting your work to their needs, that's when value is created. This is what it came down to for all of these people, and that's how it can work for you too. No special skills, not a lot of money, but the willingness to imagine. ### Chris Guillebeau is the author of The $ 100 Startup, a new book that chronicles the rise of unexpected entrepreneurs and provides a blueprint for creating your own freedom. You can also read his free blog at ChrisGuillebeau.com. Read More @ Source
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| Mind Reading Tricks - Use Mind Reading Tricks To Your Advantage Posted: 22 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Article by Greg Frost Say your goodbyes to street magicians, and Chris Angel a.k.a Mind Freak. These people are so passรฉ. Who says that mind reading tricks are strictly only for Mind Freaks? Now, you can be one of the mind freaks and learn how you can use mind reading tricks to your advantage. The only difference is that YOU are able to use the mind reading tricks for a good cause - to improve yourself and craft your way up the hill to the peak of success. Sounds great to you? Everyone wants his or her fair share of Success. Some worked day in and day out just to get a whiff of success, while others are just born into Success. Stop yourself from getting overly jealous with these success grabbers. Now you can also be one of these successful blokes and have your goals met in a nick of time. Yes, it might sound unreal, surreal, fake et cetera, but it IS TRUE indeed that success can easily be attained if you know how to trick your mind. While there are not step-by-step guidebooks around to tell you exactly how to do it, you can read up on these mind reading tricks and tips, to get an overall idea on how our mind works. Have you ever heard of self-hypnosis CDs? Well, these are CDs that are supposed to aid you to improve in various aspects of life. From habits to goals, all these can be solved by using the magical tool of self-hypnosis CDs. Self-hypnosis CDs are great self-help aids, for real. These self-hypnosis CDs work by helping you to reprogram your mind. The positive and relaxing messages that are embedded in the self-hypnosis tracks are supposed to help you to tune your brain to have positive and motivating thoughts. It is highly advised that you listen to these tracks while you are reading, cooking or basically doing something else to distract the conscious mind. These self-hypnosis CDs work by influencing the subconscious mind. This simply means that you would not be able to detect the positive affirmations or messages that are embedded in the tracks. However, your subconscious mind ! will be able to detect each and every of these messages clearly, and hence allowing your mind to slowly tune its way to think positively and confidently. Other techniques would involve home made self-hypnosis techniques that usually involves the idea of relaxing and training the mind and heart to think only about positive things. This is definitely the harder part of self-hypnosis, as this particular technique would require a lot of discipline and patience. Many might still have queries regarding the effectiveness of self-hypnosis CDs and are they really that beneficial. Some might have heard about subliminal products, images, music and such. The topic regarding subliminal has always been linked to the devilish ideas of using subliminal products to make others fall into your spells and tricks. Because of this, many have overlooked to the positive uses of subliminal and self-hypnosis products. These self-hypnosis tracks are somewhat tools that help to "trick" the mind to have healthy and positive thoughts. No harm done, right? As aforementioned, there are other forms of self-hypnosis techniques that you can use, but most of these would require constant discipline. The easiest and fastest way out would be to purchase a trustable self-hypnosis track and you are on your way to success in a nick of time. About the AuthorDiscover The Revolutionary Methods That You Can Implement To Literally 'Reprogram' Your Mind at http://www.mindsecretsexposed.com for success. Learn how to harness your mind power and achieve massive success. Click Here to grab your FREE copy of the Mind Se Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Authors@Google: Jeffrey Sachs, "The Price of Civilization" 
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| Give your head a rest from thinking Posted: 22 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT
By "head" I mean the cognitive aspects of experience such as planning, analyzing, obsessing, considering, worrying, making little speeches inside, going back over situations or conversations, and trying to figure things out. "Weary" means being fatigued due to continued exertion or endurance, sometimes also with a sense of being dismayed, even depressed; its roots as a word have to do with the effects of a long journey. Basically, your tank is running low. When your thought processes are tired, it doesn't feel good. You're not relaxed, and probably stressed, which will gradually wear down your body and mood. You're more likely to make a mistake or a bad decision: studies show that experts have less brain activity than novices when performing tasks; their thoughts are not darting about in unproductive directions. When the mind is ruminating away like the proverbial hamster on a treadmill, the emotional content is usually negative – hassles, threats, issues, problems, and conflicts – and that's not good for you. Nor is it good for others for you to be preoccupied, tense, or simply fried. On the other hand, when you rest that busy mind, you stop wearing it out plus you start refueling and repairing it. The roots of the word "rest" come from places to take a break on a journey; it's natural and necessary to rest when you're weary.  Stress-Proof Your Brain with Rick Hanson (2 CDs, 19.95) Routinely check in with yourself and ask: What am I thinking about? Is this productive? Do I want to keep thinking about this? Give your mind little breaks. Look up into the corner of the room. Exhale; this engages the calming and restorative parasympathetic wing of the nervous system to slow your heartrate; the longer the exhalation, the more parasympathetic activation. Bring awareness into the body, whether it's sensing the breath or paying attention to the movements of walking or reaching for a cup. Set aside a dozen seconds to follow a few breaths. Pull out of thought and, as Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, come to your senses. Step back and take a bird's-eye view of wherever you are, as if you were looking down on it from a few hundred feet above. Try to see yourself in a more impersonal way, as a part of a larger stream of circumstances and events. This will tend to activate circuits on the sides of your brain that are associated with spacious mindful awareness, coming into the present, letting go of inner speech, and less burdensome sense of me-myself-and-I. Above all, recognize that, if you're like me and I think most people, so much of what we twirl around with in the mind is, frankly, a waste of time. It doesn't solve a problem, prevent a bad thing from happening, or bring us to peace with others. And it's deeply unnatural. As we evolved, our ancestors probably experienced more physical but less mental fatigue than most people today in the developed nations. Consequently, our bodies are adapted to weariness – but our minds are not. For a brief time – finals week, an intense month at work, a demanding year with a new baby – OK, sometimes we just have to crank the mind up into overdrive and tough it out. But as a way of life, it's nuts. We have to take a stand against the crazy mental busyness that has become the new normal. We're bombarded with things to think about all day long, flooded with words and images to process, and forced to juggle unprecedented complexities. Our minds are being hauled along behind a culture without a speed limit – but the human body and brain does have a limit, a natural carrying capacity, and when we exceed it there's always a price. It's like being trapped in rush hour your whole life. Each time you know this, each time you pull out of the mental traffic, it's an act of freedom and kindness and wisdom. And then when you reenter the stream of thought, you'll be a lot a clearer, happier, and more effective. Read More @ Source
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| Posted: 22 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Article by Fatboy Things of This World From http://www.tour-beijing.com Once, long ago, this trangquil mountain vale used to resound with the thrum of reverent prayer each dawn. Young monks in rich saffron robes would glance up from their mediatins to watch and reflect as the rays of the morning sun sparkled across each dewdrop on the leaves of giant gingkos in the temple courtyard, Their teachers, legendary spiritualists such as Jixing and the Grat Maters of Zifuxinggong and Yinguang taught the rigorous discipline of Jinghua Qigong-rendering the body indifferent to pain and the shin impervious to punctue- to visiting senior monks from the fathestreaches of the Empire. This was once one of the most sacrocanct locales under the Buddhist sky, the largest Buddhist center of the north and comparable in importance to the Potala palace in the Tibetan south. Eperors prostrated themselves here, the temple flourished and centuries passed in strict and eamest searching after spiritual truths and that perfect release of the soul from worldly things that is enlightenment.These are les deferential days. And Hongluo Temple's Buddhist flag has changed its colors somewhat. Now operated by a managing firm that is dedicated to ensuring that the legacy of the temple caters fro all flights of mystical fancy and attracts visitors throughtou the year, the temple complex of today is virtually a Buddhist Disneyland. Full OF wonders to excite and amuse both the faithful and the nonbelievers. Hongluo Temple holds inspiring scenery, rides and games, and a chance to wander unrestricted through the sacred grounds of the inner temple structures.Formerly known as the Temple as the Temple of Magnificent Light, locals have always referred to it as Hongluo Si-the Red Snail Tmeple. The name -now retranslated as the less icky sounding Red Conch Temple-originates from a legend about a pair of red-glowing snails that are said to be incarnations of the two princesses of the Jade Emperor who protect the site from within their mountain spring. Strki! ing stat ues of the beauties prance on their shells in a pond near the entrance, where park visitors can crawl through giant, fire-engine re conches and pretend they're glowing with dharmic brilliance too.If you've not yet shaken off the illusion of material wealth, not far away from the shells bangs a gigantic gold coin set with a central bell to distract the yearnings of yours spirit -RMB 10 will buy you fifty ingots to cast at the bell in the hope of attracting earthly rewards -the prize for hitting the bell is just some really good luck.Nearby, Green Dragon Peak is thickly coated in Chinese Pines, the needles of which are said to be the scales of the Prince Dragon Mali who defied his father and transformed himself into the pines so as to remain neart the temple and protect the commoners there. After strolling beneath the enthusiastically pruned branches of his otherworldly reptilian beneficence, visitors can follow the scent of cindering incense down to the temple proper.Eleven hundred years on, the gingkos stand here still, but the teple chambers were refitted in 1992 and look brand spanking new. The brightly painted Mahavira Hall enclosese theree principal Buddhas, and the prayerful kneel before whichever specialized in their specific entreaty- wisdom, riches, or plain old good fortune. A comprehensive 'Buddhist Business Center' opens onto the western courtyard running a trade in Buddhist instruments, pirated VCDs of Buddhist teachings, images of the Guanyin and idol cases with size-matched statues of the Buddha, Mao, Garfield & Pooky and the Tencent OICQ penguins.If you're not quite satisfied with the mood of the Red Conch Tmeple as it stands today- if you were looking for something more in the nature of its orginal purpose that is -there's a second temple hidden away on the slopes of Hongluo Mountain behind, but you'll need to prepare yourself for a pilgrimage up a tough flight of stairs, Climbing will deliver you to fabulous vistas of Huairou and the reservoir standing above a densely carpeted valley! of Chri stams-tree shaped pines. The Guanyin Temple near the summit is somewhat removed from the attractions below, and still has the look of a peaceful, remote sancturary. The front hall houses a Guanyin with child, rather resembling the Madonna with Christ- and behind, a flight of 108 stairs leads to a further hall with three additional manifestations of the godhead.From the Guanyin Tmeple, the particularly robust can continue up to the Sky Gate scentic lookout, or right to the peak of Hongluo Mountain at 812.9 meters up, but for the convenience of those too weary from the climb-or who merely seek to harmonlously coast down the scerd slope at top speed-the Alipine Coaster offers five full minutes of thrilling, giddy rail gliding for those who prefer to meditate at hight velocity. Costing RMB 30, intitates can assume the bent-kneed position and releast the lever to send them clattering down the track-frequent sings warn you to pull the brakes at regular intervals where ejection from the track is pooible at top gear. Sdfe arrival at the bottom will bring travelers to a deeper appreciation of their mortal existence.Coming out from the Alpine Coaster will take you right into the garden of the Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac- there's one statue for each and they're randomly placed so you'll need to stroll all around the winding pathway to find yours so you can pose fro a photograph. This will in turn lead you to Hongluo Tmeple's most engaging attraction-for amongst the shadowy trees of the pine forest you'll start to see strange silhouettes of still figures draped in exotic orange, crimson and earh-colored capes. These are the stone images of the 500 Arhats-enlightened monks-who have been rpresented here to protect the temple. One presumes that with these guy, the dragon and the snails, the safety of this temple is assued in perpetuity. The sight of these scores of pokerfaced effightes staring out into the distance together, especially in the late afternoon dim, is positively spooky. Not an orginal feature of ! this tem ple, they were added fairly recently by the Hongluo Tmeple Company with respect to the 500 Arhats attached to the Shaolin Tmeple.TipsHongluo Tmeple makes for a genuinely fun day out. Do not expect the temple to look or feel like the Mecca of Buddhism the it once was. This is a tourist facility with enjoyable attractions in peasnt surroundings. Come with friends or family, buy an ice- cream and just enjoy the place. The scenery, installations and restored historic building will not disappoint. Should you wih to stay the night, there are numerous villas near the gate.Hongluo TmepleDaily 8am- 5.30pa(summer), 8am-4.30pm (winter). RMB 30 RMB15(children). Hongluo Mountain, Yanxi Town. Huairou District.Getting there Bus: Take bus 916/936 RMB 7 / RMB12 with AC.1.5 hours form the Dongzhime long distance bu station-leaving from bay 5. Some buses stio early at the Huaiou Station-swap to route Xi 6 at the Huairou Station-swap to route Xi 6 at Fuqian Dongjie Dongkou to complete the trip. Taxis from Huairou should cost around RMB10Car: From Sanyuan Qiao on Third Ring Road, take Jingshun Lu which turns into National Road 101 to Huai rou Qiao, run toward Huaiou and follow signs to Qingchunlu Rpundabout driving north for another 10 mintes.Approx distance: 55kmFrom http://www.tour-beijing.com About the AuthorFatboy works for http://www.tour-beijing.com - Beijing local tour operator Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.From Here To Andromeda Part 1 
