Yo,

Explained like a True Yogi.

Thanks

ONE

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
>
>  "walto" <calhorn@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, "walto" <calhorn@>
wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > > "You are mistaken," replied Nasrudin. "The best way
> > > > > of dominating a desire, is to satisfy it.
> > > >
> > > > NB: Please don't pass this on to your friends who have a taste for
Oxycontin or have lost over $100K in Vegas in the past couple of years.
> > > >
> > > > W
> > > >
> > > Well, if you are referring to "desire" from a Buddhist
> > > perspective (Thanha - "craving") then addiction would
> > > make Nasrudin's teaching nonsensical (as are most of
> > > his when not looked at/into in at least 7 ways as Sufi's do).
> > > Here, it's very likely that what is being pointed to
> > > is "Light", the universal desire. And with some reflection,
> > > the Mullah's pointing makes all the sense in the universe.
> > >
> >
> >
> > Hunh.  The story you posted doesn't actually mention or suggest "Light" or
any such universal desire.  Rather, it focuses on "A fine plate of sweets left
on the table" which Nasrudin "made all his disciples eat" because, he tells us,
the way to conquer desire is to satisfy it.
> >
> > Admittedly, however, I'm leaving out the other (at least) 6 ways of reading
that story.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > W
> >
> OK - here's some sweets I hope can be well digested:
>
> All Nasrudin's disciples were gathered at a feast.
> They ate and drank for several hours, and talked
> about the origins of the stars. The night drew on
> and everyone made ready to go home.
>
> B- When you feast with a Sufi master, what you eat and
> drink are spiritual food, with it's only intention being
> Being, Attention and Intention. The origins of the stars
> is Light. Everyone made ready to go home to the light
> as the night of darkness - ignorance - drew on.
>
> A fine plate of sweets was left on the table: Nasrudin
> made all his disciples eat it.
>
> B - The Mullah gave his disciples a fine spiritual sweet -
> his enLightening teaching
>
> One, however, refused.
>
> "The master is testing us," he said. "He wants to see
> whether we can control our desires."
>
> B - A non-evolved disciple thought the "meal" was all
> about human body, mind, emotion stuff.
>
> "You are mistaken," replied Nasrudin. "The best way
> of dominating a desire, is to satisfy it. I would rather
> you had the sweets in your bellies – their rightful
> place – than in your minds, which should be filled with
> nobler things."
>
> B - Your turn now to appreciate this sweet treat and
> find many more ways to digest this feast into
> inner Light and not just chew on it in your chattering mind.
>
> Peace and blessings,
> Bob
>

WestWindWood <westwindwood2003@...> wrote:
>
> If we do not eat we will starve to death. If there was no sex, the human race
would die out in a generation. Everything in moderation.
>
Of course Sri Westwingwood is correct - in moderation.
Just joking, but semi-serious too. This concept of
everything in moderation is not one we have experiential
knowledge of, which doesn't make it untrue....or true.
Can you murder in moderation? Can a woman be pregnant in
moderation, etc. Well, when we truly are in the Tao,
Enlightened, Satori, Christ Consciousness, etc, there
is no question of moderation. "Surrender" of the duality
perspective of "i am here and the rest of the Universe
is there" can only be total or not at all. The "Light"
that the Sufi's consider our Universal desire is One that
removes all darkness....not in moderation.

But then again, isn't this concept too only moderately true;
perhaps just semantically until it is experiential?

In any event, posting these kinds of ideas here brings sweet
spiritual foods to the table, and that is very appreciated.
And when meditated upon and well digested, provide good and
healthy energy to grow on in consciousness....at least moderately.

