meditation 101

Have you every stopped – tuned everything out and tried to clear your mind? I can’t believe the mindless drool that will sometimes pop in my head: “I wonder if the first Super Bowl commercial after kick off will be Budweiser”…. “What’s the deal with French fries? How can something so right be so bad for you???” Or more importantly, what is the meaning of life? Meditation is the practice of not so much clearing the mind, but focusing on each thought that passes through and not reacting positive or negative – Naturally add a neutral label and let it pass on – slowly after much practice, your mind will clear and become stronger with clarity and space. Soon your inner voice will speak – wisdom from the soul – it takes time and practice, but meditation is a wonderful way to find peace and enlightenment in this sometimes chaotic life. Try it; keep at it, and soon the benefits will reveal themselves.

Ignorance is Bliss?

Sometimes I think life would be easier if I were more ignorant. Pretty dumb statement huh? I have always thought that the more intelligent one becomes the greater mental burden one endures. A person with above average smarts tends to look life at a more elevated level. Intelligent, educated people tend to peel back the various perspectives of a thought and scrutinize it with more intense analysis. We tend to question god and authority. We tend to stick up for our own rights and the rights of others. With this contemplation comes more questions and fewer answers.

In Buddhism, a common thread illustrates that it is difficult to achieve enlightenment until others around us cease to suffer; yet this world is consumed with suffering! Once one fully comprehends the magnitude of trying to end world suffering, a massive burden is realized – at least for me. How does one not become overwhelmed? What happens when you find that the right direction in life is completely the opposite of society? That in itself is suffering. It is almost as if we suffer many times by our own actions through ego and then suffer more trying to dig out of our own bad habits. Then comes the moral obligation to help others suffer less… well, it has been said that ignorance is bliss…

Killing in the name of God?

Have you ever taken a closer look at world religions and the similarities they all share? When you look at the larger sects like Judaism, Islam, Hindu, Buddhism and Christianity, there are many parallels that can be made. Most religions cast the image of man into their belief systems as an iconic messiah or idol. Most religions have their own set of spiritual laws based on a particular culture and the moral needs of that society. In fact, many of these religions are traced back thousands of years ago when geography mostly isolated man and yet these religious similarities exist on their own accord? It is interesting that though many of these cultures were isolated they created religion as a human response to the unknown: How did we come to be? Where do we go when we die? Good vs Evil, etc… These are the same questions a monk in the Far East may have asked thousands of years ago and a Jew in Palestine pondered as well. I understand that explorers long ago and newly forged trade routes have facilitated the modest sharing of ideals but you can look back to the ancient religions and see the same parallels:

From the beginning of humankind, various isolated societies have constructed religious belief systems based mostly on physiological needs. Prehistoric environments and subsistence strategies birthed ancient religions. As cultures matured and developed into modern societies, a revolution in religious belief systems was born. This renaissance developed caste systems, karma, enlightenment, and the four noble truths in the East. Western Civilization saw the birth of Christ and the Ten Commandments. Instead of worshiping prehistoric environments, subsistence strategies, and polytheism, modern religion transformed into deeper thought processes Ancient religions evolved over time due to education and increased self-awareness. Religious thought progressed along with their cultures, becoming more concerned with philosophy, science, politics, history, war, corruption, and promised roads to salvation.

With all of these apparent similarities, it seems Man for thousands of years has sensed or yearned for something greater than ordinary life. These parallels suggest a common thread for morality and a need for spirituality. What this leads to is that religion is merely an antenna trying to communicate with something larger than our paltry existence on Earth. In theory, religions are just windows to a bigger picture: What is God and who or what created the Universe? Until we understand the origins of the Cosmos how can we even attempt to understand God? Something as neatly packaged as Christianity and the Bible is nice and convenient, but aren't we talking about something bigger - more vast? And despite our petty religious differences, we fight holy wars and live in fear of religious terrorism on a daily basis. How ignorant are we as a common global culture? How egotistical are some to think one major religion is superior than another? And the ignorant ass holes that kill indiscriminately in the name of “their god”… If there is blissful afterlife or re-birth (and I believe there is in some capacity), those thugs are not going there in 1st Class.

