Mindfulness, being in the moment, is now of the moment
Mindfulness, being in the moment, is now of the moment |
- Mindfulness, being in the moment, is now of the moment
- Former Benedictine monastery finds new life as retreat center
- Interview with a (meditative flash) mobster
- Never the twain shall meet
- How to Wait Less
- Early Morning Spiritual Consciousness Inspiration - 10/1/2012
- At 105, a Zen master blends East with a bit of L.A.
- Bangladesh vows to protect Stress Reductions after attacks set off by Facebook photo of burned Quran
- Mick Jagger, Pole Dancing & the Art of Non-Verbal Communication
| Mindfulness, being in the moment, is now of the moment Posted: 01 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Mary MacVean, Los Angeles Times: Every Thursday at lunchtime at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, several dozen people turn off their cellphones and take seats in the bright pink chairs of the Billy Wilder Theater. They come to spend half an hour with Diana Winston, a former Buddhist nun and one of the nation's best-known teachers of mindfulness meditation. The lights go down, and Winston takes a seat in an office chair and speaks quietly into a microphone. Occasionally she is accompanied by a guest playing about 20 Tibetan bells, the haunting, wave-like sounds enhancing her voice, which is so soothing it's as if … Read the original article » Read More @ Source
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| Former Benedictine monastery finds new life as retreat center Posted: 01 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Bill Sherman, Tulsa World: A dozen people sang a prayer of invocation and then sat for 20 minutes of silent meditation in a round, sunken prayer room at the Osage Forest of Peace retreat center. It was a ritual repeated three times a day, every day, at the center, an interfaith contemplative community on 43 wooded acres four miles west of Sand Springs. Osage Forest of Peace was founded more than 30 years ago as a Catholic Benedictine monastery by Sister Pascaline Coff, who modeled it after an ashram in India that … Read the original article » Read More @ Source
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| Interview with a (meditative flash) mobster Posted: 01 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Eugene Daily News: Brian Kimmel is an organizer with Wake Up International, a world-wide network of young people practicing "the art of mindfulness." The Wake Up network grew out of the Plum Village Meditation Center in France, under the guidance of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh. The Wake Up movement was formally launched in Summer 2008. Yesterday, Kimmel — along with a group of Meditation monks, nuns and experienced lay practitioners — held a "meditation flash mob" at the University of Oregon. Flash mobs are groups of people who assemble suddenly in a public area, perform a random act for a short … Read the original article » Read More @ Source
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| Posted: 01 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT I hope I am not repeating myself, but I really get tired of Buddhists questioning karma and, especially, rebirth from the standpoint of the natural and physical sciences. The Buddha explained karma and rebirth from first-person introspection—not from the third person, perception which is the enterprise of the natural and physical sciences. As I read the philosopher Colin McGinn we have come to an impasse where we simply lack the needed ability to understand the mind-brain link. This results in what he terms "cognitive closure" in which there is an unbridgeable gap between "introspection-based view of consciousness and a perception-based view of the brain" (The Mysterious Flame: Conscious Minds in a Material World, p. 51). I like where McGinn is going with this. Simply put, we have first-person apprehension of consciousness or mind vs third-person apprehension of the brain—and never the twain shall meet—at least not from the side of third-person oriented science. It can go no further, although I don't foresee neuroscience, for example, admitting that it lacks the ability to overcome this daunting impasse. You know, it's the Western arrogance thing. It will simply re-conceptualize mind or consciousness as natural, not supernatural, treating it as brain derived. Where this all begins to really stink in Buddhism is when people, who are strongly sympathetic with third-person science, enter the sacred temple of Buddhism that is only reserved for potential first-person experiencers, in particular, those who are committed to realizing the substance of pure Mind in which ultimately the world is found out to be, Mind-only (cittamatra). As I see it, the agenda of the Buddhists who are strongly sympathetic with third-person science are making a conscious effort to exclude or ignore anything in Buddhism that does not fit within the framework of the physical sciences. No amount of toleration or handshaking can change the fact that first-person and third person worlds are entirely different as are their sciences (let's not forget that Buddhism is an introspective science). Because of the differences, it will be a long cold war that we face in Buddhism as the sides marshall their forces. 