Peace and blessings,
Bob
> ________________________________
>  From: cosmic_yogi1 <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
> To: meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 9:20 AM
> Subject: [Meditation Society of America] Re: A Nasrudin Tale Shared by Paulo
Coelho
>
>
>
>  
>
> Yo,
>
> Explained like a True Yogi.
>
> Thanks
>
> ONE
>
> --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@> wrote:
> >
> >
> >  "walto" <calhorn@> wrote:
> > >
> > > --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, "walto" <calhorn@>
wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > "You are mistaken," replied Nasrudin. "The best way
> > > > > > of dominating a desire, is to satisfy it.
> > > > >
> > > > > NB: Please don't pass this on to your friends who have a taste for
Oxycontin or have lost over $100K in Vegas in the past couple of years.
> > > > >
> > > > > W
> > > > >
> > > > Well, if you are referring to "desire" from a Buddhist
> > > > perspective (Thanha - "craving") then addiction would
> > > > make Nasrudin's teaching nonsensical (as are most of
> > > > his when not looked at/into in at least 7 ways as Sufi's do).
> > > > Here, it's very likely that what is being pointed to
> > > > is "Light", the universal desire. And with some reflection,
> > > > the Mullah's pointing makes all the sense in the universe.
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hunh.  The story you posted doesn't actually mention or suggest "Light" or
any such universal desire.  Rather, it focuses on "A fine plate of sweets left
on the table" which Nasrudin "made all his disciples eat" because, he tells us,
the way to conquer desire is to satisfy it.
> > >
> > > Admittedly, however, I'm leaving out the other (at least) 6 ways of
reading that story.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > W
> > >
> > OK - here's some sweets I hope can be well digested:
> >
> > All Nasrudin's disciples were gathered at a feast.
> > They ate and drank for several hours, and talked
> > about the origins of the stars. The night drew on
> > and everyone made ready to go home.
> >
> > B- When you feast with a Sufi master, what you eat and
> > drink are spiritual food, with it's only intention being
> > Being, Attention and Intention. The origins of the stars
> > is Light. Everyone made ready to go home to the light
> > as the night of darkness - ignorance - drew on.
> >
> > A fine plate of sweets was left on the table: Nasrudin
> > made all his disciples eat it.
> >
> > B - The Mullah gave his disciples a fine spiritual sweet -
> > his enLightening teaching
> >
> > One, however, refused.
> >
> > "The master is testing us," he said. "He wants to see
> > whether we can control our desires."
> >
> > B - A non-evolved disciple thought the "meal" was all
> > about human body, mind, emotion stuff.
> >
> > "You are mistaken," replied Nasrudin. "The best way
> > of dominating a desire, is to satisfy it. I would rather
> > you had the sweets in your bellies â€" their rightful
> > place â€" than in your minds, which should be filled with
> > nobler things."
> >
> > B - Your turn now to appreciate this sweet treat and
> > find many more ways to digest this feast into
> > inner Light and not just chew on it in your chattering mind.
> >
> > Peace and blessings,
> > Bob
> >
>

Try to feel, when walking out of doors, that everything
around you is part of your own expanded awareness.

Behold the leaves trembling on the trees, and try
to feel their movement. Imagine in that movement that
God is expressing His thoughts and inspirations.

Watch the meadow grasses as they wave in the wind.
Imagine the breeze as God's breath blowing over the
world, inspiring all beings and giving them life.

Listen to the birds singing. Feel that God, through
their songs, is trying to reach you with feelings of
divine gladness.

Be aware of the sun's rays on your skin. Think of the
heat you feel from the sun as God's energy. Let it fill
your body with vitality and power. Imagine divine energy,
through the sunlight, strengthening creatures everywhere on earth.

When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering
like the flame of a lamp in a windless place. In the
still mind, in the depths of meditation,
the eternal Self reveals itself.  Beholding the Self
by means of the Self, an aspirant knows the joy and
peace of complete fulfillment.  Having attained that abiding
joy beyond the senses, revealed in the stilled mind,
he never swerves from the central truth.  He desires
nothing else, and cannot be shaken by the heaviest
burden of sorrow.

The practice of meditation frees one from all affliction.
This is the path of yoga. Follow it with determination
and sustained enthusiasm.  Renouncing wholeheartedly
all selfish desires and expectations, use your
will to control the senses.  Little by little, through
patience and repeated effort, the mind will become
stilled in the Self.

Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its
search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train
it to rest in the Self. Abiding joy comes to those who
still the mind.  Freeing themselves from the taint
of self-will, with their consciousness unified, they
become one with God.

Bhagavad Gita 6.10-27
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constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
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"There is almost a sensual longing for communion
with others who have a large vision. The immense
fulfillment of the friendship between those engaged
in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a
quality impossible to describe."

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Some call Him Ishwar, some call Him Allah, some
simply God, but we have to acknowledge that it is
He who made us for greater things: to love and be
loved. What matters is that we love. We cannot love
without prayer, and so whatever religion we are,
we must pray together.

We cannot place ourselves directly in God's presence
without imposing upon ourselves interior and exterior
silence. That is why we must accustom ourselves to
stillness of the soul, of the eyes, of the tongue.

Love is a fruit in season at all times and within the
reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit
is set. Everyone can reach this love through meditation,
the spirit of prayer and sacrifice, by an intense inner life.

Holiness is not a luxury for the few; it is not just for
some people. It is meant for you and for me, for all of us.
It is a simple duty, because if we learn to love, we learn
to be holy.

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April 6, 2012 NY Times
In Defense of Superstition
By MATTHEW HUTSON
SUPERSTITION is typically a pejorative term.
Belief in things like magic and miracles is
thought to be irrational and scientifically
retrograde. But as studies have repeatedly shown,
some level of belief in the supernatural — often
a subtle and unconscious belief — appears to be
unavoidable, even among skeptics. One study
found that a group of seemingly rational Princeton
students nonetheless believed that they had
influenced the Super Bowl just by watching it
on TV. We are all mystics, to a degree.

The good news is that superstitious thought,
or "magical thinking," even as it misrepresents
reality, has its advantages. It offers psychological
benefits that logic and science can't always provide:
namely, a sense of control and a sense of meaning.

Consider one "law of magic" that people tend to
put stock in: the idea that "luck is in your hands,"
that you can affect your fate via superstitious
rituals like knocking on wood or carrying a lucky
charm. We often rely on such rituals when we are
anxious or want to perform well, and though they
may not directly have their intended magical effects,
these rituals produce an illusion of control and
enhance self-confidence, which in turn can improve
our performance and thus indirectly affect our fate.

For instance, in one study led by the psychologist
Lysann Damisch of the University of Cologne, subjects
were handed a golf ball, and half of them were told
that the ball had been lucky so far. Those subjects
with a "lucky" ball drained 35 percent more golf putts
than those with a "regular" ball. In another scenario,
subjects performed better on memory and word games
when armed with a lucky charm. In a more real-world
example of this effect, the anthropologist Richard
Sosis of the University of Connecticut found that in
Israel during the second intifada in the early 2000s,
36 percent of secular women in the town of Tzfat
recited psalms in response to the violence. Compared
with those who did not recite psalms, he found, those
women benefited from reduced anxiety: they felt
more comfortable entering crowds, going shopping and
riding buses — a result, he concluded, of their
increased sense of control.

Another law of magic is "everything happens for a
reason" — there is no such thing as randomness or
happenstance. This is so-called teleological reasoning,
which assumes intentions and goals behind even evidently
purposeless entities like hurricanes. As social creatures,
we may be biologically tuned to seek evidence of
intentionality in the world, so that we can combat
or collaborate with whoever did what's been done. When
lacking a visible author, we end up crediting an invisible
one — God, karma, destiny, whatever.