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| Breath of God: Prana, Chi, and Consciousness Posted: 22 May 2012 04:00 AM PDT Article by Alan Davidson Davidson HAUYNA PICCHU, Peru, August 1986--Wheezing, with burning legs, I stopped to catch my breath. The climb was harder than I thought. The steps rising before us, tread by the ancient Indians at least five hundred years ago, were well worn, steep and often tall. Ropes were stretched along this part of the incline to keep tourists from plummeting--almost straight down--to the thin strip of tropical rainforest below. Three young men hiking their way down from the peak turned the sharp bend ahead of us. I was still huffing-and-puffing as they passed us by. One of the boys muttered something in Spanish as they passed us, the others laughed. I made out gringo, foreigner, but missed their slur. My friend Dr. Wayne, in his kindness, spared me the translation. We resumed our hike up the peak. The valley below and the other mountains that surrounded it were lost in dense clouds. It was winter and the rainy season in South America, a happy retreat from Houston's scorching heat. The mist tickled my lungs while we climbed up and up the spiraling 800-foot incline. The clouds began to rise as the morning sun hit the valley. Eerily picking up speed, wispy clouds streamed past us, as they rose and vaporized into the heat and humidity of the Amazon jungle. Suddenly they opened below us. Wayne and I both stood stock still, mesmerized by the view below, me holding the rocky wall of Hauyna Picchu Mountain. Pulling ourselves from the spectacular view we returned to our climb. We reached the top with me breathing like I had just finished running a marathon, as much to do with the altitude as the extra pounds I carried. I was breathing normally by now and I moved to meditate. Lying on my back with my head tilting off a cliff I visualized. Using one of Shakti Gawain's meditations I saw my life perfect and happy, bathed in pink light. The work of the climb, the pure air and the awesome quiet gifted me a perfect peace. My breathing deepened as my mind calmed. Or was it the other way around; my mind calmed as my br! eathing deepened? Either way I felt great. Climbing Hauyna Picchu was a rich moment; the first time I experienced the power of physical effort, deep-breathing, meditation and transcendent calm; the first time I felt the power of my breath to induce a cosmic experience. In every mystical tradition, the breath of the body is revered as the breath of the divine. The Sanskrit word prana and the Chinese word chi both translate as breath and "universal life force." They are identical. The Kabala, Sufi, Yogic, Taoist, and Christian mystics know the power of breath for inner-healing and entering states of God-Consciousness. In my Five IQ system, breath is a key component to Emotional Intelligence, maturity, and growth. In Tantric philosophy, there are five layers of consciousness in the body, or koshas. Those five "sheaths" move from the densest to the most subtle: bones and muscles, the breath, thought, discernment, and the chakras. Breath, the second envelope of consciousness, is where prana lives and moves. Take this little test! Hold your breath as long as you can. What do you notice? The standard truism is: that we can live 30 days without food, three days without water, and three minutes with out air. Our breath is the very essence of being alive. But we don't have to pay attention to it because it's automatic. Our breath is fascinating because it sits right on that pivot point between the voluntary and the involuntary. Most of the time we take short shallow breaths, about 28,000 a day. The lungs hold seven pints of air. Two are needed to keep them inflated. The average person only inhales/exhales one pint of air with each breath. And as the rib cage gets tighter and tighter through the day we take lighter and lighter breaths through the day. Shallow breathing adds to poor oxygenation, tension and pain in our bodies. It also decreases our sense of pleasure, energy flow and our spiritual development. Breathing experts note three conditions that contribute to limited breathing:! The Bellows BreathThis yogic breath, one of my favorites, can be used to help stimulate energy when needed. It's as good as a cup of coffee (or at least a good companion for a cup of coffee). 1. Sit in a comfortable up-right position with your back and spine straight. 2. Notice the sensation of your regular breaths-air moving across your upper lip, air moving through your nose and throat, the rise and fall of your chest, your belly moving as your diaphragm expands and contracts with each breath.3. Take your deepest possible full inhalation and exhalation.4. Now, take your deepest possible full inhalation and exhale in a series of short bursts, till the lungs are empty. Without pausing, take another of your deepest possible full inhalation and exhale in a series of short bursts, sounding like a bellows, till the lungs are empty. Do this "round" for a five breaths. 5. Although air is forced both in and out, the emphasis is placed upon the burst or explosion of air. A series of such bursts, each following the other in quick succession without a pause, is called "A Round". 6. Follow each round with the deepest possible inhalation and exhalation and a series of normal breaths before starting your next round. 7. Beginners should limit a round to about five bursts, though the number may be increased to ten, or even more if needed to obtain the desired effect. The desired effects of the Bellows Breath range from deeper-fuller breaths, increased circulation, clearing your nasal passages, shifting your ordinary thought patterns, and eliminating all mental disturbances. 8. Don't force, or explode the breath to strongly as it can cause injuries to lung tissues. Too many rounds of the Bellows Breath can also cause dizziness. Wisdom and comfort, and not recklessness, should guide your Bellows breathing. The Bellows Breath can be used each morning upon awakening or when needed for an energy boost. It can also be helpful for reducing anger, anxiety, depression, fatigue, irritability, muscular tension and stress. Meanwhi! le, back at Hauyna Picchu: As I rested on the mountain, unbeknownst to me, Dr. Wayne snapped my picture, saying I looked like an offering to the ancient gods (I would not have qualified as a virgin sacrifice, however). At the end of my meditation I offered my vision wrapped in pink light to the Andes, to Macchu Piccu, and my perfect place in the universe. They received my gift with quiet austerity. Climbing Hauyna Picchu was a peak moment: the first time I had experienced the power of physical fitness, the transcendent calm of meditation, and the beauty of deep breathing.Experiencing such insight and transcendence is why I love to travel. Why do some people never manage to get their life together;whether it's their health, relationships, happiness, work,or money? Alan Davidson is the author of the free report "BodyBreakthroughs for Life Breakthroughs: How to Peak YourPhysical, Emotional, Mental, Moral, and Spiritual IQs for aSensational Life" Free Report: ==> http://www.throughyourbody.com Alan's also the author of Body Brilliance: Mastering YourFive Vital Intelligences, the #1 Health and Wellness bookand Winner of Two 2007 Book-of-the-Year Awards. About the AuthorAlan Davidson is the author of "Body Brilliance: Mastering Your Five Vital Intelligences" and his free report can be found at http://www.throughyourbody.com Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Dr Bill Pettit, part 2 
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| Hypnotherapy - Personal Training for the Mind? Posted: 22 May 2012 03:00 AM PDT Article by Carmen Lynne HYPNOTHERAPY • " PERSONAL TRAINING FOR THE MIND? A lot of people like to use hypnotherapy to fix something specific they wish to change in their lives: to quit smoking, lose weight, overcome chronic pain or anxiety etc. But hypnotherapy can also be used in another way, in a more holistic and permanently life changing way. In the same way as a personal trainer is helping you to make permanent changes to your entire body in small incremental steps using consistent actions towards your goals, hypnotherapy can be used to look at your entire life path and guide you to becoming the whole person you really are. These days more and more people are choosing to live consciously, aware of the need to express their authentic self. Rather than just concentrating on working a job which merely pays the bills and keeps them on the edge of survival, people are choosing to explore an expanded way of being which encompasses their talents, gifts, true nature and the things they have to bring to the world in order to leave a positive legacy. Hypnotherapy as a life process is very empowering. Aside from working on eradicating little habits like nail biting, or even larger problems such as eating disorders or addictions, hypnosis encourages us to look deep within our souls, by awakening the power of our subconscious mind. The subconscious mind represents 88% of the total mind power • " that's over four fifths. Truly more powerful than the puny 12% we use everyday with our conscious mind! The proportions are similar to an iceberg, and indeed this visual analogy is very apt, because like an iceberg, most of the mind is kept hidden beneath the surface • " unseen, untapped, and perhaps lurking to strike us one day when we are least aware. So consider how useful it is to be able to tap into this power, harness it, so that it is now working for us instead of against us. For generations, human beings have concentrated on mere existence, surviving in a sort of haze of automatic actions! , feelin g out of control and trapped in their life circumstances, unable to break free of the patterns which dominated them since childhood. But now we are waking up to the unlimited possibilities that surround us. We are realizing that we live in a sea of vibrating energy and we are part of this energy. By using 100% of our mind instead of just 12%, we are empowered to uncover and reverse negative life patterns. For the first time, we can truly break free from the prison of our own minds. This is something that yogis and mystics have been practicing for centuries. But only in the last couple of hundred years have we in the Western world recognized that what we perceive through our limited five senses is only a very small part of the world around us. So how does this relate to hypnotherapy as personal training for the mind? Well • " after spending 20, 30, 40 years habitually reverting to one mode of thinking, which may be negative and certainly is less than completely effective • " it takes regular practice to train ourselves to think in a different way. And this practice can only take place in the subconscious mind itself. If you were trying to train yourself in karate, for example, you wouldn't only work on one arm or leg, you would need to get the whole body involved in order to see results. Similarly, when you are training the mind, you need to train the subconscious and conscious mind together, in order to really see a change in habitual behaviors and repetitive modes of thinking. Hypnosis is a state of trance in which the subconscious mind is more accessible to the suggestions being placed there. And during the hypnotherapy session • " and to a lesser extent while listening to hypnosis CD's, self-hypnosis or otherwise • " a state of trance is consciously induced. The brain waves slow down, the critical area of mind softens, the physical body relaxes, visual and auditory stimuli are decreased • " all of which allows the subconscious mind to feel safe enough to reveal its secrets ! and lear n new information given to it. The hypnotherapist has been trained to know and use the exact right positive suggestions for the specific client, taking into account their suggestibility, personality and life experiences. So during a hypnotherapy session, the client's subconscious will be taking in information which can only have a beneficial effect. Use of these suggestions on a regular basis will gradually train the subconscious mind into new behaviors, more congruent with the aims and desires of the client and their long-term health and happiness. So hypnotherapy is not just a tool for "crazy people" or people who have a specific issue or problem. It's actually a useful tool for just about everybody. Anybody who feels like their life is a continually evolving "work in progress" • " and who doesn't? • " can find hypnotherapy useful at some stage in their lives. On a short term basis it can help you overcome a crisis or other situation which is having a severely detrimental effect. Or on a long-term basis it can help to mold and shape you into the person you really are and know yourself to be • " boosting self-esteem and confidence, reducing stress and anxiety with attendant health issues, and taking back control of your life. Hypnotherapy can thus be seen as preventative medicine. Because when self-esteem is high and stress is kept under control, we are better able to deal with the curve balls that life may throw at us, while striving to live to our fullest and greatest potential. Carmen Lynne • " July 2008Positive Transformation Hypnotherapy310 683-2155www.carmentrance.com About the AuthorCarmen Lynne C.Ht.Hypnotherapist in Redondo Beach, CA310 683-2155 / http://www.carmentrance.comSpecializing in Chronic Pain Relief, Smoking Cessation, Weight Management, Relationships, Stress and Anxiety, Trauma. Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.
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| Meditation Courses for Genuine Seeker of Peace, Love and Happiness Posted: 22 May 2012 02:00 AM PDT Article by Lily Candice Meditation courses are a means by which the genuine seeker of peace, love and happiness can achieve her aim through the application of the true knowledge. This true knowledge is found by applying meditation techniques offered in several types and forms of meditation courses available. The practice and art of meditation is native to India as well as some other parts of the world, but no where else are there available such a preponderance of well structured meditation courses as obtains in India. Meditation may be described as a process of activities through which the individual gains a calmness of the mind, resulting in a heightened state of peace with total, positive health and spiritual benefits, resulting in an ability to better cope with the difficulties that are presented by life and living. We are all buffeted by the storms of life on a daily basis as adults. This turmoil introduces a number of negative health and spiritual problems if we do not know how to adequately handle them. It is to be expected that life will always toss you a curve ball or a spinner from time to time. Any one who does not believe this is in denial and needs to be aware that life is indeed a roller coaster. What better policy than to be prepared for these conditions or situations, much like the experienced cricket batsman who expects all manner of delivery and therefore hones his skills to better cope with such and still deliver hit after hit. Learning how to meditate by engaging yourself in meditation courses will be a starting point to begin and can be taken up from there through daily practice till your mind reaches a state of health which enables you to handle most exigencies of life that will surely come. Meditation courses are available as an on site, school-like short course at meditation centers in India where the student is taken through everything she needs to know in a concentrated program. These meditation courses are usually carried out within meditation centers located in serene and plea! sant sur roundings at an affordable cost to the average individual. This is available from Z Meditation who offer various course lengths at the Z Meditation center within the Himalayas, where Deep Deconditioning Inquiry and Radiant Mantras are the techniques employed in the approach to reaching the desired heightened state of awareness. Those who are unable to take the time out to travel for meditation courses on site are however not left out as a good number of meditation centers offer online meditation courses where the student is taken through the processes and taught the basics of meditation. The Z Meditation Online course which costs less than some gourmet dishes is a two week program that requires only about 2 hours of study a day, coupled with written assignments that have to be submitted to the center online. There is a requirement that the individual wishing to learn the practice of mediation by taking any of the available meditation courses needs to be sincerely convinced of her conviction and the benefits accruable to her which are: a heightened state of awareness, allowing the mind to be at peace, living in love and happiness with oneself and other people. About the AuthorLily Candice is regular article writer for Meditation in India at Z Meditation in India Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Nature's Lullaby - Relaxation Sounds - Rain, Thunder, Lightening 
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| Exquisite Hand-Carved Buddha Statues Posted: 22 May 2012 01:00 AM PDT Article by Brian Banks Avendales is pleased to offer collectors and religious practitioners alike a line of exquisitely hand-carved Buddha statues. These Buddha statues are brought to you from village communities all over the countryside of Thailand. These statues are marketed in accordance with the principles and practices of Fair Trade, adding strict quality control and professional organization, using profits to help Thai artisans maintain their traditional skills. Theravada Buddhism has been the predominant religion in Thailand since early recorded history. For over 2500 years the people of Thailand have followed the peaceful and self-reflective teachings of the Buddha, or "Dharma", which evolved directly out of the "dharma" of Hinduism, which in that context is "the way things work". These teachings inform all parts of the society within the kingdom, uniting the Thai people into a harmonious whole. One fine choice is the Large Standing Japanese Buddha Statue. Standing five feet high and weighing 25 pounds, this statue embodies that time in the 6th century when Buddhism was imported to Japan from China and Korea in the form of a present from the friendly Korean kingdom of Kudara (Paikche). At this time, although Buddhism was welcomed by the ruling nobles as Japan's new state religion, it did not initially spread among the common people due to its complex theories. During the Nara Period of the 8th century, the great Buddhist monasteries in the capital city of Nara, such as Todaiji, gained strong political influence. This problem of politically ambitious and militant monasteries remained a main issue for the governments over many centuries of Japanese history. The Large Standing Japanese Buddha Statue takes one back to those turbulent times. Another exquisite offering of Buddha statues is the Sitting Royal Mandalay Buddha Statue. 20 inches tall and weighing 22 pounds, this statue is made in the classical Mandalay Buddha style. A broad band stretches across the forehead, and the hair hugs the h! ead in t ight curls and covers a broad prominent ushnish (a Sanskrit word referring to the protuberance at the top of the head of a Buddha Rupa representing the flame of supreme illumination). There is no lotus finial above. The images are frequently seated in vajrasana (a Yoga posture designed to remove drowsiness, strengthen the spine, help digestion, and enhance meditation) with the right hand in the bhumisparsa mudra and the left lying in the lap. The uttarasanga (the upper robe of the Buddhist monastic garment, the "triple robe" or tricivara) is worn in the open mode and the sanghati (the outer robe of this garment) is folded decoratively on the left shoulder. This "Mandalay" style of Buddhist statue developed towards the end of the eighteenth or in the early nineteenth century. Mandalay was the last capital (1860-1885) of the last independent Burmese Kingdom before annexation by the British after the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885. In addition, one can choose a Sitting Thai Buddha Statue. 16 inches high and weighing nearly 20 pounds, this statue features the flame of Illumination rising up from the Buddha's seventh or Crown chakra at the top of the head. This statue embodies the Theravada Buddhism of Thailand. One of the best pieces is the Large Standing Royal Ayuddhaya Buddha Statue. Five feet tall and weighing 25 pounds like the aforementioned standing Buddha statue, this work of art embodies the "illuminated royalty" of ancient Thailand. The inscription of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great (1292) mentions that a monk from the southern province of Nakorn Sri Dhammaraja -- who had studied the Pali Buddhist Canon (or Tipitaka) from beginning to end -- lived at the Forest Temple in the kingdom of Sukhothai and was the Supreme Patriarch (Pali sangharaja) of the monkhood. This statement is one of the earliest statements used by a king to legitimize his right to rule in accordance with Buddhist righteousness. The "New Style" Large Reclining Mandalay Buddha Statue shows the divine one in! much-de served and sublime repose. Five feet tall and weighing 25 pounds, this statue embodies a Buddhist prophecy for Burma. Unlike other Burmese towns, Mandalay did not grow from a smaller settlement, although a small village Hti Baunga did exist nearby. Mandalay was set up in an empty area at the foot of the 775 ft high Mandalay Hill according to a prophecy made by the Buddha that in that exact place a great city, a metropolis of Buddhism, would come into existence on the occasion of the 2400th jubilee of Buddhism. Allegedly this is precisely what happened. These and other beautiful Buddhist statues are carried by Avendales for enhancing your home or office artistically, historically, or spiritually. About the AuthorFind these in our What's New department at Avendales.com as well as hundreds of other unusual home and garden furnishings, gifts and children's department. Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.
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| evening courses galway . A Relaxing Time In New York City Posted: 22 May 2012 12:00 AM PDT Article by Paul Sheffer New York City region possibly the busiest the city in the world.The workforce here continue being nevertheless moving in the direction of as well as fro off of sweating when it comes to home to job near foundation functions connected with their kids in opposition to food you name it additionally bulk workers less than this city continue to be conveniently in front the move.New Yorkers work tricky as well as they voice difficult furthermore regarding the vast majority part a will review are witness to a town whole entire of seating potatoes.As an impulse of the continuous movement and also constantly reliable be bothered of safeguarding pace in the village that hardly ever sleeps there destination a significant need in spas, massages, in addition to an assistance buy and sell that tropical island virtual near helping these game worked, round played, furthermore around scared workforce understand when it comes to relax.Of watch there continue to be still left industries using New York City that are likewise faithful on the way to saving them awake furthermore alert. If snooze tropical isle the acquire of the occasion 1 will reside grateful to figure out that there destination a spa ahead of time nearly each cross punch less than New York City moreover if your excursion island exhaust beneath which a single desire near proceed through a tranquil appointment of items ultimately 1 may require in the direction of advert an inn with a spa onward the home in addition infrequently stroll outside.I can't consider emotion within New York City plus staying according to my vacation resort hotel the total time though associated with some currently taking perfectly tropical island the sole way they'll stay a candidate in the direction of cease perspire moreover responsibilities past due less than order on the way to genuinely saturate furthermore get the overall worth of a spa treatment.In introduction in the direction of the many spas that be set there keep on being at the same time gyms plus pursuit comp! lexes th at will make it possible for one particular in direction of perspire clearly your frustrations or aggressions all through buff hard work in addition in the direction of the diverse parks resting by way of the community that produce places toward walk, run, jog, ride bikes, roller blade, in addition to interact with within dozens of outstanding bulging activity as well.If the buff project and the spa treatments don't assist 1 contact your nap goals, ultimately maybe an overnight shut off region under order. You will watch all the things kinds of ways in direction of spend your evenings less than New York City.There keep bars, lounges, comedy clubs, dance clubs, also straightforward vacation resort hotel bars where a definitely will go through a comfy drink or california king closer to brighten your composure in addition afterwards mind back bone alert in the direction of your package without the pressure of how you're moving when it comes to give vertebrae near your room.Of course, a variety of think that laughter without a doubt island the quintessential capsule connected with whatever could ail an individual consequently the many different comedy clubs adjacent New York may continue being the top township closer to look connected with a mist of recreation and relaxation.Chances continue if you're rank below New York City, highly untold anywhere one particular continue type of when it comes to a comedy club. If there's doubt I will probably literally guarantee that a bellhop or concierge could reside qualified for in opposition to help you see exhaust comfortable as a result of and also highly quickly.Then of course, there's the prior resort.Well a measure of some, regarding me it's the first designed that comes towards subconscious for relaxation: comfortable tub furthermore massage.Not necessarily underneath that buy though either or both remote island a very good system towards fritter away the evening. If an individual be grateful plenty of on the way to follow an irreplaceable get ! rid of r eleased underneath an individual it area a good prospect in opposition to inventory both the nice tub in addition to the massage.While providing massages in direction of every single remaining tropical island nice, there region something deliciously guilty estimated at lying beside each and every continuing to be despite the fact that being successful the noble treatment.You fully understand a single will stay in distinction spinal cord toward fact briefly thus adore second even though just one can. About the Authorืชืืืื ืชื ืืืื ืืืฆืืช ืืืคืจืฅ evening courses ืงืืจืก ื ืืืื ืืฉืืื ืื ืืฉ evening courses dublin ืคืกืืืืืืจื ืืจืืช ืื Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.
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| Posted: 22 May 2012 12:00 AM PDT Article by Kurt Hartman You can't turn on a television, read a magazine, or listen to a celebrity interview these days, without hearing it..."I like to consider myself a spiritual person." Oprah has given the term to a generation of women, and California might as well adopt it as their state religion. I get what people are trying to say: I don't like organized religion, or necessarily agree with the concepts put forth by the major world religions. I consider myself a good person, and have a belief in a higher power. I try to take the best concepts from the religions of the world, and live them out in my daily life. That's all fine, I guess. Except for the fact that all of the world's main religions speak of an afterlife. Whether we are speaking about Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam, you have to confront what happens after a dirt nap. (You could rank Atheism as a religion as well, as belief in nothing, and no afterlife still counts as a belief system.) The big 3(Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) give you one shot at the afterlife. You get heaven or hell, one up or down vote. All of them claim to have a lock on who goes to heaven. Most people understand this, and most are willing to take a hard look at this life, and make a choice regarding which pool they're jumping in. The spiritual person has decided they are not jumping in. They're going to take a select portion of water from each pool, and pour it into a pool of their own making. Usually, the spiritual person has adapted some form of reincarnation as their afterlife, so there is no hell to be avoided. There are only higher and lower levels of consciousness. If they do have a concept of heaven, the view is generally that everyone goes there. This idea is drawn from the "All rivers flow into the ocean." argument. Spirituality offers freedom from religous conflict, a peaceful coexistence with all religions, and a modernized view of morality. What's not to like? It sounds nice. To that I would say "Plenty." Let's start off wi! th sin, error, misdeeds, stuff you definitely know you screwed up big time. The Qu'ran, Jewish Law, and Christian bible have much to say concerning all things. At the very least, the put forth the idea of flawed humanity. Spirituality believes the best in people. We are all ascending together. Sure, we have our flaws, but humanity is basically good. The problem is that history has proven humanity is not basically good. It has even proven that people involved in major religions are not very good, in fact, sometimes they do really evil things. The Old Testament(or Law and Prophets, should you prescribe to Judaism's paradigm) speaks of horrible attrocities committed by people God chose to lead. King David, venerated in Christianity and Judaism, committed adultery, killed the woman's husband, and allowed troops to die as a result of his selfishness. Pretty awful. God also forgives David, when he asks for it, but judges his family based on his sin. Sin and redemption are huge themes on the Judeo-Christian ethics. The only major disagreement they have is whether the Messiah is coming or has already been. Those who subscribe to spirituality need no savior. There's nothing to be saved from. The only person who you need to ask forgiveness of is yourself. You are your own redeemer. This is the problem. Everyone has a conscience, and instinctively knows what is right and wrong. Everyone always has the impulse to do the wrong thing. Sometimes those impulses are overcome, sometimes they are not. We all know they are there. For the people who turn to spirituality, the quest for truth must be paradoxically paired with the denial thereof. Some people take up Spirituality as a way to avoid the stigma of more fundamentalist adherents of their religion of choice. Some just do it because it is popular. The main thing is that they avoid persecution for what little faith they have. Back to the original issue: What do you do if you are wrong? What if you choose the reject the reward of heaven, or the pu! nishment of hell as prescribed by the big 3. Even if you dismiss their concepts as an archetypal projection of some vast human consciousness, you have to admit that there is some solid concept from which they drew their "mythologies". You have to come to the conclusion that some deity you may, or may not know will judge you for your actions on the earth. Whether that justice is based on your allegiance to that Deity in this life, a la Islam, or the punishment has been taken for you by the Deity, vis-a-vis Christianity, the judgement is coming. If these religions are incorrect about sin and punishment, and all paths do lead to God, then their practioners lose nothing in the afterlife. Those who believe in Spirituality are the ones who stand to lose eternally, after not standing for any belief system in this life. About the AuthorKurt Hartman is Head of Employee Training at Mobile Fleet Service, Inc. They sell earthmover and mining tires to the construction industries. Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Alchemy - Sacred Secrets Revealed Part 8/8 
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| Posted: 21 May 2012 11:00 PM PDT Article by Doug Nau
Eastern philosophies have given the appropriate name of 'monkey mind' to the constant unproductive chatter continually running through our heads. Some western philosophies may call this ongoing conversation 'the committee' - representative of the number of internal voices weighing in with their opinion on the decisions we are making. Regardless of what you'd like to call it, no one can argue that we've all got an influx of thoughts, conversations, and running dialogs speeding through our heads at a frantic pace. Some of these thoughts and ideas are exciting, invigorating, and have the capacity to connect our actions with our values. Others tell us our dreams and goals are unrealistic. They say turn around before you make a fool out of yourself. What would others think if they knew you were going to do that? What makes you think you could be a success? Soon the excitement of our dreams pass, and we can credit these voices for stopping us dead in our tracks. This is the quality and power of monkey mind. What is Monkey Mind and where did it come from? Monkey mind is the negative internal chatter that talks us out of our dreams. Its the voice in our head that says - turn around and go back, its more comfortable here! Its the aspect of our mind that swings from doubt to worry and back to doubt again, like a pendulum stuck in a never ending cycle which can only reach these two outcomes. Many people have studied Monkey Mind to try to determine where this tendency in human nature arose. Some theorize that this was a critical evolutionary step for our species which enabled us to make rational decisions when we were facing dangerous scenario's, like those of fending off wild animals. Perhaps this doubt and worry kept us alive through a different time of human history. Perhaps there are some situations even today in which it keeps us safe. The modern life landscape however has changed. Whatever the reason, monkey mind is alive and present in modern ! day huma nkind. It rears its ugly head not upon the attack of the saber tooth tiger, but rather in today's modern day equivalent - when we are faced with a big challenge. When we are uncertain what a future outcome will be. When we decide to listen to our heads rather than our hearts. What can I do? Step 1 in fending off monkey mind is to recognize your formidable opponent and become aware of the conversation that is going through your head. Observe the quality of the conversation. Be willing to laugh at it as you recognize how silly some of the dialogue can be. Know that this conversation is not who you are, its just simply the passing thoughts that go through your mind - good, bad, neutral, our thoughts weave in and out and flow in many directions. Having a bad thought does not mean we are a bad person - it happens to the best of us. Step 1 again - listen to the conversation and be aware it is there. Don't try to stop it from happening, simply be curious. Once you've gotten the hang of listening to your internal dialogue, and you are hearing it - rather than 'being it', simply tell monkey mind - thanks for sharing! I understand what you are, and I really appreciate your feedback but I know what is important to me. I have a clear life vision. I know what change can bring and that is exciting to me. The doubt and worry you offer are not the principles that guide my actions. I choose to live by my passions, curiosity, and dreams. So, I appreciate your feedback and thanks for sharing! Done. Its that simple. Monkey mind will try to get in the last word- but aren't you afraid - STOP. Thanks for sharing, check out how great it will be to find the partner of my dreams, start a business...(fill in the blank). When you are connected with your values, your mission, your vision, who you are in the inside, you've established a toolset to fend off monkey mind. You've built a fortress of defenses that can quiet the negative voices and re-direct them to the conversations of meaning of importa! nce to y ou. Becoming conscious of monkey mind and learning to quiet it is a skill like any other. We train our brains to think in a specific way. And it all begins with understanding how we work. I highly recommend the free tools provided on this website, like developing your vision, the goal setting process etc., as part of your pathway towards quieting monkey mind to bring more success into your life. "If you've found this site useful, please link to it so that others can benefit!" Be Well
Written by Doug Nau, i-grow.net
About the Author Doug Nau, MBA, Certified Life Coach Certified Wellness & Nutrition Consultant http://i-grow.net, http://coachforwellness.com Sign up for my free monthly newsletter 'Balance' at http://www.i-grow.net/newsletter.htm Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Rick Hanson - How to Take in the Good 
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| Quickly Weight Reduction Exercise - Modifying Your Workout Approach Posted: 21 May 2012 10:00 PM PDT Article by Philip Seymour Based on what you've recognized so far, what do you picture about weight-loss physical exercise, hours and hours of extended cardio session? Getting on a treadmill in front on the Tv, gym membership along with a set of high priced fitness machines? Or possibly obtaining supplements before and after your six day per week strength education? Properly, as you might have identified or experienced, all of these will only give minimum result (or no outcome at all), emptying your wallet, and make you much more stressed. Typically, a normal weight reduction exercise program tends to make these kinds of blunders: 1. Don't actually care about nutrition guide or wholesome consuming. 2. Focus the instruction on the area that you hate one of the most. Instance: sit-ups to lose belly fat, chest coaching to acquire rid of man breasts, and so on. That's entirely incorrect strategy. 3. Utilizing standard low pace cardio which will takes hours to finish. 4. Make you wasting your income on expensive fitness machines, supplements, and gym membership. The correct method to do it truly is combining high intensity cardio with high intensity strength coaching, complemented with great nutrition. This can be really essentially the most successful system to acquire rid of fat, building muscle, strength, and endurance all simultaneously. In fact, for those who ask me "how to acquire a toned body?" my answer will likely be these three. Please note that in an effort to attain maximum result; a credible system from an author who knows what he's performing is usually an ought to. The top element of a weight loss physical exercise program which apply this principle is it will not take your time (20 minutes per session, three instances per week) and it will not rob your cash given that it is possible to do it at home with minimum equipment; no fitness center membership or pricey supplement essential. The workout itself may well appear unique compared to the well known approach that y! ou know; let's examine out a few exercises: 1. Squat Squat is among the top rated exercises to burn fat and making muscle, but most of the people only concentrate on repetition and neglects the intensity. Typically, the majority of folks will do a set of warm up workout routines, and then 3-5 sets of workout where every single set is consist of 8-10 reps. Rather than the usual way, do this: initially, decrease the weight that you simply use in half. Second, slow down your movement to about 5-10 second per repetition from the first one. Here's the best way to do it: focus on slow lifting, pause in the top, and lower the weight slowly. How quite a few reps? You don't have to have to count this one; just do it until you can't complete yet another repetition at that speed in spite of your greatest work. If you do it right, your heart rate will goes up and you'll gasping for air like you've accomplished a 100 meter sprint. Appears familiar? Yes, that indicates you've performed cardiovascular exercise although carrying out strength coaching simultaneously. Chances are you'll also notice that your thighs, butt, hips, and calves will really feel pretty weak. And you will not devote an excessive amount of time to stimulate the body this way; it'll only take about 60 seconds. About the AuthorFor extra info on weight-loss and weight-loss products I recommend you check out Weight Loss Ebook at http://www.dietsforlosingfat.com/ Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Roseanne - Less Is More 
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| Religious weirdness: treasures worth billions found in Hindu temple Posted: 21 May 2012 10:00 PM PDT Every religion is weird, but there are degrees of weirdness. For example, I'm not at all attracted to fundamentalist Christianity. Yet I used to enjoy reading the mystical philosophizing of Meister Eckhart, a medieval Christian who, pleasingly, was decried as a heretic. And I also have enjoyed learning about the less religious side of Hinduism, Vedanta, which focuses on meditation, the nature of consciousness, and other esoteric subjects rather than rituals. However, a fascinating article in the April 30, 2012 issue of The New Yorker reminded me that Hinduism also has its more weird religious side. "The Secret of the Temple," by Jake Halperin, tells the tale of how treasures likely worth at least twenty billion dollars have been found in the Sri Padmanabbaswamy temple in Trivandrum, India. The full article is only available to subscribers, but on his web site Halperin has shared a PDF file of the piece he wrote. He notes: April 30th: Secrets of the Temple (The New Yorker): Life at this temple in Southern India was quiet until two secret vaults were discovered. One vault contained $ 20 billion dollars worth of treasure. The other vault, which is supposedly cursed, remains unopened. So what lies inside? My ten-page article is in the April 30th edition of the magazine. Click here to read -- but please note that the last line of the article is cut off -- it should read: "No, let it be." You can also view story in pictures: Click here to view a slideshow. Below are some excerpts from Halperin's article. I was a member of an India-based spiritual organization, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, for many years. So I'm generally familiar with the aspects of Hindu culture mentioned in the excerpts. Heck, I even subscribed to some of them myself in my true-believing days. They sure sound weird to me now, though. Deities needing a legal guardian. Devotees considering themselves slaves of deities. Poor people happy to give money to deities who accumulate vast treasures. After several minutes, Padmanabhan looked at me, smiled, and explained that he had been praying. There was a festival that day, and the temple's custodians had removed an idol from the sanctum sanctorum and were parading it around a courtyard. He was hoping to get a glimpse of it. The idol, he told me, "is like an incarnation of God, so it is as if God himself is coming out of the temple." Like many observant Hindus, Padmanabhan believes that a temple's deity -- in this case, the supreme god Vishnu -- resides within its walls. Worshippers come to make offerings of flowers, incense, silver, and gold. Whatever wealth accumulates belongs to the deity. Padmanabhan told me that it had become his driving purpose in life to serve Vishnu and, in so doing, protect the deity's hoard. He explained, "In Lord Krishna's Bhagavad Gita, he says we are only small things before the great lord. So if he says, 'Dance,' we dance, and if he says 'Sit,' we sit. I am just a mosquito before him." Deities can actually own property in India, though the law treats them as minors and they must be represented by an official guardian. ...On the walls were black-and-white photographs of his deceased relatives. Several photographs were adorned with flowers. Nair, like many Hindus, reveres his ancestors almost as deities; one of his grandfathers, he said, had kept his most valuable possession in a small wooden box, which Nair had inherited. "I've never ventured to open it," he said. Why not? "Probably it contains wealth, probably it contains a diary and some letters written by him," he said. Many people in India had boxes like this. "Sometimes these boxes contain valuables and sometimes nothing -- but, because of our belief in ancestors, we don't care to open it. We keep them as something almost divine." ...Like Nair, most residents of Trivandrum had not been clamoring for the temple's vaults to be searched... in India the wealth stored in the vaults of Hindu temples is viewed largely in spiritual, not monetary, terms. William Harman, a scholar of Hinduism at the University of Tennessee, told me, "People make deals with deities, and if they receive what they want they pay up." ...For centuries, a maharaja from the family had led processions to the temple, and had escorted the idol when it was marched to the sea, twice a year, for a ritual bathing. By custom, the maharaja even had to ask the deity for permission to leave town. ...The Princess, who is petite and middle-aged, was dressed in a simple cotton sari. She described herself as not a "servant" of the deity but his "slave." A servant has the right to leave his master," she said. "If I don't like to work with you, I walk out and I say goodbye, but a slave has no option of independent action. He is forever bound to his master's feet. So we prefer that." ...Ganesh firmly opposed taking any wealth out of the temple, and said that he avoided discussing the matter with his father: "As a Hindu, I see my father and mother as gods. We won't raise our voice against them." ...Ganesh said that he gave the deity whatever money he could spare, which was sometimes as little as one rupee -- roughly two cents. Everything in the temple, Ganesh said, came from devotees like him, and he added, "So of course it belongs to God!" Wouldn't it be a good thing, I asked, if the deity's wealth were used to help people? By that logic, Ganesh said, valuable objects should also be removed from churches and mosques. ...It was surprising that, in a place with rampant poverty, there wasn't a greater demand to nationalize the treasure. 
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| What Do They Mean When They Say "Conscious Business"? Posted: 21 May 2012 09:00 PM PDT Article by Steve Bernal There is a growing trend among small businesses and corporations who are utilizing the conscious business model — and succeeding. These companies illustrate how incorporating conscious business principals can and does increase the bottom line. S0 exactly what is meant by "conscious business"? Here's how the Conscious Business Institute (http://consciousbusinessinstitute.com)describes this model: "Conscious Business is primarily about people who are aware of the impact each of their habits and actions has on their environment. It is about people who live their lives based on the knowingness that everything is interconnected. It is about people, who know who they are — who know about their strengths and weaknesses and who desire to live and work with joy, creativity, ease and love instead of fear, power anddomination." My perspective is that conscious business is a way of doing business where the creation of value is considered the foundation for creating wealth. Value is defined here as contribution to both the individual and the common good. It is business infused with values that include integrity, generosity, honesty and service. These values are at the core of conscious business and are in essence the foundation upon which all business success is built. Ultimately, conscious business is a way of doing business that recognizes and embraces the interconnectedness of Life. It is being socially and environmentally responsible. A conscious business operates with heart and soul and seeks to be aware of its impact on the lives of its employees, its customers, its community and the world. The wonderful thing about this approach is that it operates in harmony with the life principle of giving and receiving. As you pour your time and energy into creating value for the benefit of the community and the environment, your business becomes more profitable than ever as the return current of sales and profits multiplies. Conscious business practices and str! ategies are other-focused, which means you have happy customers and happy employees — the best recipe for business success. In essence, your business expands when you aren't looking! On the other hand, when your business focus is solely on creating profits, you can miss out on the beauty and unity of working with and for others. This kind of tunnel vision can create sleepless nights and stressful days and it can be a mental, emotional and spiritual drain on your psyche. More importantly, this behavior is often ineffective. If you find yourself spinning your wheels and racking your brain, it might be time to start integrating conscious business practices into your company's working philosophy. Start placing your focus on making the world a better place and being the person you have been called to be. Look for ways to create amazing value for your customers as well as for your employees. The results will pleasantly surprise you! By placing your focus onto others and your world, your business will naturally succeed. That's the beauty of conscious business. Spend some time adopting conscious business methods and then sit back amazed as your business takes off! About the AuthorSteve Bernal over his 25 year year career has been an entrepreneur, business owner and consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Steve is the founder of http://www.Bizlightenment.com, where you can find Conscious Companies across a wide spectrum of industries and professions. Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.Spirit Science 12_3 - The Solution 
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| Posted: 21 May 2012 09:00 PM PDT In Mahayana Buddhism it is said the true Mind is empty which means it is absent of disturbances or oscillations. In contrast to this Mind, the mind we are ordinarily familiar with is adventitious. It is not the original or essential Mind (ekacitta). Mahayana Buddhism also describes the true Mind to be like empty space in which nothing determinate is present but is real, nevertheless. This is extremely difficult for Westerners to understand who expect to see Mind as something determinate; who believe an indeterminate absolute is nonsense. The typical habit, especially on the part of Western Buddhists, is to take true Mind as something determinate. This creates a huge impasse. Such a impasse is certainly demonstrated by the enigmatic koan. When Western Buddhists attempt to unravel a koan they are always expecting the answer to lie somewhere in the world of determinate being. But it doesn't. Making the task even more difficult is the problem Western Buddhist have with understanding that for Buddhism, Mind is causal, never caused. Mind, in other words, doesn't spring from biological matter. The difficulty of thinking this way is partly due to Western science's influence which is mechanistic and atomistic; which champions materialism. For Western science, the universe cannot be the appearance and expression of a mind substance. It has even closed its mind off to the possibility that it could be seriously wrong. Nevertheless the West has had it own share of unsung heroes like the English mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford (1845–1879) who wrote:
For me, it is much easier to see the world as a representation of mind-stuff. When I had my first awakening to Mind I was thoroughly amazed that something so pure and invisible could express itself as a world with all of its complexity beauty and terror. But it did.
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Vishvapani Blomfield, the Guardian: Meditation makes you calmer and clearer and encourages empathy and kindness … right? Not if you are Anders Behring Breivik who has told psychiatrists that he used meditation to "numb the full spectrum of human emotion – happiness to sorrow, despair, hopelessness, and fear". He still practises it behind bars to deaden the impact of his actions.
An extraordinary power struggle is tearing apart a Zen Buddhism community in England.
The following post is contributed by Paul Duxbury, who blogs as "poetmcgonagall" (Left wing, atheist curmudgeon with a black sense of humour and a heart of gold. Love[s] music, books, theatre, tea, and marmite). He can also be found on Google+. Do circle Paul on G+ and visit his blog.
The traditional saying that's this week's practice has been sinking in for me lately. Thoughts have been swirling around like a sandstorm about work, things I've been reading, household tasks, finances, concerns about people, a yard that needs mowing, loose ends, projects, etc. etc. The other day I told my wife: "I'm thinking about too many things." Know the feeling?
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