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| Posted: 01 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT
Post written by Leo Babauta.So much of our lives are spent waiting. We wait in lines, we wait for the perfect person, we can't wait for our dreams to come true, we look forward to the day when we have a better body and a better life, we look for ways to make our goals become reality someday soon. We wait. That good life is coming, and we'll be there soon. What if we stopped waiting, stopped trying to make dreams and goals come true, stopped wishing and anticipating? What if that good life is already here, and the only way to live it is to stop looking forward and notice what we already have? If you are waiting for good things to happen — or are actively trying to make something good come true — take a pause. Look at where you are right now, in life and physically in this moment. Where are you? Is it already great? If so, why are you looking towards the future, when you're already there? And if we don't think where we are is already great, perhaps we're not paying close enough attention. Waiting in Lines & TrafficRecently I had to drive a moving truck for six hours, and caught myself thinking, "I can't wait until I'm there!" Of course, when I noticed that thought, I reminded myself: "You're already there." Where I was — alone, in a truck, on a highway, in the middle of beautiful country — was already great. Perhaps my legs were tired, but that was an opportunity to feel my legs, when so many of us forget they're there as we sit all day. It was a chance to remember that I'm alive, which we take for granted. We daily participate in the miracle of life, and to us it's not only routine and dull, we often think it sucks. My legs were tired, so I pulled over at a rest stop, stretched my legs, laid in the grass, stared up at the sky. My tired legs gave me this possibility, and so tired legs don't suck, they are great. The next time you find yourself waiting in traffic or in a line, and you're thinking, "Can't wait until I get there!" … remember that you are already in a place that's great. Perhaps that's in a car, alone, but what's wrong with being alone? Can't you listen to music, sing a tune you love, dance? Can't you look outside at the sky and realize what greatness surrounds you? Can't you talk to yourself and find out what great company you are? If you're in a line, aren't you surrounded by fascinating human beings? What a great time to watch and listen and learn. The Tragedy of GoalsWe set goals, these little dreams of what the future will be like, and focus on them. Every day, we work on these goals, take a step closer to getting to that great future. When the goal is completed, yay! Now what? Next goal. And then the next. This kind of forward-looking thinking doesn't end when you get to the goal, and never ends until you no longer have any life left, no future to look to. But actually, it can end — right now. Stop looking to that goal, and look at where you are. The goal might sound great: run a marathon, complete a project, get out of debt, get nice abs, make a million dollars. But it's a fantasy, and when (if) that fantasy comes true, it won't be what you imagined. It will feel like regular life, not some amazing new life that is different than the life you had. Life won't be better, and never will be, until you stop wishing for this better life and realize that life is already incredible. This life, right now, is already perfect! Enjoy it, and forget about those goals. Getting to them won't be any better than the amazing life that's right here, at this moment. I get asked, "What do I do if I don't have anything I want?" Well, stop wishing for those things. They aren't better than what you already have, which is a ridiculously unlikely event called life. Waiting for My BabySo many people are waiting for their dream lover, that perfect person who is going to love them, make their life perfect. That person may or may not show up, but the tragedy is not that you don't have Mr. or Mrs. Dreamy … it's that you're waiting for happiness. You don't need another person to love you, to complete you, to make you happy. That person is already there, with you right now. (Spoiler alert: it's you.) You are the best company, the person who will always be around, the unconditional love you're looking for. You just need to stop waiting for Dreamy McDreamerson, and look at yourself. Really notice yourself. Accept yourself. Love yourself, as you are, without wishing you were different. This might take few tries, but try it right now. You might find that you're the dreamy love of your life you've been waiting for. Three Things to Do TodayHow do you stop waiting for good things to come? Three things you can do right now, today:
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| Early Morning Spiritual Consciousness Inspiration - 10/1/2012 Posted: 01 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT  "We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them." ~The Buddha       Read More @ Source 
