Eating Healthy: When you absolutely must eat fast food are there any healthy options?

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• Eating Healthy: When you absolutely must eat fast food are there any healthy options?
• 6 Steps To Being More Creative
• Mindfulness movement in the western world
• Meditation as rehabilitation
• Early Morning Buddhist Spirituality Inspiration - 6/7/2013
• Guided meditation on mudita (joyful appreciation)
• The qualities that make us happy
• We will bury you!
• I find my own fundamentalism-mocking blog post hilarious also

Eating Healthy: When you absolutely must eat fast food are there any healthy options? Posted: 07 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Summer is the time for traveling and enjoying the great outdoors. That means you're probably spending more time outside, but it also means you're likely to be eating on the run. Many of us find it fairly easy to eat healthy when we're at home and can cook, but what about when you're traveling by plane or car and all you can find is one fast food restaurant after another? Most of us would like to make it home from vacation without gaining ten pounds or having to go on high blood pressure meds! While fast food joints make most of their money off the items highest in calories, fat and sodium, there are healthier choices available if you just look for them. Here are some of the least lethal menu items from major chains. Alas, the healthiest item at any restaurant is never going to be the double cheeseburger with large fries! Read more » Read More @ Source

6 Steps To Being More Creative Posted: 07 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Editor's note: This is a guest post from Marc Lesser, CEO of SIYLI, Zen priest, and author of Know Yourself, Forget Yourself. For most of my life I did not think of myself as creative at all. Then, many years ago, I started a greeting card company, despite that I had rarely purchased or sent greetings cards. My motivation was combining business with taking care of the environment, by making products from recycled paper. I found myself in a role where I needed to be very creative – in developing new products as well as how to distribute products. I also found that the act of leadership – my perspective about my role and the company's strategy required tremendous creativity. Creativity is important for many reasons. It is a path and process for not getting stuck in old habits and ineffective ways of seeing yourself and the world. Creativity can help with problem solving, with creating healthier relationships, and with having a healthier and happier life. What I learned is that creativity isn't something that you have or don't have. It is something that you can nurture and develop. Most importantly, creativity can be a practice. This is especially true for me in my current role (as the CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute) of helping business leaders to be both more effective and happy. Here are the 6 steps that I began using, and find I'm using every day, not only in my work but especially in my relationships and my life outside of work These practices can be used to support the changing of habits and creating new habits. I'd suggest making the practice of creativity a habit that can support other habits. Here are some guidelines: Believe in your creativity – This is the first practice and probably most important. You might begin by thinking about or writing down three creative things you've done – something you have written or said or completed. Notice an area in which you feel creative; perhaps cooking, drawing, fixing things, gardening. Creativity can show itself in lots of small ways, such as the gifts we give, or the clothes we wear, or how we set the table. Just begin noticing and recognizing your own creativity. Know your voice of judgment – Everyone I've ever known has an inner judge. It can be difficult to accept that having an inner critic is part of the human condition. The good news is that this inner voice just wants to protect us and keep us safe, and that you don't need to be stuck with or thrown by these inner voices. Knowing this, try relaxing your inner judge. Give it a name. Be playful. Experiment. Despite your judgments, you have the ability to be creative. Pay attention to details – By entering into the practice of creativity, you can begin to notice more of the details of everyday life. By paying more attention to details, you can become more present; your world can become more alive. It is in this presence and aliveness that creativity takes place. When you put your shoes on, which shoe do you put on first? What's the color of your front door? How many emails do you receive and send each day? Or play with giving things different names. Look at a paper clip or a strawberry, as though seeing them for the first time. What might you call them? These types of details and experiments can open doors to seeing the world differently. Ask dumb questions – Our desire to look good and smart can get in the way of creativity. Instead, ask questions, especially those that may seem obvious, or even dumb. Risk looking awkward. Be curious about your feelings and your motivations. Let yourself wonder how things work and why you and others talk and act the way you do. Let go of the need to look good, and allow yourself to be curious and at times awkward. This is another door to creativity. There are no dumb questions. Practice Mindfulness – Mindfulness is a fancy word for paying attention and for being in the present moment – not ruminating about the past, nor worrying about the future. Mindfulness is a simple and powerful practice. Of course, reviewing the past and preparing for the future are important. And, being creative, happens in this moment. The practice of mindfulness is to over and over notice when your mind is wandering and to bring your attention back to the present. In this way we build our capacity for presence, and for creativity. Mindfulness can also mean to allow your attention to open, to consciously not focus on any one thing. This space, of intentionally expanding your attention can be a creative process. Embrace Paradox – It seems that nearly everything about being a human being is a paradox. In my own life, I'm an introvert and I enjoy speaking in front of groups; I can be indecisive and make decisions quickly; I'm confident and vulnerable. What are some of your paradoxes? Instead of ignoring or pushing these contradictions away, try acknowledging them, and embracing them. An example of a paradox I find myself embracing and practicing with is – fight for change and accept what is. These appear to be completely opposed, yet, the starting point for changing habits is to notice the habits that we actually have. Being more creative is a practice, a habit, and a process. A good way to begin is to notice how creative babies and young children are. Just the act of crawling, walking, and exploring can be enormously creative. Creativity is easy – just let yourself be more childlike, curious, open, and start by exploring any of the six practices I've outlined. Marc Lesser is author of Know Yourself, Forget Yourself: Five Truths To Transform Your Work, Relationships, and Everyday Life. He is the CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) and leads a weekly meditation group in Mill Valley. Read More @ Source

