A type of green tea called matcha reduces anxiety, new research finds.
Matcha green tea, which has a long history of medicinal use in Japan, has a calming effect, the mouse study shows.
Saturday 30 November 2019
B Buddhism is more about wisdom, focus, and peace rather than a set of beliefs.
Buddhism is more about wisdom, focus, and peace rather than a set of beliefs.
B ENGAGED B
From the Cushion to Action: Engaged Buddhism
Buddhism starts with oneself and then extends in ever increasing circles of concern for all sentient beings. Bodhisattvas come from ancient tradition. These spiritual warriors work on their own awakening not just for their own benefit but for the betterment of the world. The beloved and influential Zen master and mindfulness teacher Thich Naht Hanh coined the term “engaged Buddhism” to capture to the spirit of the modern bodhisattva. The first order of business is to get our own house in order but once that has been accomplished to some degree, you don’t want to just hang around on the cushion gazing at your navel. The insights you gain from meditation fuel compassion and a desire to help others
B MIFU
Mindfulness meditation experienced a revival and mindfulness became the primary focus of some forms of Buddhism, especially those taught in Burma, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. In a sense, there was a return to the original teachings of the Buddha away from the rites, rituals, and customs that had developed as Buddhism spread around the world. Mindfulness can be thought of as a universal language of attention leading to transformation and is not limited to those who practice Buddhism.
B WAY
Noble Eightfold Path: The Wise, Ethical, and Mindful Way to Live
The Buddha prescription for humanity contained eight aspects, like the spokes of a wheel. It started with wisdom: First we must recognize there is a problem (as described in the Four Noble Truths) and then we must have a motivation to do something about it. Next comes ethics: It behooves us to live in a way that does not cause harm, violence, or disruption through our actions, speech, and occupation. Finally we can develop a meditative mind: Making the right kinds of effort while developing mindfulness and concentration. All eight factors work together to propel us towards self-improvement, deep contentment, and a more meaningful life. These are not moralistic commandments but principles that can be tested and practiced for yourself
B INSIGHT
The Buddha’s Insights
Siddhartha sat under a fig tree (later known as the Bodhi or awakening tree) and watched his breathing come and go; he noticed how his mind generated stories, images, and feelings. He also saw how these states of mind were constantly changing and even though they were his thoughts, memories, and feelings he could not find a “me” at the center of it all who owned those experiences. There is no unchanging essence that makes us who we are and with this assertion he distinguished himself from the philosophies and religions of the time. He claimed that everything was a flowing process in the mind including what we know to be ourselves. With this insight he was able to get beyond the pervasive sense that something was off or not quite right that he had felt since he was a little boy. He had awakened.
Friday 29 November 2019
B
One day, near the end of the school year, I was preparing for my exams so I went to the temple to pray to the Buddha hoping to get good results. Because the monk was a great talker I usually tried to avoid him while I was preparing for my exams, but he saw me that day and called me over.
“Where did you come from?” the monk asked me, and I replied that I had just come from school. Then the monk said, “No, before that, where did you come from?” And I replied that I had been at home. So the monk went on, “No, no, before you were at home, where were you?” He continued asking these questions until I finally had to answer that I had come from my mother’s womb. And once more the monk responded, “No, before that!” And I replied, “I don’t know . . .”
And then the monk asked me: “Well, where are you going?” And I replied that I was on my way to the library. “And after that?” he asked. I said I would go home. “And after that . . . ?” Eventually, after many questions, I told the monk: “I’ll die.” And so the monk asked, “And after that?” And I replied, “I have no idea . . .”
Suddenly the monk shouted at me: “Well why are you so busy if you don’t even know where you’re from or where you’re going?!” That gave me a big shock and I was speechless for a moment. Then I asked him, “Is there anyone who knows the answers to those questions?” And he replied, “Everyone should know.” So I asked him, “How can I know the answer?” And the monk replied, “Come and live with me at the temple.” And that’s how I ended up becoming a monk!