Blue sky symbolizes our true nature

This statement sounds odd and even contradicting at first: You have to feel bad in order to feel good.... Otherwise, how would you be able to differentiate between the two emotions? So, the million dollar question is: Is a feeling of depression or the element of suffering intrinsic to life? The answer is yes! We need to first suffer in order to eventually find bliss and enlightenment. Humans suffer at birth and at death. We even suffer when we are cold, hungry, sad or even stressed or injured. The important factor here is to understand that the sky is always blue and yes, clouds do sometimes obscure the sunshine. Yet eventually like clouds, suffering will clear away and again reveal blue sky again. The element of true nature is that even though it might be stormy and dreary, even behind that grey, there always sits blue sky.

Your thoughts and ideals or someone else's?

As complex as the human brain is, it can work in very simplistic ways. A colorful working analogy is that hallway closet you have in your home or apartment that is filled with tattered old photographs, unique mementos and gifts of yester-year. You get the idea. This closet contains a collection of items from years past that you rarely use, yet somehow it survives the annual garage sale and that monumental move when you vowed to throw it away. You continue to hold on to old record albums in spite of not even owning a record player. You have clothing so vintage your children ask to haul it out for Halloween. You keep family heirlooms and souvenirs because they are visual records of your past. They are tangible evidence of who you are, where you come from, and where you’ve been. You may even sometimes rummage though the items and take a trip down memory lane.
The mind works in much the same way. Your brain has billions of neurons that are storage facilities for everything that has transpired in your life—classroom studies, late night television, old girlfriends or boyfriends. Everything that has entered your mind through schooling, parenting, and your own personal adventures directly relate to who you are today. Yet, while it is relatively easy to discard old items from the closet when ambition strikes, old memories are far more permanent. They constitute the growing archives that influence your life by regulating your self-esteem and creating control patterns; hard-wired behaviors we adopt unconsciously through the actions and reactions of others around us. Social immersion can clutter your mind with memories, beliefs, and opinions so vast and contradictory that it blurs the boundary between what is and is not real. Most of us believe we have an unbridled grasp of what is real and true, yet the majority of what we learned at a young age was taught to us by others. How can we be confident that the knowledge presented to us is the truth untainted by someone else’s perspective?

Maybe ignorance should be a religion?

I believe in God but I do not claim to know or understand God. I find myself to not possess enough egotism to claim one religion is far superior than another or that one religion or faith encompasses all that is God – by which a path to salvation can be sought. I do not claim to be intelligent enough to understand the mechanics of the universe which holds the secrets to an all encompassing omnipresent force. Yet, I have faith that I am a product of the Universe – an appendage of God no matter how small or insignificant. No matter what religious faith or affiliation, there is one clear and present path for all of us. It is to love and do good. It is as simple as that. I have enough confidence in love to not fear death and what is truly unknown.

A path less traveled?

People have two sources of empowerment in them. One source clings to safety and familiarity out of fear. This source causes one to regress, hanging onto the past and reluctant to grow, to take chances, and to destroy what one already has. The other source compels us to use our abilities and confidence to strive for what we believe in and what we want from our lives. The first source, due to pure inertia, is easy to follow, yet it can lead to an empty life full of unanswered questions and mediocrity. The second path, on the other hand, is more difficult to follow, for it requires an open and questioning mind. The fruits of this path, however, are rewarding. Following this road can lead you to enlightenment and self-discovery, your own personal utopia. In order to walk this path, one must tear down current foundations built of false perceptions mostly handed to us by others and rebuild using a fresh blueprint continually evolving into an open-minded future.

A New Year...

Happy New Years!

How can we all make a difference in 2008? If each person in this world made an effort in 2008 to do one or two extra positive actions in life - nothing terribly out of our normal existence - but something more than the average mediocrity many of us waddle in. Is there room to find compassion for our enemies? Is there room in our busy life to simply acknowledge the fact that we are all humans and political, racial and religious differences are nothing more than trivial contrasts? Can we work on limiting our carbon print on the environment? Maybe lose a little weight? Can we hug our children a little more and read an extra bedtime book every other week this year? Can we give a little more to charity? Maybe smile at a stranger walking by? Yes, we can make a difference… Everyone one of us… Even the smallest giving’s and gestures will add up and on a global level to create an amazing dynamism.

The following quote from his Holiness the Dalai Lama rings true for the New Year:
"Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities".