Patients add meditation to treatment plans
Patients add meditation to treatment plans |
- Patients add meditation to treatment plans
- Why Baby's Hungry Cry Tugs at Women (But Not Men)
- Lovingkindness as a path to awakening
- 90% of Parents Multitask While Driving
- Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 5/6/2013
- Powerless over our thoughts
- Without religion, I enjoy feeling normal and not special
- Eckhart Tolle's now
| Patients add meditation to treatment plans Posted: 06 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT
Weeks into a regime of intense chemotherapy to fight stage 3 colon cancer, she lay in bed, nauseous, aching, sweating, miserable. But then, a light breeze floated through her window carrying a much-needed moment of relief. Normally, she wouldn't have even noticed the breeze, which cooled and dried her skin, leaving her calm. But Dolan-Brady had been practicing mindful meditation, allowing her to pay closer attention to her body and environment. "In the midst of misery, this simple thing became a bright spot when everything was tinged with ugliness and darkness," says Dolan-Brady, 57, of Mt. Washington. "Something simple became a glimmer… Read the original article » Read More @ Source | ||
| Why Baby's Hungry Cry Tugs at Women (But Not Men) Posted: 06 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT
The idea that women are hard-wired to respond to babies is supported in a small new brain scan study from Italy. Women in the study who listened to the sounds of a baby crying in hunger showed a change in activity in certain brain regions, but men showed no change. The study included nine men and nine women, some of whom were parents. Most participants were in their 30s. Researchers at the University of Trento asked participants to let their minds wander, and then played a recording of about 15 minutes of white noise, interrupted with periods of silence and the sounds of a hungry infant crying. In women's brains, there was a decrease in activity in two areas known to be active during mind wandering — the dorsal medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate areas. By contrast, these regions in men's brains remained active when they heard the baby's cries, according the study. The study shows that "women interrupt mind wandering when exposed to the sounds of infant hunger cries, whereas men carry on without interruption," the researchers wrote. The brain patterns were not different between parents and nonparents in the study, the researchers said. This suggests that women may be predisposed to care for infants other than their own, the researchers said, though more study is needed to see whether this idea is held up. Previous studies have shown that women are more likely than men to say that hearing an infant cry evokes feelings of sympathy and caregiving, while men are more likely to say that crying evokes irritation and anger. Other work has shown that mothers' suffering from postpartum depression have muted brain activity patterns when they hear their baby cry, compared with nondepressed women. The study was published in the February issue of the journal Neuroreport. Pass it on: Hungry baby's cry affects the mother's brain, and evokes sympathy and caring. Follow Karen Rowan @karenjrowan. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on MyHealthNewsDaily.  Read More @ Source | ||
| Lovingkindness as a path to awakening Posted: 06 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT
The "fetters" are mental habits that hold us back from attaining enlightenment. Lovingkindness practice, the Buddha is saying, wears away these fetters. So lovingkindness practice helps us become enlightened. The way I think of the Buddhist path of practice these days is that it's all about "un-selfing." Normally we are "selfing" all the time — "selfing" being a rendering of "ahamkara," which literally means "I-making." Every time we experience craving or aversion, we are creating, from an essentially undifferentiated mass of experience, a sense of a separate self. We have a mass of undifferentiated experience, and some of those experiences we have aversion towards, or try to push away. In the act of pushing, there is a sense that we are pushing them away from "us." And so there's a reinforcement of the sense of "I." I don't like this. I don't want this. Similarly, with craving there is some experience that is clung to, held onto. And in the act of clinging or holding there is a reinforcement that there is this thing called "me" that is appropriating the experience. I like this. I want this. All practice helps us to "un-self." Lovingkindness "unselfs." When we're experiencing kindness we're not capable of experiencing ill will or craving. Our ill will and craving, not being exercised, become weaker. "The fetters are worn away." Lovingkindness practice also helps us to do more "we-ing" (and I apologize for the infantile sound of that term, but I also hope it brings a smile). When we're "we-ing" we're not selfing. In lovingkindness practice we recognize that all beings are like ourselves. We all want to be happy; we all find happiness elusive. And knowing this to be true, we feel less inclined to obstruct others happiness, and want to assist others in finding happiness if we can. Our concerns move from being all "in here" (how can I be happy) and move "out there" (how can we, or they, be happy). We become kinder. In the final stage of the practice, having a compassionate mind towards all living beings, there is an emphasis on spaciousness, as I've explained in the last two posts.  If you like my articles, please check out my books, guided meditation CDs, and MP3s. In the approach that the Buddha seems to have taught, we become aware of each of the directions, and we pervade each with lovingkindness. What I'll tend to do in this stage of the practice is to become aware of the actual space around me. I'll notice the the light, the space, and the sound. I'll notice sounds in particular in a non-reactive way, simply allowing them to exist. I don't try to hold onto sounds, nor do I try to push them away. This in itself is a form of unselfing, since craving and aversion are being dropped. And I'm aware that there are living beings in the space I'm aware of (both in the physical space I'm attending to and in the mental space of my mind, in the form of memories or imagination). And I'm wishing them well. The space I'm perceiving is pervaded with kindness, because my mind is pervaded with kindness. But noticing the space and sound in particular contribute to a sense that my consciousness is no longer something that's "inside" me, but is something that extends out into the world. I can almost feel my mind filling the space around me. This is not simply imagination. All experience happens in the mind. Whether an experience is a thought or the sound of a passing jet plane, the experience happens in the mind. We perceive the thought as being "in here" and the sound of a jet being "out there" only because of a more subtle kind of selfing that divides experiences into "self" and "other." When we simply pay attention to so-called inner and so-called outer experiences at the same time, eventually we mind puts less and less effort into making this distinction. As we pay less attention to whether our experiences are "in here" or "out there" these two concepts cease to have so much (or sometimes any) meaning. And so there are several kinds of unselfing going on. There's the unselfing that consists of dropping the selfing activities of craving and aversion. There's the unselfing of "we-ing" — of seeing other beings as having the same basis needs as ourselves and, with a mind of kindness, being prepared to help them find happiness. And there's the unselfing of no longer considering ourselves to be "in here" while the world is "out there." We allow there to be "a mass of undifferentiated experience" that we don't divide into a self and an other. All thought of there being a self may be lost. At first this loss is temporary, but this can become a permanent state. At this point the fetters (or at least some of them) have been broken, and the experience of awakening has begun. So lovingkindness is not a "basic" practice. It's one that can take us all the way. Read More @ Source | ||
| 90% of Parents Multitask While Driving Posted: 06 May 2013 08:03 AM PDT
Parents hope their children won't text and drive, but a new study suggests many parents are guilty of multitasking behind the wheel. The results show about 90 percent of parents surveyed reported technology-related multitasking while driving their children in the past month, such as talking on the phone, texting or changing a DVD or CD. Other types of multitasking were also common: About 70 percent reported performing childcare duties while driving, such as feeding their child or picking up a dropped toy, and 70 percent reported engaging in self-care, such as grooming or eating. What's more, multitasking was more common among parents who'd reported being in a car accident at some point in their lives compared with those who'd never been in a crash, the researchers said. "Lots of attention has been given to distracted teen drivers. However, our results indicate parents are frequently distracted while driving," study researcher Dr. Michelle Macy, of the University of Michigan, said in a statement. The researchers surveyed more than 600 parents whose children were treated at two emergency departments in Michigan for any reason. The children were ages 1 to 12. About half of parents said they had driven while trying to find directions, by using a map or a GPS device while driving. Texting was the least common distraction, with just a little over 10 percent of parents reporting texting while driving their children in the past month. Parents were also asked what type of safety restraints they used for their children, and researchers considered whether the safety restraint was appropriate for the children's age (for instance, whether they used a car seat for children under age 3, or seat belts for those ages 8 to 12). Parents who did not use the appropriate type of safety restraint were more likely to report driving while distracted than those who used the appropriate safety restraints for their children. "Our research has identified some high-impact areas to improve child passenger safety," Macy said. The study will be presented today (May 6) at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC. Pass it on: Multitasking while driving is common among parents. Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on MyHealthNewsDaily . Read More @ Source | ||
| Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 5/6/2013 Posted: 06 May 2013 06:01 AM PDT "Be the witness of your thoughts. You are what observes, not what you observe."  ~The Buddha      Read More @ Source | ||
| Posted: 06 May 2013 04:00 AM PDT "For many, negative thinking is a habit, which over time, becomes an addiction… A lot of people suffer from this disease because negative thinking is addictive to each of the Big Three — the mind, the body, and the emotions. If one doesn't get you, the others are waiting in the wings." -Peter McWilliams , the American self help author 'We admitted we were powerless over (addiction) — that our lives had become unmanageable.' This is step one in the twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and all other twelve-step programs that exist including ALANON – which is a twelve-step group for families of alcoholics. This is a poignant step for recovery – admitting that we are powerless. If we can't admit this then we are still wanting to be in control. Which often is the root cause of many addictions. What if we admitted we were powerless over our thoughts – that our lives had become unmanageable? Take time to reflect on this. What emerges for you? What if we could see that there was no thinker, that thoughts arise out of no where, and cease into nothingness? Take time to reflect on this. What emerges for you? What if we could see that there is nobody controlling our life. That life just happens. That there is no sufferer, just suffering that arises and ceases? Take time to reflect on this too. What emerges for you? How often does a thought arise, we hold on to it, identify with it and act the thought out? I ask these questions because often we think of addiction as dependency on chemical substances only. Addiction for me was the dependency on sugar – which did become a matter of life or death for me at one point. almost died at the foot of my toilet, with food lodged in my windpipe as I was purging. I snorted white stuff (sugar) through the mouth, and my teeth crumbled, my voice box strained and my stomach collapsed. Addiction for me is not just about the dependency on chemicals. One of my root addictions has been my stinking thinking. It was that, which lead me to identify with my thoughts, act on my thoughts and hey presto I had created a fixed self 'the addict.'. We may laugh – how can our thinking be a matter of life and death. If we think out of the box, and think of life and death as a physical, spiritual and emotional issues. Then we can perhaps clearly see how it can be a matter of life and death. I share this from the new book – Eight Step Recovery – Using the Buddhas teachings to Overcome Addiction written by myself Valerie Mason-John and the psychiatrist Dr Paramabandhu Groves – which will be published in January 2014. 'Human nature has an inbuilt tendency for addiction. For some people this tendency can lead to the destruction of their lives, through their addictive and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. However, we can all struggle with the nature of the mind that tends towards addictions. We could say that we are all in recovery. That may come as a surprise to many of you. All of us are addicted to our thinking. Thinking that tell us stories, thinking that can make us angry, thinking that can literally intoxicate us and impair the mind. Accidents and even fatalities can be caused when we are under the influence of this type of thinking. In Canada distracted driving and aggressive driving are in the top five most common reasons that cause car accidents. Our thinking can distract us and can cause road rage to the extent that we can become impaired behind the steering wheel.'  For a free sample epub chapter of Detox Your Heart and a sample from Vimalasara's online course on working with anger, submit your email address here. * (denotes required field) Name: * E-Mail Address: * http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/id/Detox_Your_Heart_Enhanced_Edition/E9781907314902 This is a frightening fact – and we also know the impulse to identify with a thought while driving can be manifested in texting while driving, which also can be a matter of life and death. So if we admitted we were powerless over our thoughts what can we do? Read More @ Source | ||
| Without religion, I enjoy feeling normal and not special Posted: 06 May 2013 12:00 AM PDT Recently I experienced an insignificant moment on an airplane which reminded me of how, when I was religious, experiences like this took on a wildly undeserved meaning. The flight attendants were coming down the aisle on their last beverage service before the plane landed. Sitting way in the back, I could hear repeatedly, "Would you like a complimentary Mai Tai?" I started to think about what I'd say when the two women got to my aisle. I've probably only had a couple of Mai Tai's in my life. In fact, likely I've consumed less than a dozen alcoholic mixed drinks in my 64 years of living. From the age of 20 until I was in my mid-50's, I didn't drink a drop of alcohol. Not even wine or beer. I was devoted to a system of meditation that required from its practitioners total abstinence from alcohol and mind-altering drugs. For that and other reasons, I felt really special in my true believing days. Of course, like most religious people I tried to hide my attitude of Me, Me, Me behind a veneer of Thee, Thee, Thee -- submission to the will of my guru and God (who were tightly connected, since the guru was considered to be God in Human Form, a lot like Jesus is viewed by Christians). In truth, though, I'd come to see my life as akin to what was noted in the above-linked post: a Technicolor production in a black-and-white world. My vivdness arose out of a belief that I was on a fast track to spiritual and mystical understandings which most people in the world would never be privvy to, because I was a "chosen person" and they weren't (amazing how so many religions consider a particular faith, and that faith alone, to be the special beloved of God.) So, for example, I'd stand in a theatre ticket line, observing my fellow movie-goers, and think, while repeating the oh-so-special mantra the guru had given me when I was initiated in 1971, "I am destined for divine heights these other people will never reach; I'm so fortunate." It felt good to feel so special. Yet, looking back, it also was a burden. Many little things of life became gigantic moral challenges. I was such a strict vegetarian, I didn't want to eat even a speck of meat, fish, or egg. I read the details of every food label to make sure that something like Worchester sauce wasn't in it, because the sauce contains anchovies. If some of my dining companions were ordering wine with dinner, I'd decline even a taste. After all, commandments must be followed. God in Human Form, my guru, had told me not to drink a drop of any alcoholic drink. Now I see things much differently. There are indeed good reasons for not drinking alcohol. Feeling that by remaining abstinent you are strenthtening your special relationship with God isn't one of them. Eventually I tired of my supposed special-ness. I yearned for normalcy. I wanted to feel like I was no better and no worse than anyone else, just another human being living my human life. I make my choices about what to do; other people make theirs. We're all going along trying to do the best we can. Deciding whether to drink a free Mai Tai no longer is an episode in a morality play for me. As the flight attendants came closer, I wondered whether I'd like the taste of it, and if one drink of an unfamiliar alocholic concoction would affect my driving after I picked up a rental car. "Complimentary Mai Tai?" The flight attendant looked at me. "Sure," I said. She turned to the guy in the center seat. "Sure," he told her. I liked how he used the same word I did. I'd only exchanged a few words with him during the flight. But now we were Mai Tai buddies, two normal guys enjoying a free drink. I'm still a strict vegetarian. I rarely consume more alcohol than a nightly glass of red wine. I meditate every morning. Difference is now, I don't feel like I'm doing anything special, or that I'm anybody special for doing these things. And that feels good. | ||
| Posted: 05 May 2013 11:00 PM PDT
Eckhart Tolle's initial awakening to what can only be described as the absolute began with a rejection of the self he once believed to be his authentic self. This rejection he describes as a "deep longing for annihilation" which was becoming stronger than "the instinctive desire to continue to live." This brought Tolle to the realization of two selves, namely, "the 'I' and the 'self' that 'I' cannot live with." From this, he saw that only one of these selves could actually be authentic. In choosing the 'I' (consciousness in its pure state) he transcended the false self or the 'ego'. Tolle's realization is not unlike the Stress Reduction adept transcending his former identification with the Five Aggregates he once believed to be his self who now finds them to be not his self.
In this particular passage the disciple is rejecting the false self or the ego which is the anâtman (lit. not-the-self). At this point, whatever we may think about Eckhart Tolle's awakening or however we may characterize it, it seems to be consistent with some parts of Buddhism, especially the rejection of the Five Aggregates of material shape, feeling, perception, habitual tendencies (or karma) and consciousness, which are not the 'I' or our true deepest self. In trying to teach his awakening, Eckhart Tolle's teaching is not without some degree of confusion; which also tends to be eclectic rather than a consistent extrapolation of his initial awakening experience. What this tells me is that Tolle does not yet understand that the 'I', which is also pure Mind, is the very substance or essence of phenomena including our thoughts, which includes our emotions, internal dialogue, imagination, etc. This opens up the question: Does he understand that phenomena, including mental phenomena are just configurations of pure Mind or the deepest 'I'? Tolle tells us to "learn to disidentify with your mind" but what is really important is to see that phenomena, including mind (lower case 'm') have no existence apart from pure Mind. Phenomena are the waves of pure Mind. Only Mind is real. As I read Tolle, putting his words into my own words, the most important problem to overcome is our attachment to phenomena (mental phenomena, too) which are never other than illusions or fictions, although useful and heuristic if, for the most part, they serve to orient us to what supersedes them which is pure Mind or Tolle's true self. Perhaps Tolle at some level realizes that those who follow him are going to have to go through the same crisis he did before he decided to reject the false self or ego hence realizing the true self. Still, I have to wonder about his book, The Power of Now. For me, Tolle's book appears to overlook the implications of his own awakening. Tolle's extensive use of "now" (i.e., being in the present moment), which appears to act as a refuge, seems incongruous with his own awakening which was a rejection of the false self by having turned, finally, to the true self. He makes no mention of the now in his awakening. I see Tolle's 'now' as something akin to a life raft for those who still fear to leap into the spiritual ocean of absolute Mind. |
Rachel Weaver, TribLive: Nancy Dolan-Brady felt dreadful.
The Buddha's recorded as having said:
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