B The Buddha was not trying to found a religion. His version of salvation was not mystical but rather psychological—we can train our minds to be more attentive and more responsive in ways that lead to goodness, peace, and happiness.
The Buddha was not trying to found a religion. His version of salvation was not mystical but rather psychological—we can train our minds to be more attentive and more responsive in ways that lead toodness, peace, and happiness.
B FEAR V SANGHA
The Opposite of Fear
When I met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1966, during the Vietnam War, one of the things we discussed
was the importance of building community—or, as we call it in Buddhism, sangha. Dr. King knew that
community building was vital. He was aware that, without a community, little could be accomplished. A
solid sense of brotherhood and sisterhood gives us strength when we feel fear or despair and helps
sustain our power of love and compassion. Brotherhood and sisterhood can heal and transform our lives.
Dr. King spent much of his time building a community that he called “the beloved community.”
MIFU MEDITN
UTENSIL WASHING MIFU
HOOVERING MIFU
30 MINLY FRUIT WATER MIFU
DISTANT SOUND MIFU
POO WASH SHAVE BATH MIFU
WALK JOG MIFU
HOOVERING MIFU
30 MINLY FRUIT WATER MIFU
DISTANT SOUND MIFU
POO WASH SHAVE BATH MIFU
WALK JOG MIFU
B THINK LESS X MIFU BREATHE MORE
Thinking Less
While we practice conscious breathing, our thinking will slow down, and we can give ourselves a real rest.
Most of the time, we think too much, and mindful breathing helps us to be calm, relaxed, and peaceful. It helps us stop thinking so much and stop being possessed by sorrows of the past and worries about the future. It enables us to be in touch with life, which is wonderful in the present moment.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
B LYF LIGHTNING
Amitabha Buddha . invaluable concept. Three planes of fleeting clouds flying.
Samsara is like a drunken dance.
Beings are as thin as lightning,
Drifting fast like waterfall and rapids. "
The above verse from the Prussian Sutta means the Three Realms are impermanent and unsustainable. Life moves fast toward death, like a dancer's dance, a lightning in the sky, or a waterfall - they are constantly moving and changing nonstop even for a moment.
Moreover, the realm and the moment of death we cannot know. The Suhllekha Sutta writes:
“A person's life with suffering is more impermanent than a bubble of water before the wind. So it is extraordinary to be breathing out, breathing in and being awakened after a long coma. ”
Therefore, reflect on the chances practitioners have to practice the Dharma. Be enthusiastic diligent spiritual practice not distracted.
The nature of life, of samsara, is impermanent. We are often unaware of this because we are engrossed with countless desires, desires, happiness, and misery ... so that they can sweep us through the days like cascades. Pause for a moment on your hasty journey to think and contemplate that in this world nothing is left unchanged, nothing is permanent, and be aware of the short-lived fragile existence For us to appreciate and use our life more meaningfully.
To begin with, please pray that this meditation time will create greater peace for all sentient beings, pray that this meditation time will be the cause for oneself to attain enlightenment so it can benefit all sentient beings. , so that all beings can be free of suffering and attain enlightenment. Then focus your mind on the body, thinking of the parts like the arms, legs, head, skin, blood, bones, nerves and muscles. Please check each part in turn and the accompanying feeling. Meditate on the nature of these parts of the body, what they are made of, and their shape and size. Sensitively perceive the movement of the body as well as the movement that is happening from time to time. A steady change in breathing, heart beats, body blood circulation and the energy of the nerve vessels. Understand your body even more subtly than the structure of the cell in the body, the body is entirely made up of living cells, appearing, moving, regenerating, dying and disintegrate. On an even more subtle level, all of your parts are made up of molecules, atoms and particles smaller than atoms. These constituents are constantly moving and changing. Try to get a true sense of change happening every moment in your body.
After meditating on the impermanence of the inner world, including your body and mind, extend your attention to the outside world. Think about the environment in things close to you like the mattress, rug or bed you are sitting on, the floor, walls, windows and ceilings of the room where you are meditating, furniture and other things. in the room. Take a look at each of them, which seem static, solid but actually are made up of countless tiny molecules that are moving and moving. Stay in that experience for a while. Then turn your attention a little further away from the wall in the room, think of others, their bodies and minds are constantly changing, not being immutable at any moment. . The same is true for all other sentient beings such as animals, birds and insects. Think of all the immovable objects in the world and in the universe like houses, buildings, roads, cars, mountains, mountains and rivers, the earth, the sun, the moon and the why, ... All are made up of atoms and tiny particles and constantly changing in each moment, nothing exists forever and permanently without change. Focus on this experience!
In the process of meditating on impermanence, you need a strong sense of the ever-changing nature of everything. Maintain your attention and focus on that feeling for as long as possible without distracting your mind. In other words, stabilize your meditation. Let your mind be filled with that experience. When the strong sense of clarity about the ever-changing nature of all things has diminished or your attention begins to become distracted, once again analyze the impermanence of body, mind and sight.
End your meditation time with the thought that clinging to the permanence of all things is an unrealistic and self-deception. Anything that is beautiful, pleasing to us will change and eventually disappear.
Therefore, we cannot expect anything or anything that will bring eternal happiness. In addition, anything that is not beautiful or makes us unhappy does not exist forever. Everything will change, can change for the better, so we don't need to be sad or deny anything.
In the most general way, impermanence is the basic nature of all worldly phenomena covering the whole body, mind and sight. This change is constantly ongoing and leads us to the final destination of the present life - death - the most obvious, the greatest and the most intense manifestation of impermanence. This is also a major topic in the topic of contemplating impermanence that we will explore in the next practice.
Buddha said that of all the footprints, the elephant footprint is the largest, of all the bars, the impermanence is the largest. Therefore, we should appreciate the moments, moments we are living in this life, so that we can use this life in a more meaningful way. Enlightened teachers remind us: If I do not contemplate impermanence in the morning, I will let the morning pass in vain. If I do not contemplate impermanence in the afternoon, I will pass in vain. If at night I do not contemplate impermanence, I will let the whole night pass uselessly. Thanks to the custom of impermanence, you have more energy to foster deeper faith with the practice of Buddhism.
DTR CRSS X DR STP SUIC IDN - DSSI CRSS
PRNTS FRAIL
WF TO BLNDNSS
SSTR DVRCING
SLF AGING SPPRT WYC-LKT-BGA FMLIES
BULMED CRSS X BANCAB LINE
WF TO BLNDNSS
SSTR DVRCING
SLF AGING SPPRT WYC-LKT-BGA FMLIES
BULMED CRSS X BANCAB LINE
Consumerism promotes desire and dissatisfaction, the very source of suffering, as explained in the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. … What is unique about the Buddhist approach is that it goes to the very root of the urge for more, the desire, the hook that keeps us constantly searching for what will relieve our dissatisfaction. —Interview with Stephanie Kaza by John Elder, “Ego in the Shopping Cart”
Consumerism promotes desire and dissatisfaction, the very source of suffering, as explained in the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. … What is unique about the Buddhist approach is that it goes to the very root of the urge for more, the desire, the hook that keeps us constantly searching for what will relieve our dissatisfaction.
—Interview with Stephanie Kaza by John Elder, “Ego in the Shopping Cart”
—Interview with Stephanie Kaza by John Elder, “Ego in the Shopping Cart”
"Calming allows us to rest, and resting is a precondition for healing. When animals in the forest get wounded, they find a place to lie down, and they rest completely for many days. They don't think about food or anything else. They just rest, and they get the healing they need. When we human get sick, we worry. We look for doctors and medicines, but we don't stop. Even when we go to the beaches or the mountains for vacation, we don't rest, and we come back home more tired than before. We have to learn to rest. Lying down is not the only position for resting." Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Buddha's Teachings
"Calming allows us to rest, and resting is a precondition for healing. When animals in the forest get wounded, they find a place to lie down, and they rest completely for many days. They don't think about food or anything else. They just rest, and they get the healing they need. When we human get sick, we worry. We look for doctors and medicines, but we don't stop. Even when we go to the beaches or the mountains for vacation, we don't rest, and we come back home more tired than before. We have to learn to rest. Lying down is not the only position for resting." Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Buddha's Teachings
TNH
HOW I MISINTERPRETED GRATITUDE
Every Thanksgiving I think about gratitude. I dearly miss my daughter Molly who died 11 years ago. For many years I mourned her death crom Ovarian cancer and was miserable and at one point suicidal.
At my darkest point i found Thay...or I should say he found me. I learned from his teachings that i could celebrate the 31 years that we had her in our life instead of perpetually mourning our loss.
That lesson helped to turn the corner and gave me a reason to live. But as time went on and i would feel bad about how much i still missed her i began to think, especially on Thanksgiving, how all these other fathers had their daughters and sons to celebrate the day with and i felt even worse.
At a Dharma talk the night before Thanksgiving day i heard the words of Thay through the Dharma teacher saying that gratitude is the awareness and acceptance of the way things are. Grasping for happiness just causes us sorrow and pain.
That's when i realized that I had allowed myself to think of gratitude as only a way to thank someone for something. In the same moment that i expressed gratitude i was thinking about my loss. It had gotten to the point that i ceased to talk about gratitude because it caused me tremendous pain.
Now, i am still struggling to ease my pain and as Thay says to embrace it. I am learning to accept and become more mindful of the present.
Sometimes with gratitude you just have to accept life as it is and be grateful for what you have.
“Peace can exist only in the present moment. It is ridiculous to say “Wait until I finish this, then I will be free to live in peace.” What is “this”? A diploma, a job, a house, the payment of a debt? If you think that way, peace will never come. There is always another “this” that will follow the present one. If you are not living in peace at this moment, you will never be able to. If you truly want to be at peace, you must be at peace right now. Otherwise, there is only “the hope of peace some day.” Thich Nhat Hahn
“Peace can exist only in the present moment. It is ridiculous to say “Wait until I finish this, then I will be free to live in peace.” What is “this”? A diploma, a job, a house, the payment of a debt? If you think that way, peace will never come. There is always another “this” that will follow the present one. If you are not living in peace at this moment, you will never be able to. If you truly want to be at peace, you must be at peace right now. Otherwise, there is only “the hope of peace some day.” Thich Nhat Hahn
Most of the time, we think too much, and mindful breathing helps us to be calm, relaxed, and peaceful. It helps us stop thinking so much and stop being possessed by sorrows of the past and worries about the future. It enables us to be in touch with life, which is wonderful in the present moment. ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Most of the time, we think too much, and mindful breathing helps us to be calm, relaxed, and peaceful. It helps us stop thinking so much and stop being possessed by sorrows of the past and worries about the future. It enables us to be in touch with life, which is wonderful in the present moment.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
The Buddha called suffering a Holy Truth, because our suffering has the capacity of showing us the path to liberation. Embrace your suffering, and let it reveal to you the way to peace. The Heart Of Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Buddha called suffering a Holy Truth, because our suffering has the capacity of showing us the path to liberation. Embrace your suffering, and let it reveal to you the way to peace.
The Heart Of Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
WISE ONE "A Bodhisattva doesn't have to be Perfect. Anyone who is Aware of what is happening and who tries to Wake Up other people is a Bodhisattva. We are all Bodhisattvas, doing our best." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"A Bodhisattva doesn't have to be Perfect. Anyone who is Aware of what is happening and who tries to Wake Up other people is a Bodhisattva. We are all Bodhisattvas, doing our best."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don't suffer anymore." Thich Nhat Hahn
"People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don't suffer anymore." Thich Nhat Hahn
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