Mindfulness movement in the western world Posted: 07 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Dr. Daya Hewapathirane, Lankaweb: Mindfulness is a technique that is integral to the Teachings of the Buddha. It is the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path which encapsulates the principal teachings of the Buddha. Mindfulness or 'sati' is a whole-body-and-mind awareness of the present moment. It is awareness of body, feelings, thoughts and phenomena that affect the body and mind. It is the detached observation of what is happening within us and around us in the present moment. Being fully mindful means being fully attentive to everything as-it-is, not reacting to or making judgments of what comes to your mind. In the practice… Read the original article » Read More @ Source

Meditation as rehabilitation Posted: 07 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT K. Sharp, toledofreepress.com: How many of you have stepped completely outside your normal comfort zone to try something new and challenging? I recently completed a mentally and physically intense ten-day course in Vipassana meditation technique. This technique has been in practice since the time of The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In short, its aim is to focus the mind on the true cause of suffering in order to properly understand our responses to the joys and miseries we encounter. It seeks to teach how we associate outside sensory objects as the cause of our joy or misery and so we transfer the power… Read the original article » Read More @ Source

Early Morning Buddhist Spirituality Inspiration - 6/7/2013 Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:00 AM PDT "We need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness and strength so we can help transform the situation."   ~Thich Nhat Hanh Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Read More @ Source

Guided meditation on mudita (joyful appreciation) Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:00 PM PDT This video was recorded in a Google Plus Hangout earlier today. It's a 50 minute guided session of the mudita bhavana, or development of joyful appreciation, which is the practice we're focusing on in the current 25 days of our 100 Days of Lovingkindness. Enjoy! Click here to see all the posts from our 100 Days of Lovingkindness. Read More @ Source

The qualities that make us happy Posted: 06 Jun 2013 10:00 PM PDT The practice of mudita, or appreciative joy, is summed up in these words from the first century: When one sees or hears that some person's qualities are esteemed by others, and that he is at peace and is joyful, one thinks thus: "Sadhu! Sadhu! May he continue joyful for a long time!" We're focusing on the good qualities that people have, as well as the peace and joy that those good qualities bring. I want to focus today on those good qualities, so that we may more readily detect them in ourselves and others. We can't rejoice in what we do not see. Dr. David Myers, professor of psychology at Hope College and author of the Pursuit of Happiness, identified a number of qualities shared by many people who tend to be happy. From that research, eight concrete characteristics of happy people have emerged: If you like my articles, and want to support my work, please click here to purchase my books, guided meditation CDs, and MP3s.   Happy people have self-esteem. They like themselves. They are more likely to agree with statements like "I'm fun to be with" or "I have good ideas." They appreciate their own good qualities. Of course some people over-estimate their good qualities, but Myers points out that healthy self esteem is "positive yet realistic." Anxious self-praise is fragile, and doesn't promote long-term happiness. This kind of confidence is called saddha in Buddhism. Saddha is often translated as "faith," but it's not "blind faith" — it's confidence based on experience, and on self-awareness. This kind of confidence in ourselves leads to happiness. Happy people are optimistic. Optimists are more cheerful and upbeat. They expect to do well, and they expect good things to happen. They're physically healthier, and they are actually more successful, because our expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies. Pessimists see set-backs as signs that they shouldn't have tried in the first place. Optimists see set-backs as anomalies — stumbling blocks on the road to success. This is another form of saddha, but this time it's confidence in life itself that enables happiness. Happy people feel a sense of personal control. The happiest people are the 15% of the population who feel in control of their lives and who like themselves. People are happier when they make conscious choices about what they do with their lives — including basic things like their leisure time. The Buddhist term for this kind of engagement is viriya, often translated as "energy." Viriya is our active engagement with life — our willingness to shape our own destinies. Happy people are extroverted. No disrespect intended to introverts (I'm an introvert myself), but extroverted people are on average much more cheerful. They're more likely to find satisfaction in life through rewarding jobs and relationships. As an introvert I've had to work at becoming more outgoing, and making progress in that regard has been rewarding. Introverts can be friendly too. In fact I'm going to suggest that it's overt friendliness — metta — that's the key thing. Happy people have close, supportive relationships. "Those supported by intimate friendships or a committed marriage are much likelier to declare themselves 'very happy,'" Myers says. And indeed, recent research has shown that feelings of isolation and loneliness are as bad for our health as smoking. So the qualities that support close relationships — the ability to be open, to be kind and nurturing, to take an interest in another person — all help us to be happier. Many of these qualities come be summed up in the term anukampa, which is often rendered as sympathy, but which literally means the ability to "resonate with" or "vibrate with" others. Happy people have a spiritual orientation. Happy people have a sense that their lives have purpose and meaning beyond accumulating wealth and spending their leisure time in enjoyable ways. People who have a spiritual foundation to their lives are twice as likely to report being "very happy" as people who don't. This quality of having a spiritual orientation is what the Buddha called "right view" (samma-ditthi), although this doesn't imply taking on board a collection of second-hand spiritual ideas, but having a basic openness to life and its possibilities. Happy people experience flow in their work and play. When people perform ordinary tasks in a mindful way, they become un-selfconsciously absorbed, lose their sense of separateness, and cease ruminating. And ruminating is one of the things that makes us most unhappy. "Flow experiences boost our sense of self-esteem, competence, and well-being," says Myers. Mindfulness and the ability to pay sustained attention (samadhi, or concentration) are essential for entering a flow state. This list is by no means complete, and it's very much a broad-brush outline of the qualities that lead to happiness. (Wildmind's most popular article, read to date by more than a quarter of a million people is on 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy, and is rather different.) But it gives us an idea of some of the things we can look for in others when we're appreciating their goog qualities. It can also, however, give us an idea of what we need to work on if we wish to have joy-filled lives. When you're doing the mudita meditation practice, you might find it useful, when you can, to actually name some of the qualities that you admire in yourself or others. I've previously suggested using phrases such as "May my/your good qualities increase"; may my/your happiness continue and increase." But "good qualities is rather vague! If you've picked someone like the Dalai Lama as your "admirable person" (this is the second stage, the way I'm teaching the practice here) then you could perhaps name the qualities you admire in him: "May your compassion increase"; may your happiness continue and increase; may your good humor increase; may your happiness continue and increase. may your curiosity increase; may your happiness continue and increase." You could name several qualities, but don't worry if it gets repetitive. Repetition is what makes the practice work. This approach could be more difficult for the neutral person, if it's someone you really don't know. But there's often something that strikes you about a person when you meet them, and when I think of the cashier at the post office, I recall her friendliness and good humor, and I esteem those qualities and imagine they lead to happiness for her. So I could say "May your friendliness increase," etc. This could be even harder for the difficult person, depending on who you're focusing on. I often choose a person that I basically like, but who may have some habits that are abrasive. So I'm well aware of their positive qualities, and can name and rejoice in those. And the benefit of doing this is that it balances out the focus I tend to have on the few things they do that rub me the wrong way, and makes those things less conspicuous in my mind. But if there's someone you really can't stand, this could be more difficult, and it would be fine to stick with the all-purpose, one-size-fits-all "May your good qualities increase"; may your happiness continue and increase." Read More @ Source

We will bury you! Posted: 06 Jun 2013 09:00 PM PDT Here's another churchless guest post from regular commenter "cc." I titled this post as he named his short essay. Hope he's right... that science and evidence-based rationality will supplant religiosity. It's a slow process, though. The United States is highly developed in many regards. But we have a seemingly never-ending supply of religious nutheads. Under certain conditions, science undermines religion and eventually supplants it. This is demonstrated in the developed world  where the scientific method is held in higher esteem than religious faith. In the most highly developed countries, only a minority of knuckleheads revere and refer to holy scriptures, the mumbo-jumbo of a spiritual leader, and anecdotal evidence.  But,  despite this trend in some places, what we're seeing world-wide is more faith-based religious nuts and maniacs than ever before.  As a species, we're reproducing faster than we can reduce the number of numbskulls we're tossing into the gene pool. It seems that if we can't develop faster than we can reproduce, our development is bound to be overtaken by the very brutishness it is fleeing.  This is not to say that I have no hope, but to say that I have no faith, and, if I may say, it's a tremendous relief. You can't believe what a burden belief is until you lose your faith. Read More @ Source

I find my own fundamentalism-mocking blog post hilarious also Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:00 PM PDT One of the joys of writing thousands of blog posts is reuniting with one of my long-forgotten creations.  Today I saw that a new comment had been submitted on a post. This is hilarious! Love it! Naturally I had to check out what was so hilarious and lovable. Unsurprisingly, after I read what I'd written seven years ago I thought to myself: This is hilarious! Love it! Check out "Top ten signs you're a fundamentalist Satsangi." It will make more sense if you know something about the Indian religious organization I used to be a member of. But the inspiration for this post is religious hypocrisy. And that's a virtually universal phenomenon among faiths, whether of East or West. Here's a sampling of the ten signs: (4) You have worked diligently for years toward merging your soul with God's spirit, establishing a direct personal relationship with the divine. However, if an impulse or intuition comes to you that isn't given a thumbs-up by the Sant Mat books, you're afraid it's a trick of the "negative power." (3) You are grateful that you've broken free of traditional religious dogma that required you, without evidence, to have faith that a dead Son of God will save your soul after you die. Yet the only difference is, now you have the same unfounded faith in a living Son of God. Read More @ Source

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