Understanding the Mechanics of Karma and Reincarnation

By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya


"Two of the most important principles of Dharma are the dual realities of karma
and reincarnation. Both of these concepts are so mutually dependent upon one
another that it is impossible to understand one of these concepts without
understanding the other. More accurately, karma is the direct cause of
reincarnation. Despite the fact that much has been written and stated about
these dual principles in recent decades, there remain a great deal of
misconceptions about how these two principles operate. In the following, we will
examine karma and reincarnation from the Sanatana Dharma perspective...."


VISIT HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS INFORMATIVE ARTICLE:

http://www.dharmacentral.com/forum/content.php?68-Karma-Reincarnation


Please forward this information to all sincere spiritual seekers.


Aum Tat Sat

In issue #6 of The Inner Traveler, I wrote a
(highly favorable) review of the book Spiritual
Enlightenment- The Damnedest Thing By Jed McKenna.
http://www.wisefoolpress.com/ It was partly used
as a blurb on the back cover of the book.
Since then, because of that blurb, we have occasionally
been contacted about how to get in touch with Jed,
or with his ashram, or with his publisher's front man,
Peter Sweeney. BTW, I think Peter was possibly/probably
a made up name for Jed, or vica-versa. The next book
didn't appeal to me, so I passed on reviewing it, and
that was the end of our interactions.

Today we received another email requesting info.
So, as promised in my email response, my question to you
is "Have you tracked them (him/her?) down?"
Please let me know. Enquiring no-minds want to know.
Peace and blessings,
Bob

"It's probably impossible to fully appreciate the
aroma of the rose you're smelling when you are
thinking about 'stuff'. Think about IT!"

medit8ionsociety wrote:
>
> A man standing at a bus stop was eating
> a hamburger. Next to him stood a lady with
> her little dog, which became very excited at
> the smell of the man's supper and began
> whining and jumping up at him.
> "Do you mind if I throw him a bit?" said the man to the lady.
> "Not at all," she replied,
> whereupon the man picked the dog up and threw it over a wall.
>
Semi-explanation:
The woman is you and the dog is your mind. The man
represents the events of your life that draw you towards them
(desire) or that have you want to run away (repulsion).
The event takes place, and your mind starts its reactivity
and you follow habitually, in ignorance of the full
potential effects of your action, and you end up suffering.

Semi-solution:
Feed your mind with healthy spiritual food that
fills it so well it doesn't desire and
blindly react to anyone elses. Witness your life
as it takes place and neither run towards or away from
"stuff". As St Paul once said "Let it be".

ScienceDaily (Mar. 1, 2011) — A review of more
than 160 studies of human and animal subjects
has found "clear and compelling evidence" that
  -- all else being equal -- happy people tend
to live longer and experience better health
than their unhappy peers.

The study, in the journal Applied Psychology:
Health and Well-Being, is the most comprehensive
review so far of the evidence linking happiness
to health outcomes. Its lead author, University
of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology
Ed Diener, who also is a senior scientist for
the Gallup Organization, of Princeton, N.J.,
analyzed long-term studies of human subjects,
experimental human and animal trials, and studies
that evaluate the health status of people stressed
by natural events.

"We reviewed eight different types of studies,"
Diener said. "And the general conclusion from
each type of study is that your subjective
well-being -- that is, feeling positive about
your life, not stressed out, not depressed --
contributes to both longevity and better health
among healthy populations."

A study that followed nearly 5,000 university
students for more than 40 years, for example,
found that those who were most pessimistic as
students tended to die younger than their peers.
An even longer-term study that followed 180 Catholic
nuns from early adulthood to old age found that
those who wrote positive autobiographies in their
early 20s tended to outlive those who wrote more
negative accounts of their young lives.

There were a few exceptions, but most of the
long-term studies the researchers reviewed found
that anxiety, depression, a lack of enjoyment of
daily activities and pessimism all are associated
with higher rates of disease and a shorter lifespan.

Animal studies also demonstrate a strong link between
stress and poor health. Experiments in which animals
receive the same care but differ in their stress
levels (as a result of an abundance of nest mates
in their cages, for example) have found that
stressed animals are more susceptible to heart
disease, have weaker immune systems and tend to
die younger than those living in less crowded conditions.

Laboratory experiments on humans have found that
positive moods reduce stress-related hormones,
increase immune function and promote the speedy
recovery of the heart after exertion. In other
studies, marital conflicts and high hostility in
married couples were associated with slow wound
healing and a poorer immune response.

"I was almost shocked and certainly surprised to
see the consistency of the data," Diener said.
"All of these different kinds of studies point
to the same conclusion: that health and then
longevity in turn are influenced by our mood states."

While happiness might not by itself prevent or
cure disease, the evidence that positive emotions
and enjoyment of life contribute to better health
and a longer lifespan is stronger than the data
linking obesity to reduced longevity, Diener said.

"Happiness is no magic bullet," he said. "But the
evidence is clear and compelling that it changes
your odds of getting disease or dying young."

"Although there are a handful of studies that find
opposite effects," Diener said, "the overwhelming
majority of studies support the conclusion that
happiness is associated with health and longevity.
Current health recommendations focus on four things:
avoid obesity, eat right, don't smoke, and exercise.
It may be time to add 'be happy and avoid chronic
anger and depression' to the list."
_______________________________________________________
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MEDITATION BY HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA

Would you like to participate in an experiment
in meditation? First, look to your posture:
arrange the legs in the most comfortable position;
set the backbone straight as an arrow. Place
your hands in the position of meditative
equipoise, four finger widths below your navel,
with the left hand on the bottom, right hand
on top, and your thumbs touching to form a
triangle. This placement of the hands has
connection with the place inside the body
where inner heat is generated. Bending the
neck down slightly, allow the mouth and teeth
to be as usual, with the top of the tongue
touching the roof of the mouth near the top
teeth. Let the eyes gaze downwards loosely --
it is not necessary that they be directed to
the end of the nose; they can be pointed
toward the floor in front of you if that seems
more natural. Do not open the eyes too wide
nor forcefully close them; leave them open a
little. Sometimes they will close of their
own accord; that is all right. Even if your
eyes are open, when your mental consciousness
becomes steady upon its object, these appearances
to the eye consciousness will not disturb you.

For those of you who wear eye glasses, have you
noticed that when you take off your glasses,
because of the unclarity there is less danger
from the generation of excitement and more
danger of laxity? Do you find that there is
a difference between facing and not facing
the wall? When you face the wall, you may find
that there is less danger of excitement of
scattering. These kinds of things can be determined
through your own experience.

Within meditations that have an object of
observation, there can be two types of objects:
external or internal. Now, instead of meditating
on the mind itself, let us meditate on
an external object of observation -- for
instance, the body of a Buddha for those who
like to look at a Buddha or a cross for those
who like that, or whatever symbol is suitable
for you. Mentally visualize that the object
is about four feet in front of you, at the
same height as the eyebrows. The object should
be approximately two inches high and emanating
light. Try to conceive of it as being heavy,
for this will prevent excitement. Its brilliance
will prevent laxity. As you concentrate, you
must strive for two factors: first, to make the
object of observation clear, and second, to make it steady.

Has something appeared to your mind? Are the
sense objects in front of your eyes bothering
you? If that is the case, it is all right to
close them, but with the eyes closed, do you
see a reddish appearance? If you see red with
the eyes closed or if you are bothered by what
you see when your eyes are open, you are too
involved with the eye consciousness and thus
should try to withdraw attention from the eye
consciousness and put it with the mental consciousness.

That which interferes with the steadiness of
the object of observation and causes it to
fluctuate is excitement or, in a more general
way, scattering. To stop that, withdraw your
mind more strongly inside so that the intensity
of the mode of apprehension begins to lower.
To withdraw the mind, it helps to think about
something that makes you more sober, a little
sad. These thoughts can cause your heightened
mode of apprehension of the object, the mind's
being too tight, to lower or loosen somewhat whereby
you are better able to stay on the object of observation.

It is not sufficient just to have stability.
It is necessary also to have clarity. That which
prevents clarity is laxity, and what causes
laxity is an over-withdrawal, excessive declination,
of the mind. First of all, the mind becomes
lax; this can lead to lethargy in which, losing
the object of observation, you have as if fallen
into darkness. This can lead even to sleep.
When this occurs, it is necessary to raise or
heighten the mode of apprehension. As a technique
for that, think of something that you like,
something that makes you joyous, or go to a
high place or where there is a vast view. This
technique causes the deflated mind to heighten
in its mode of apprehension.

It is necessary within your own experience to
recognize when the mode of apprehension has
become too excited or too lax and determine the
best practice for lowering or heightening it.

The object of observation that you are visualizing
has to be held with mindfulness. Then, along
with this, you inspect, as if from a corner,
to see whether the object is clear and stable;
the faculty that engages in this inspection is
called introspection. When powerful steady
mindfulness is achieved, introspection is
generated, but the uncommon function of introspection
is to inspect from time to time to see whether
the mind has come under the influence of excitement
or laxity. When you develop mindfulness and
introspection well, you are able to catch laxity
and excitement just before they arise and prevent
their arising.

Briefly, that is how to sustain meditation with
an external object of observation.

Another type of meditation involves looking at
the mind itself. Try to leave your mind vividly
in a natural state, without thinking of what
happened in the past or of what you are planning
for the future, without generating any conceptuality.
Where does it seem that your consciousness is?
Is it with the eyes or where is it? Most likely
you have a sense that it is associated with the
eyes since we derive most of our awareness of
the world through vision. This is due to having
relied too much on our sense consciousness.
However the existence of a separate mental
consciousness can be ascertained; for example,
when attention is diverted by sound, that which
appears to the eye consciousness is not noticed.
This indicates that a separate mental consciousness
is paying more attention to sound heard by the
ear consciousness than to the perceptions of the
eye consciousness.

With persistent practice, consciousness may
eventually be perceived or felt as an entity
of mere luminosity and knowing, to which anything
is capable of appearing and which, when appropriate
conditions arise, can be generated in the image
of whatsoever object. As long as the mind does
not encounter the external circumstance of
conceptuality, it will abide empty without
anything appearing in it, like clear water.
Its very entity is that of mere experience.
Let the mind flow of its own accord without
conceptual overlay. Let the mind rest in its
natural state, and observe it. In the beginning,
when you are not used to this practice, it is
quite difficult, but in time the mind appears
like clear water. Then, stay with the unfabricated
mind without allowing conceptions to be generated.
In realizing this nature of the mind, we have
for the first time located the object of observation
of this internal type of meditation.

The best time for practicing this form of
meditation is in the morning, in a quiet place,
when the mind is very clear and alert. It helps
not to have eaten to much the night before nor
to sleep too much; this makes the mind lighter
and sharper the next morning. Gradually the mind
will become more and more stable; mindfulness and
memory will become clearer.

See if this practice makes your mind more alert
throughout the day. As a temporary benefit your
thoughts will be tranquil. As your memory improves,
gradually you can develop a kind of special
perception and understanding, which is due to
an increase of mindfulness. As a long term benefit,
because your mind has become more alert and sharp,
you can utilize it in whatever field you want.

If you are able to do a little meditation daily,
withdrawing this scattered mind on one object
inside, it is very helpful. The conceptuality that
runs on thinking of good things, bad things, and
so forth and so on will get a rest. It provides a
little vacation just to set a bit in non- conceptuality
and have a rest.

There is yet another method of meditation which
enables on to discern the ultimate natural of
phenomena. This type of mediation involves analytical
introspection. Generally, phenomena are divided
into two types: the mental and physical aggregates
-- or phenomena that are used by the I -- and the
I that uses them. To determine the nature of this
I, let us use an example. When we say John is
coming, there is some person who is the one designated
by the name John. Is this name designated to his
body? It is not. Is it designated to his mind? If
it were designated to his mind, we could not speak
of John's mind. Mind and body are things used by
the person. It almost seems that there is an I
separate from mind and body. For instance, when
we think, "Oh, my lousy body!" or "My lousy mind!",
to our own innate mode of appearance the mind itself
is not the I, right? Now, what John is there who
is not his mind or body? You also should apply this
to yourself, to your own sense of I -- where is
this I in terms of mind and body?

When my body is sick, though my body is not I,
due to the body's being sick it can be posited
that I am sick. In fact, for the sake of the
well-being and pleasure of the I, it sometimes
even becomes necessary to cut off part of the
body. Although the body is not the I, there is
a relationship between the two: the pain of the
body can serve as the pain of the I. Similarly,
when the eye consciousness sees something it
appears to the mind that the I perceives it.

What is the nature of the I? How does it appear
to you? When you do not fabricate or create any
artificial concept in your mind, does it seem
that your I has an identity separate from your
mind and body? But if you search for it, can
you find it? For instances, someone accuses you,
"You stole this." or "You ruined such and such,"
and you feel, "I didn't do that." At that time,
how does the I appear? Does it appear as if
solid? Does some solid, steady, and strong thing
appear to your mind when you think or say,
"I didn't do that?"

This seemingly solid, concrete, independent,
self-instituting I under its own power that
appears at such a time actually does not exist
at all, and this specific non-existence is what
is meant by selflessness. In the absence of
analysis and investigation, a mere I as in,
"I want such and such," or "I am going to do
such and such," is asserted as valid, but the
non-existence of an independent or self-powered
I constitutes the selflessness of the person.
This selflessness is that is found when one
searches analytically to try to find the I.

Such non-inherent existence of the I is an
ultimate truth, a final truth. The I that appears
to a non-analytical conventional awareness is
the dependently arisen I that serves as the
basis of the conventions of action, agent and
so forth; it is a conventional truth. In
analyzing the mode of subsistence or that
status of the I, it is clear that although
it appears to exist inherently, it does not,
much like an illusion.

That is how the ultimate nature of the I --
emptiness -- is analyzed. Just as the I has
this nature, so all other phenomena that are
used by the I are empty of inherent existence.
When analyzed, they cannot be found at all, but
without analysis and investigation, they do exist.
Their nature is the same as the I.

The conventional existence of the I as well as
of pleasure and pain make it necessary to
generate compassion and altruism, and because
the ultimate nature of all phenomena is this
emptiness of inherent existence, it is also
necessary to cultivate wisdom. When these two
aspects -- compassion and wisdom -- are practiced
in union, wisdom grows more profound, and the
sense of duality diminishes. Due to the mind's
dwelling in the meaning of emptiness, dualistic
appearance becomes lighter, and at the same time
the mind itself becomes more subtle. As the mind
grows even more subtle, reaching the subtlest
level, it is eventually transformed into the most
basic mind, the fundamental innate mind of clear
light, which at once realizes and is of one taste
with emptiness in meditative equipoise without
any dualistic appearance at all, mixed with
emptiness. Within all having this one taste,
anything and everything can appear; this is
known as "All in one taste, one taste in all."

These are a few of the types of meditation practiced
in the Tibetan tradition. Of course there are
many other techniques such as mantra and so forth.
Perhaps now we could have some discussion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: Why is it better to meditate in the morning?

DL: There are two main reasons. Physically,
in the early morning -- once you are used to
it -- all the nerve centers are fresh, and this
is beneficial. Also, there is a difference just
in terms of the time. Further, if you have slept
well, you are more fresh and alert in the morning;
this we can see in our own experience. At night
I reach a point where I cannot think properly;
however, after sleeping and the waking in the
early morning, that thing, which yesterday I
could not properly think through, automatically
appears more clearly. This shows that mental power
is much sharper in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: What is the most expedient means for
overcoming resistance to meditation?

DL: Five faults are explained as obstacles to
meditation. The first is laziness; second is
to forget the advice on the object, that is, to
forget the object; next are laxity and excitement;
then failure to apply an antidote when laxity
or excitement are present, and the last is to
continue applying the antidotes when laxity or
excitement have already been overcome. These
are called the five faults. Eight antidotes are
explained for them. The antidotes to laziness
are, first of all, the faith that intelligently
sees the value of meditative stabilization, the
prime value being that without it the higher
paths cannot be generated. In dependence upon
ascertaining the good qualities of meditative
stabilization, the aspiration which seeks to
attain those qualities is induced. By means of
that, exertion comes whereby you eventually
attain pliancy causing body and mind to be free
from unfavorable states and to be serviceable
in a virtuous direction such that whatever virtue
is done is powerful. These four are the antidotes
to the first fault, laziness.

It is helpful not to practice too long in the
beginning; do not over- extend yourself; the
maximum period is around fifteen minutes. The
important thing is not the length of the session
but the quality of it. If you meditate too long,
you can become sleepy, and then your meditation
will become a matter to becoming accustomed to
this state. This is not only a waste of time but
also a habit that is difficult to eliminate in
the future. In the beginning, start with many
short sessions -- even eight or sixteen sessions
in a day -- and then as you get used to the
process of meditation, the quality will improve,
and the session will naturally become longer.

A sign that your meditative stabilization is
progressing well is that even though your meditative
session may be long, it will feel as though only
a short time has passed. If it seems that you have
spent a long time in meditation even though you
have spent only a little, this is a sign that you
should shorted the length of the session. This can
be very important at the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: Could you say something about effort?
Isn't a great deal of effort necessary?

DL: Effort is crucial in the beginning for
generating a strong will. We all have the
Buddha nature and thus already have within
us the substances through which, when we meet
with the proper conditions, we can turn into a
fully enlightened being having all beneficial
attributes and devoid of all faults. The very
root of failure in our lives is to think, "Oh,
how useless and powerless I am!" It is important
to have a strong force of mind thinking, "I can
do it," this not being mixed with pride or any
other afflictive emotions.

Moderate effort over a long period of time is
important, no matter what you are trying to do.
One brings failure on oneself by working extremely
hard at the beginning, attempting to do too much
and then giving it all up after a short time. A
constant stream of moderate effort is needed.
Similarly, when meditating, you need to be skillful
by having frequent, short sessions; it is more
important that the session be good quality than
it be long.

When you have such effort, you have the necessary
"substances" for developing concentration. Concentration
is a matter channelizing this mind which is presently
distracted in a great many directions. A scattered
mind does not have much power. When channelized, no
matter what the object of observation is, the mind
is very powerful.

There is no external way to channelize the mind,
as by a surgical operation; it must be done by
withdrawing it inside. Withdrawal of the mind
also occurs in deep sleep in which the factor of
alertness has become unclear; therefore, here the
withdrawal of the mind is to be accompanied by
very strong clarity of alertness. In brief, the
mind must have stability staying firmly on its
object, great clarity of the object, and alert,
clear, sharp tautness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: What is the relationship of the mind
and afflictive emotions?

DL: The very entity of the mind, its nature of
mere luminosity and knowing, is not polluted by
defilements; they do not abide in the entity of
the mind. Even when we generate afflictive emotions,
the very entity or nature of the mind is still
mere luminosity and knowing, and because of this
we are able to remove the afflictive emotions. If
you agitate the water in a pond, it becomes cloudy
with mud; yet the very nature of the water itself
is not dirty. When you allow it to become still
again, the mud will settle leaving the water pure.

How are the defilements removed? They are not
removed by outside action nor by leaving them as
they are; they are removed by the power of
antidotes, meditative antidotes. To understand
this, take the example of anger. All anger is
impelled and polluted by improper conceptuality.

Both the object of our anger and subject, oneself,
appear to exist concretely, as if established by
way of their own character. Both seem forcefully
to exist in their own right. But as I was saying
earlier, things to not actually exist in this
concrete way. As much as we are able to see an
absence of independent self-existence, that much
will our conception of over-reification and its
assistance to anger be lessened.

The sign that our perceptions are superimposing
a goodness or badness beyond what is actually
present is that while desirous or angry we feel
that the object is terrifically good or bad but
afterwards when we think about the experience,
it is laughable that we viewed the object that
way; we understand that our perception was not
true. These afflicted states do not have any
valid support. The mind which analytically
searches for the independent self-existence of
an object finds ascertainment of its lack of
independent self-nature through valid reasoning,
and thus this kind of understanding does have a
valid foundation. Like a debate in court, one
perception is based on reason and truth, while
the other one is not. When the evidence is
sufficient, in such a debate the true view eventually
overpowers the other because it can withstand analysis.

It is impossible for the mind simultaneously
to apprehend one object in contradictory ways.
With respect to one object, therefore, as you
get used to understanding its non-inherent nature,
not only is it impossible at that time to generate
a conception of inherent nature but also as
strong as the correct realization becomes, so
much, in general, does conception of its opposite
weaken in force.

To generate such wisdom we engage in meditation
because our minds, as they are now, are not very
powerful. Our mind is presently scattered; its
energies need to be channeled like the way water
in a hydroelectric plant is channeled to create
great force. We achieve this with the mind
through meditation, channeling it such that it
becomes very forceful, at which point it can be
utilized in the direction of wisdom. Since all
the substances for enlightenment exist within
ourselves, we should not look for Buddahood somewhere else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: Does emptiness also mean fullness?

DL: It seems so. Usually, I explain emptiness
is like a zero. A zero itself is nothing, but
without a zero you cannot count anything; therefore,
a zero is something, yet zero.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: Would you please say something about
the nature of mandalas?

DL:Mandala, in general, means that which extracts
the essence. There are many usages of the term
mandala according to context. One type of mandala
is the offering of the entire world system, with
the major and minor continents mentally constructed,
to high beings. Also, there are painted
mandalas, mandalas of concentration, those
made out of colored sand, mandalas of the
conventional mind of enlightenment, mandalas
of the ultimate mind of enlightenment, and
so forth. Because one can extract a meaning
from each of these through practicing them,
they are called mandalas. Although we might
call these pictures and constructed depictions
mandalas, the main meaning is for oneself to
enter into the mandala and extract an essence
in the sense of receiving blessing. It is a
place of gaining magnificence. Because one is
gaining a blessing and thereupon developing
realizations it is called an extraction or
assumption of something essential.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question: How does one choose a teacher of spiritual
subjects or know a teacher to be reliable?

DL: This should be done in accordance with
your interest and disposition, but you should
analyze well. You must investigate before
accepting a lama or teacher to see whether that
person is really qualified or not. It is said in
a scripture that just as fish that are hidden
under the water can be seen through the movement
of the ripples from above, so also a teacher's
inner qualities can, over time, be seen a little
through that person's behavior. We need to look
into the person's scholarship -- the ability to
explain topics -- and whether the person implements
those teachings in his or her conduct and experience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Learning concentration can be considered analogous
to a baby learning to crawl. It is only the first
phase of a process that ends with attaining a
freedom of movement. Just as we find walking and
running to be superior ways to arrive at a given
location, we will find attaining the ability to
experience states of Meditation and Contemplation
to be superior ways of arriving at infinite
varieties of locations.

While concentrating and meditating we are placing
limits on our actions -- we are commanding our
mind, body, and emotions to stay focused on the
task we have assigned and not distract us. In a
way, this control, though beneficial and necessary
for our success at concentration and meditation,
is the exact thing that we need to let go of to
attain Contemplation. Contemplation requires a
complete surrender -- a non-control by our finite
ego/mind and a complete taking over by the infinite
Cosmic Consciousness. Even though "control" may give
us a way to excise some "inner demons", like
compulsive behavior, distracting thought patterns,
or sadness, it is limited. Only an action of
unlimited qualities can lead to a completely liberated
result. To fly high, we cannot tie ourselves to the
ground in any way. The more we let go, the more we
soar and the moment we let go completely is the moment
we attain the infinite.

Concentration and Meditation not only give us
greater control over our lives but also allow us
a chance to practice witnessing our life as it
occurs. Witnessing, which can only happen here
and now, will ultimately lead to the recognition
of our Real Self, which is none other than the
source of all consciousness, and thus, the ultimate
Witness of all. Contemplate that.

By request, from the Meditation Technique Archive
section of our website:

Reverse Evil to Live

Relax wherever and in whatever way you have
come to know best lets you meditate without
your mind, body, or emotions distracting you.
Visualize a healing, loving, soothing light
coming from every direction and object in the
universe filling every cell in your body with
a radiant glow. As your body gets brighter and
brighter with light, an aura of healing,
positivity, and goodness radiates out from
your heart to the infinite reaches of the
cosmos as the energy of perfection continues
streaming into you. In your minds eye, as
vividly as possible, see the person who is
causing you the most pain right now. There
are specific and general ways they have caused
you pain. For instance, they may be humiliating
you, saying things that are hurtful, bullying
you, etc. But whatever way it is demonstrated,
they are causing you physical, mental, or
emotional suffering. There is something within
them that has caused them to act this way. See
their body clearly, covered with a veil of
sadness that has caused them to act diseased
and has made you to become the target of their
dis-ease. It would be appropriate to consider
them as victims of a spiritual heart attack.
Their heart is cold and painful. See this sick,
scarred heart as the cause of the negative energy
radiating out towards you.

The reality that they have to suffer with their
own evil, ignorant, inhumane presence every
second of the day gives you an understanding
that allows compassion to flower within you.
Visualize and send healing light to them from
your loving and forgiving heart. With every breath
that you inhale, receive the healing energy the
universe is beaming towards you. With every exhale,
send this holy energy to the one whose pain and
suffering was intended to cause you suffering.
See their damaged spiritual body and injured heart
start to glow and be healed. See their heart
turning warm and soothed, their body, mind, and
emotions becoming more and more comfortable and
healthy. As the cycle of holy breath continues,
feel the union of loving well-being that unites
you spiritually and know the healing from your
interactions has started.

Know that a person's mind causes them to act more out of habit then reaction to
reality. Thus, they may continue to act inappropriately in spite of your
meditative effort. Continue to do what is right. Send loving compassion and your
hopes and prayers for a full recovery for all who are suffering and for all who
cause suffering. There is no better protective and healthy force in the universe
then compassion. Bath in it, feel it, share it.

A Mantra's Benefits

"A mantra has two purposes. One purpose is to
make your mind strong, clear and collected.
The other purpose is, when you concentrate on
a mantra for a long time, it slowly dissolves
and you are no more repeating the mantra. Even
that goes away, and your mind becomes still.
That means that, through the mantra, your mind
is collected and focused on one point at the
cost of all other thoughts. Your final goal is
to make the mind 'thought-less,' or free of
disturbances. You start with a mantra and then
the mantra brings you the real benefit: It slowly
dissolves, leaving your mind completely still and free."

"God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

Follow Swami Satchidananda on Twitter at
twitter.com/SwSatchidananda for daily inspiration.

God Wants You to Live

"God is already using you as an instrument.
You are kept alive because God has a purpose
for you. If the purpose is over, God will not
waste even an ounce of breath on you. When
your job is over, when it is time for you to
die, God will simply tell the breath,
`Okay, don't go in.' So the fact that you
are still alive means that God wants you to
live, to do some of God's work. God is not
keeping you alive without reason; you should
know that. You are not even living by yourself.

"God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

Follow Swami Satchidananda on Twitter at
twitter.com/SwSatchidananda for daily inspiration.

"You are not simply a biological entity.
  To think so is an illogical inanity."

UPANISHADSARA – MUNDAKA-(The various aspects of Brahman the primary source).
GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES IN YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THE LATEST VOLUME OF THE
SPIRITUAL WEB SITE www.ahwan.org (or www.ahwan.com) : VOLUME 122, March 2011
ISSUE,  has been published and uplinked with "UPANISHADSARA  – MUNDAKA-
- (The various aspects of Brahman the primary source)."
- If you visit the site, and have any observations to make, I shall be grateful.
In this issue we have also interesting questions from readers dealing with 
"Should Hindus fight out?" , "Is Dharma frustrating?", "Is spiritualism a
hoax?", "Is religion an individual matter?", "When love is spurned."etc.
You can also browse the previous articles by clicking on the ikon `articles'.
Please share it with your friends and dear ones.  God bless you-  Sri Bimal
Mohanty. (bimal_mohanty@...)
PS – To continue spreading the benefit of AHWAN to all, we need your assistance
if you please. Click on `special information' on the homepage of www.ahwan.org.
If you do not wish to receive this information about future issues, please
e-mail accordingly - Thank you.
If you wish someone to receive this information as compliments from you please
indicate his/her e-mail address.
____________________

You can usher a qualitative change in your life, the spiritual way- the
effective way. Visit the website www.ahwan.org. or www.ahwan.com.
regularly. Share it with your friends and dear ones in any manner convenient-
through discussing, speaking, writing, inter-netting.

Watch Your Mind

"Who will liberate you? Nobody except you,
yourself. If you put yourself as your body-mind,
you are not liberated. By being the witness,
what's happening? You are watching your mind.
When you begin to watch your mind, the mind
becomes careful. It's almost like when you don't
watch your children, they're ready to get into
some problems. If you keep an eye on them, they
will be quiet. The minute you turn the other way,
the child is ready to get into some mischief.
The mind is like that, like your baby. When the
mind knows that you're watching, it will be careful.

"God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

Follow Swami Satchidananda on Twitter at
twitter.com/SwSatchidananda for daily inspiration.

And yet, they bombed Pearl Harbor...and the Japanese warrier is known for cruelty with no compassion. How they kept prisoners is well known.

I prefer to not put halo's around any country or people.

How are you Sandeep? I missed your birthday...again.

Faithe

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, sandeep chatterjee <sandeep1960@...> wrote:
>
>
> Not one but three cruel ironies are being played out in Japan as the country tries to comprehend the apocalypse of the past 10 days.
>
> The Japanese prize nature, beauty and order, yet the tsunami has mocked all three.
>
> It has been distressing to see a people whose culture values cleanliness, refinement, delicacy and graciousness, wandering around in the clothes they fled in and sitting on the street near giant saucepans waiting to be served from soup kitchens.
>
> The love of nature is the very basis of Japanese aesthetics.
>
> They show their joy at the arrival of ‘sakura’ or cherry blossoms with picnics, tea ceremonies, musical concerts and special meals.
>
> The Japanese cherry tree is not cultivated for its fruit â€" it is not fruit-bearing â€" but purely for the ephemeral beauty of its blossom.
>
> In Japanese homes, the sliding partitions are invariably painted with scenes from nature.
>
> Traditional wooden homes, often flimsy-looking, are not built as fortresses against the elements but rather intended to blend in with the surroundings because the Japanese approach to nature is different from the western desire to subjugate it to man’s will.
>
> They are taught that there is no dichotomy between man and nature and this temperament finds expression in traditional scrolls or ink drawings where nature dominates.
>
> The artist, instead of treating the natural scenery merely as a backdrop for depicting people, lets nature take pride of place while relegating humans to marginal figures. (Although the ultra-controlled Japanese garden with its clipped and pruned trees and raked stones is the opposite â€" an attempt to bring some order into
> nature’s occasional unruliness).
>
> The passion for beauty and exquisite refinement immediately strikes any new visitor to Japan.
> You enter another universe in which the most subtle aesthetic sensibility is woven into the fabric of daily life.
>
> Everywhere you look, you see delicate mannerisms: the ticket inspector on a train who turns to the seated passengers and bows before leaving the compartment; the supermarket sushi parcels covered in persimmon leaves; shop assistants wrapping mundane purchases in beautiful paper with as much care as they would a
> sacred offering for a temple.
>
> Anything that offends their aesthetic sensibility is shunned. Worshippers’ shoes outside Hindu temples may be strewn higgledy piggledy but outside Buddhist and Shinto shrines in Japan, the slippers that you put on before entering are tucked into each other and arrayed neatly in a line on the steps.
>
> If a monk at the shrine chances upon a pair that is even slightly askew,he will instantly bend down and straighten it.
>
>
> Visitors have been known to observe this elegance â€" particularly among Japanese women whose elegance is simply extraordinary .
>  
> The television pictures of devastated towns and mile upon mile of debris would be agonizing for any nation but it has to be excruciatingly painful for a nation that has turned love of beauty into something that is as unconscious and reflexive as blinking.
>
> Japanese conduct in public is a perfect manifestation of how this pursuit of refinement, transported into the external domain, creates harmony and order. Very rarely do you hear anyone speaking loudly.
>
> There is no aggression; their manner is gentle.
>
> There is no coarseness; no scratching, yawning or stretching. And they most certainly never push, elbow or jostle. Even now, surrounded as they are by horror and calamity, they are unlikely to abandon their customary decorum.
>
> It is this consideration and respect for others that allows almost 130 million people to live together peacefully, despite one of the highest population densities in the world, and boast of a crime rate that is one of the lowest in the industrialized world.
>
> These qualities of politeness, honesty and gentleness will enable the Japanese to come through this catastrophe with their dignity intact.
>
> They are already on display: no one is looting (unlike New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or during the Gujarat massacre) or panicking and people are queuing up for water and food.
>
> In the midst of flattened towns and muddy fields where their homes once stood and without water and electricity, people are shown on television channels still bowing and speaking to one another with formal courtesy.
>
> Even in normal times, vending machines stand undamaged by vandals.
>
> Pedestrians bend down to remove a tiny scrap of paper from an immaculate pavement.
> Taxi drivers in black suits look at you if you mistakenly hand over far too much money and hand the extra back.
>
> A Tokyo resident who was in a restaurant when the earthquake struck on Friday reported that everyone ran out onto the street. But when the tremors subsided, they walked back in and formed an orderly queue to pay their bills.
>
>
> An awareness of the transience of things and a melancholy wistfulness at their passing has always been central to Japanese cultural tradition.
>
> The tsunami has sadly bequeathed them with abundant experiences reflecting the truth of this axiom.
>
> It has also brutally demonstrated the truth of another Japanese principle, the aesthetic principle of ‘wabi sabi’ which postulates the beauty of things as “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”.
>
> An apt description of modern civilization, with all its sophisticated gadgets, when faced with nature’s fury?
>

Last September, a thought-provoking study
appeared in the Southern Medical Journal
(2010; 103:864–9). Researchers from Indiana
University showed that proximal intercessory
prayer (PIP) by evangelical Christians
improved auditory and visual acuity in
patients from rural Mozambique with poor
hearing and sight. PIP's effects were greater
than that produced by sugg­estion or hypnosis,
which can also sharpen auditory and visual acuity.

PIP involves touch – such as an embrace or
the placing of hands on the patient's head –
and praying close to the patient. Praying or
knowing someone cares enough to pray for you
may make you feel better by enhancing well-being,
optimism and confidence (Medscape General
Medicine 2007; 9:56). So, PIP could trigger
placebo responses – bolstering the body's innate
ability to heal itself. But several studies
now suggest that intercessory prayer (IP, or
asking a higher power) speeds healing – even
if patients don't know that they're the subject,
if other people prayed from a distance or, most
remarkably, prayed retrospectively. Not surprisingly,
these results proved deeply controversial. IP
doesn't just challenge established medical and
scientific beliefs – it rips them to shreds!

The scientific study of IP began in 1988,
when doctors in San Francisco split 393
patients admitted to a coronary care unit into
two groups. The first group received no organised
prayer. Christians outside the hospital prayed
for the second group's recovery. When admitted,
the two groups were equally ill. But the IP group
developed less severe heart disease, were less
likely to need mechanical help breathing, and
consumed less medicine in the form of antibiotics
and diuretics (Southern Medical Journal 1988;
81:826–829). Then, in 1999, researchers in
Kansas City found that IP reduced heart disease
severity by 11 per cent (Archives of Internal
Medicine 159:2273–2278).

A year later, the British Medical Journal
(2001; 323:1450–1) published even more startling
results. In 2000, Leonard Leibovici (Rabin Medical
Centre, Israel) randomly divided 3,393 patients
who had had septicæmia between 1990 and 1996
into two groups. He arranged remote retrospective
IP for one group. One in 50 fewer people died in
the IP group (28.1 per cent mortality) than in
the control group (30.2 per cent) – although
Leibovici couldn't rule out that this was the
play of chance. But the lengths of hospitalisation
and fever were shorter in the IP group. Statistical
ana­lysis suggested these weren't chance findings.

Other studies tell a similar story. Patients
left unconscious after severe head injury recovered
better if they were the subject of IPs (American
Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care 2009;
26-264-269). Another investigation examined
bush babies (Otolemur garnettii), small African
primates, which injured themselves (as in humans,
a sign of distress). Self-inflicted wounds healed
quicker in bush babies which were IP subjects
compared to animals which were not. The IP group
also showed improved blood quality – such as
increased red blood cells and hæmoglobin – and
more normal behaviours, such as time spent
grooming (Alternative Therapies in Health and
Medicine 2006; 1242–8). This finding is important.
Bush babies presumably don't have strongly
held beliefs about religion and medicine that
could contribute to the placebo effect and
complicate human studies.

Furthermore, other distance healing techniques –
such as spiritual healing, noncontact therapeutic
touch and external qigong – also seem to work.
For example, in AIDS patients, distance healing
reduced the likelihood of new AIDS-related
illnesses (by 83 per cent), visits to doctors
(by 30 per cent), hospitalisations (by 75 per
cent), time spent in hospital (by 85 per cent)
and illness severity – while improving mood
(Western Journal of Medicine 1998; 169:356–363).
In 2000, researchers (Annals of Internal
Medicine 132:903–910) examined 23 trials involving
2,774 patients; 13 studies sugg­ested that
various types of distance healing worked.

You could argue that benefits in one, even two,
studies are flukes. But as several – although
not all – studies show similar results, the
findings are harder to dismiss. An authoritative
review by the Cochrane Collaboration (which
usually assesses medicines, surgical techniques
and so on) looked at 10 studies of IP. So, if
IP is ineffective you'd expect clear evidence
to emerge. Yet the authors commented: "The evid­ence
does not support a recommendat­ion either in favour
or against the use of intercessory prayer." Critically,
they add that the lack of "clear effects does
not mean that intercessory prayer does not work".

In other words, we can't unequivocally claim
distance healing works; but equally, there's
no compelling evidence that distance healing
does not work – and that's remarkable. And
discrepancies between studies are understand­able.
Perhaps the study designs are more appropriate
for investi­gating new medicines than distance
healing. The Cochrane Review notes that problems
with the IP studies' designs "are enough to hide
a real beneficial effect". Perhaps distance
healing works only for certain healers (prayers)
and patients. After all, prayer is intensely
personal. Perhaps differ­ent techniques have
different effects. Perhaps dist­ance healing
works in only some medical situations – boosting
the immune system so people recover more quickly,
but not regenerating amputated limbs. But if
further investigations show distance healing has
an effect – however small in however few studies
– it's hard to overstate just how radically the
results will revolutionise our understanding
of the Universe.

---------------------------------------------------------
This article is being shared for non-profit educational
purposes only and thus is allowed under the rules of the
Fair Use Statutes.

Once Nasrudin worked in a large corporation.
One day he was invited to a big meeting with
all the supervisors in the company. At the beginning
of the meeting each person there was required to
present him or herself and something about him
or herself to the others present.
"Hi, I'm John Smith", said one, "and I supervise two people".
"Hello, my name is Mary Jones", said another,
"and I supervise five people."
Each person at the meeting took his turn presenting
themselves and over and over again, each ended
up saying their name and how many people they
supervised. Then came Nasrudin's turn.
"My name is Nasrudin", he said, "and I supervise three people..."
Everyone in the room looked at each other perplexed.
"How could this man say he supervises three people?
He isn't even a supervisor in this company.", they thought.
Nasrudin continued, "...me, myself, and I."

This is a really brillant sharing. Much appreciated!
If asked "How" this or that happens I could probably
tend to speak about "it", but if I added not knowing
"Why", most likely I think my grand daughters would
then ask "Why don't we know why?"

sandeep chatterjee <sandeep1960@...> wrote:
>
>  
>  
> I was at the park with a friend, her daughter and her young grand daughter,
who was the ‘why’ stage of life.
>
> As I sat talking with my friend, I overheard her grand daughter ask her mother
why I was in a wheel chair.
>
> After gently shushing the young girl, she said in a subdued voice that I’d
had a stroke and couldn’t walk.
>
> Of course the little girl asked, “Mommy,what’s a stroke?”
>
> Erroneously believing that this old guy, who somewhat proudly jokes about his
being a crip, might be hurt or offended, the mother diverted her daughter’s
attention to a lady bug that had just landed in the clumsy lady bug manner upon
the grass.
>
> As they both got down upon their knees to inspect the bug, it nestled and
disappeared in the deep grass.
> Mother and daughter fingered the grass assiduously as they searched for the
lady bug, which they could not find.
>
> Frustrated, the little girl asked the universal why kid question, “Mommy,
why is grass green?
>
> Her mother proceeded to explain as simply as she could about how sunlight
comes down to the grass and something called chlorophyll in the grass makes it
look green; a standard struggling answer parents give to this question when
asked by their young children.
>
> I too had burdened both my young boys with this complexity when they asked
that question, much to their glassy eyed confusion.
>
> Understandably bored with this answer, that was way beyond her young mind’s
comprehension, the girl ceased looking for the lady bug, got up, came over to me
and asked, “Why did you have a stroke?”
>
> Not even the neurologists know the full the answer to that one, and I
answered, “Strange things happen and I just had a stroke, not even the doctors
know why.”
>
> This seemed to satisfy the little girl’s curiosity and she ran off to rejoin
her beckoning mother.
>
> This brief encounter got me thinking as she ran off that so often we adults
answer children’s ‘whys’ with ‘hows’.
>
>
> That whole chloropyll rigamarol is not why grass green.
>
> It is green because it’s green.
>
>
> Young children will understand that answer because it’s the simple truth.
>
> Does anyone truly know why grass is green?
>
> I doubt it.
>
> The sunlight/chlorophyll explanation is how the grass is green.
>
> My neurologists spent days believing they were trying to figure out why the
first of my strokes occurred when in truth they were searching for the causes of
how it occurred.
>
> Do any of us truly know why we had our brain injuries?
>
> Sure we know how and many of us love to share our stories of that event
repeatedly in great ‘how by how’ detail of how the event happened, but it
certainly is not why.
>
> Why did we get stroked? Why did the accident happen? Why did the scalpel cut
the wrong thing during the operation?
>
> Who knows? 
>
> The more we stop believing the how is the why, the easier it is to accept what
is and move on just as this little girl did when she went back to lady bug
searching.
>
> Think how glassy eyed and flummoxed she would have been had I gone through the
whole routine of blood clots, artery blockages and brain bleeds that would have
in no way explained why I got stroked.
>
> I don’t know where I’m going with this other than I’m probably boring
you as much as I would have that little girl.
>
> The incident did get me thinking that all the why questions of a child are a
young soul’s first steps on it’s life quest for meaning in life ....
>
> ...and we adults blunderingly muddy up the waters with answers of how life
happens ...
>
> ...and thus misguidedly teach them that how their lives happen is why their
lives happen.
>  
>  
>  
>

Someone once said that the pen is mightier
than the sword. This would indicate that the
thoughts a pen communicates are stronger than
any other weapons. But what if the thoughts
are as unfocused as a machine gun being
fired by a monkey? And what seems to be the
case with virtually all people is that
it takes special yet natural skills to use
either swords or thoughts appropriately, or
great damage will be the result.
To see this concept being played out, stop by
our table at the Valley Forge Gun Show this
week-end. Along with hundreds of dealers of
all sorts of weapons, we'll be displaying and
selling hand made knives that have somehow
appeared after some steel and brass and
varius handle materials have been transformed
into man's oldest tools. And this will take
place while discussing meditation concepts
and techniques like those found on this group.
So, if you are in the area, stop by and say
hello and let's see just how mighty meditative
states can be in extraordinary environments.
Peace and blessings,
Bob

New Video - The Vedic Way of Knowing God

In this powerful half-hour video, Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank
Morales, Ph.D.) explains how the finite can know the Infinite, how we can
directly experience and know God, according to the teachings of the ancient
Vedic tradition. He also discusses his new best-selling book: "The Vedic Way of
Knowing God".


WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti-wz05ljd8



Please share this message will everyone you know.


Aum Hari Aum

Demystifying Meditation, Brain Imaging Illustrates How Meditation Reduces Pain
06 Apr 2011

Meditation produces powerful pain-relieving
effects in the brain, according to new research p
ublished in the April 6 edition of the
Journal of Neuroscience.

"This is the first study to show that only a
little over an hour of meditation training
can dramatically reduce both the experience
of pain and pain-related brain activation,"
said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., lead author of the
study and post-doctoral research fellow at Wake
Forest Baptist Medical Center.

"We found a big effect about a 40 percent reduction
in pain intensity and a 57 percent reduction in
pain unpleasantness. Meditation produced a greater
reduction in pain than even morphine or other
pain-relieving drugs, which typically reduce
pain ratings by about 25 percent."

For the study, 15 healthy volunteers who had
never meditated attended four, 20-minute classes
to learn a meditation technique known as focused
attention. Focused attention is a form of
mindfulness meditation where people are taught
to attend to the breath and let go of distracting
thoughts and emotions.

Both before and after meditation training, study
participants' brain activity was examined using
a special type of imaging -- arterial spin labeling
magnetic resonance imaging (ASL MRI) -- that captures
longer duration brain processes, such as meditation,
better than a standard MRI scan of brain function.
During these scans, a pain-inducing heat device
was placed on the participants' right legs. This
device heated a small area of their skin to 120°
Fahrenheit, a temperature that most people find
painful, over a 5-minute period.

The scans taken after meditation training showed
that every participant's pain ratings were reduced,
with decreases ranging from 11 to 93 percent,
Zeidan said.

At the same time, meditation significantly reduced
brain activity in the primary somatosensory cortex,
an area that is crucially involved in creating
the feeling of where and how intense a painful
stimulus is. The scans taken before meditation
training showed activity in this area was very
high. However, when participants were meditating
during the scans, activity in this important
pain-processing region could not be detected.

The research also showed that meditation increased
brain activity in areas including the anterior
cingulate cortex, anterior insula and the
orbito-frontal cortex. "These areas all shape
how the brain builds an experience of pain from
nerve signals that are coming in from the body,"
said Robert C. Coghill, Ph.D., senior author of
the study and associate professor of neurobiology
and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist.

"Consistent with this function, the more that
these areas were activated by meditation the
more that pain was reduced. One of the reasons
that meditation may have been so effective in
blocking pain was that it did not work at just
one place in the brain, but instead reduced pain
at multiple levels of processing."

Zeidan and colleagues believe that meditation has
great potential for clinical use because so little
training was required to produce such dramatic
pain-relieving effects. "This study shows that
meditation produces real effects in the brain and
can provide an effective way for people to
substantially reduce their pain without medications,"
Zeidan said.

Funding for the study was provided by the Mind
and Life Institute in Boulder, Colo., and the
Center for Biomolecular Imaging at Wake Forest Baptist.

Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
--------------------------------------------------
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221411.php
This article is being shared for non-commercial
purposes only and thus falls under the fair Share statutes.