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| At 105, a Zen master blends East with a bit of L.A. Posted: 01 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT
Several times he began to draw his teachings to a close, explaining to his students that he was tired and in poor health. Then he would burst down another path. He discussed the difficulties of raising children. He lingered on the subject of death. Eventually, he raised a small fist in the air. "Everybody is together at one point," he said. "We cry together, we love together. There is no moment in which we are not together." He is 105 years old and not even 5 feet tall, with paper-white skin and a blocky, bald head. Enveloped in … Read the original article » Read More @ Source
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| Bangladesh vows to protect Stress Reductions after attacks set off by Facebook photo of burned Quran Posted: 01 Oct 2012 07:00 AM PDT
The Stress Reductions moved to safety after an overnight weekend attack in which thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims burned at least 10 Stress Reduction temples and 40 homes in anger over a Facebook photo of a burned Quran. Army soldiers, paramilitary border guards and police were deployed, and the government has banned all public gatherings in the troubled areas near the southern border with Myanmar, said Lt. Col. Jaed Hossain, a military commander who was helping to install tents for … Read the original article » Read More @ Source
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| Mick Jagger, Pole Dancing & the Art of Non-Verbal Communication Posted: 01 Oct 2012 04:00 AM PDT  Mick Jagger gets nothing but satisfaction. 69 years old and he can still hold 75,000 people in the palm of his hands. Yes, he's got the reputation, the raspy rock 'n' roll voice and one killer song after another. But, it's more than that. It's his moves. His strut. It's what he does with his body. He mesmerizes, seduces, draws us in. Truth is, we go to see Mick as much as we go to hear the Rolling Stones. We go to be dazzled. Wowed. Blown away. Mick knows this, and uses every inch of his body to deliver. A pole dancer does the same thing. In fact, both of them can show us a thing or two about what it means to communicate. Let's be honest. If pole dancers have taught us anything, it's that there is more than one way to communicate. You can say a lot with an arching back and a well-executed pivot, the same way Jagger can speak volumes with just a chicken dance across the stage. Of course, this isn't just a rock 'n' roll or a night club observation. It's a life lesson: our bodies speak a language all of their own. A smile kills. A walk intimidates. Eyes melt. Fists talk. We don't need to say a word to get our point across. And yet, most of us use only words to get our thoughts across. At least we think we're only using words. We all know the "whatever" shoulder shrug, or the "could you be more stupid" roll of the eyes, or the all too popular "I have somewhere else to be" tap of the feet. All of these non-verbal bits of communication aren't just for teenagers anymore. We all do it. It's become a universal language. And while it might seem harmless, it carries the potential to undermine how effectively we communicate, whether it! 's at work or at home with our families or friends. It's body language that minimizes our words. It's saying one thing and doing another. To become a powerful rock 'n' roll communicator, or a true pole dancing master, we need to realize that our conversations are more than just the words we use. They're the way we move. The way we lure our audience in. The way we seduce. Put simply, we need to be aware of the message our whole body is sending. Fortunately, there's hope for us all. And no, we don't have to sign up for Toastmasters or a Dale Carnegie course. All we have to do is embrace the "Mick Jagger Pole Dancing Plan" on how to master the art of non-verbal communication. Step 1: Act Like You Want to Be There Nobody wants to be around a pole dancer who doesn't want to be there. There's no halfway in pole dancing, not if you don't want to break a leg, or even worse, leave without a tip. It's no different in our own day-to-day communications. Whether we're talking to one person or a thousand, we're either in the room and on the pole, or we're not. There's no in-between. We should commit to the pole a 100% or go back to ballroom dancing where we belong. It's a law of the stage that we get out exactly what we put in. Act bored and you're going to make your audience bored. Act like you have something better to do and your audience will find something better do. And it doesn't matter what our limitations are either. We could be an aging pole dancer or an aging rock star, and we still need to completely believe we deserve to be on that stage. Likewise, we shouldn't allow our own insecurities to get in the way of how we communicate. It doesn't matter where we are or who we're talking to, we have to believe that we not only deserve to be in the conversation, b! ut we wil! l make it a better one because we're in it. Anyway you look at it, how we feel reveals itself in the way we move. Think about it. What do we do when we don't want to be somewhere? We slump a little, watch the clock, tap our feet, purse the lips, fidget, frown, or glance away. Every muscle in our body is coming together with the same message: We have somewhere better to be. Take it from Mick, or your favorite pole dancer—you don't seduce someone with one eye on the clock. If we really don't want to be somewhere, we shouldn't be there. We should ignore the meeting, put off the conversation, delay the speech, refuse the call. It's better than wasting everyone's time. And, remember, we don't just risk losing our audience for a few minutes, we risk losing them for life. Fans are a fickle beast. And, of course, if we absolutely have to be there, we should at least mock up the interest. Like the "white lie," it's easy enough to pretend for a short period of time. The pole dancer might want to be at home on the couch, the same way Mick might want to be at home nursing his bursitis, but for that one performance, they both know how important it is to let go and allow it to be only about the dance or the song. If we can teach ourselves to stay in the moment with every communication we have with another individual, we'll continuously show how much we care for and value that person. Our eyes will soften, our posture will straighten, our demeanor will become infectious and, in the process, our audience will become more receptive to our message. It's what you call seduction. Step 2: Treat Everybody As If They Matter Sometimes we can be snobs. I'll admit it if you will. We hold back on our best conversations and our best self for those we think have something of value to offer us. We're fun and! light wi! th one person, and will barely give the time of day to someone else. And, without saying a word, our snobbery clearly shows up in our conversations. However subtle, we all know when we're being dismissed. Well, here's something both Jagger and the pole dancer knows: every customer matters. Every customer is a potential tip, a concert ticket, a CD sale. And since performers or pole dancers don't always know who is going to end up being the biggest spender, they are wise enough to spread the love evenly. We need to do the same in our own communications. From this moment forward, let's treat every person we're talking with as if they held in their hand an enormous tip for us, maybe not money, but truth, wisdom, joy, inspiration, or the potential to change our life forever. Just imagine if we treated everyone as if they were the most important person we're talking to that day. Our whole body would physiologically change before our eyes. If you don't believe me, go ahead, take the stage and prove it to yourself. It works. Step 3: Create a Bond with Your Audience Anybody can climb a pole and swivel around, the same way anyone can grab hold of a microphone and start singing. But the best performers are those who can reach out into their audience and make a one-on-one connection. Yes, technique and style are important, but it is the eyes that make the connection. A good pole dancer will make you feel as if the entire dance was for your benefit. What a great lesson for us all. As communicators, we should also realize that while our words and message are critical, it is the eyes that make the connection. It is the eyes that create the bond which allows our audience to feel as if our "entire dance was for them." And make no mistake about it, eye contact isn't just a Public Speaking 101 tip, but one of! the most! powerful tools we have in showing our interest, care and empathy. Our eyes are what make someone feel special, as if they matter, or even better, as if they are the only one who matters. Who doesn't want to feel this way? So, next time you're speaking, whether it's one-on-one, in a small group or to a crowd of thousands, remember, it's not just your words that are speaking, it's your whole body, along with every thought that's pushing your body to move. Be present. Mindful. Caring. And then don't hold back. Swing on that pole with all the enthusiasm and joy you have. Let your inner Jagger out.
Do you have a bucket list? Here are 101 things to do before you die. Includes a tutorial on how you can create your bucket list too!      Read More @ Source 
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The Zen master would not stop talking.
AP: Hundreds of Stress Reductions who fled their southern Bangladesh villages in the wake of attacks by Muslims started returning home Monday amid heightened security and more than 160 arrests.
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