This illusion, too, turns out to be psychologically
useful. In research led by the psychologist Laura
Kray of the University of California, Berkeley, subjects
reflected on a turning point in their lives. The more
they felt the turning point to have been fated, the more
they believed, "It made me who I am today" and,
"It gave meaning to my life." Belief in destiny helps
render your life a coherent narrative, which infuses
your goals with a greater sense of purpose. This works
even when those turning points are harmful: in a study
led by the psychologist Kenneth Pargament of Bowling
Green State University, students who saw a negative
event as "part of God's plan" showed more growth in
its aftermath. They became more open to new perspectives,
more intimate in their relationships and more persistent
in overcoming challenges.

There are similar laws that govern other popular
superstitions, including the belief that objects
can carry the "essences" of previous owners (which
explains why you might want to own a pen once used by
a favorite writer); the belief that symbolic objects
can summon what they represent (which explains why
you're scared to cut up a photograph of your mother);
and the attribution of consciousness to inanimate
objects (which explains why you yell at the laptop
that deleted your files). In various ways they all
emerge from basic habits of mind, and they all add
structure and meaning to a chaotic and absurd universe.

Which isn't to say magical thinking has no downside.
At its worst, it can lead to obsession, fatalism or
psychosis. But without it, the existential angst of
realizing we're just impermanent clusters of molecules
with no ultimate purpose would overwhelm us.

So to believe in magic — as, on some deep level, we all
do — does not make you stupid, ignorant or crazy. It makes
you human.

Matthew Hutson is the author of the forthcoming book "The 7 Laws of Magical
Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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There are…factors in Freud's concept of psychoanalysis which transcend the
conventional notion of illness and cure.  Those familiar with Eastern thought,
and especially with Zen Buddhism, will notice that the factors which I am going
to mention are not without relation to concepts and thoughts of the Eastern
mind.  The principle to be mentioned here first is Freud's concept that
knowledge leads to transformation, that theory and practice must not be
separated, that in the very act of knowing oneself, one transforms oneself.  It
is hardly necessary to emphasize how different this idea is from the concepts of
scientific psychology in Freud's…time, where knowledge in itself remains
theoretical knowledge, and has not a transforming function in the knower.
	 In still another aspect Freud's method has a close connection with Eastern
thought, and especially with Zen Buddhism.  Freud did not share the high
evaluation of our conscious thought system, so characteristic of modern Western
man.  On the contrary, he believed that our conscious thought was only a small
part of the whole of the psychic process going on in us and, in fact, an
insignificant one in comparison with the tremendous power of those sources
within ourselves which are dark and irrational and at the same time unconscious.
Freud, in his wish to arrive at insight into the real nature of a person wanted
to break through the conscious thought system, by his method of free
association.

--Erich Fromm, "Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism" (1960)

W

Tormented by thirst of the spirit,
I was dragging myself through a gloomy forest,*
When a six-winged seraph†
At the cross-roads appeared to me.
With fingers light as a dream
My eyes he touched,
And my eyes opened wide,
Like those of a frightened she eagle.
My ears he touched,
And roaring and noise filled them;
And I heard the trembling of the heavens;
And the high flight of the angels,
And the movement of the creatures beneath the sea,
And the growing of the grass in the valleys!
And he laid hold of my lips,
And tore out my sinful tongue—
Sinful, frivolous and cunning;
And the sting of a wise serpent,
Between my unconscious lips,
With bloody right hand he planted.
And he cut through my breast with a sword,
And took out the trembling heart,
And a coal blazing and flaming,
Into the open breast he thrust.
Like a corpse I lay in the desert,*
And the voice of God called me:
Rise up, Prophet, and see, and understand!†
Filled full of My Will,
Going forth over sea and land,
Set men's hearts afire with the Word.

* Dante's dark forest in which he was lost.

† Compare Isaiah's vision.

* The dazed condition which is so common following illumination.

† Intellectual illumination.
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(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
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Don't change: Desire to change is the enemy of love.
     Don't change yourselves: Love yourselves as you are.
     Don't change others: Love all others as they are.
     Don't change the world: It is in God's hands and he knows.
     And if you do that, change will occur
     marvelously in its own way and in its own time.
     Yield to the current of life unencumbered by baggage.

Meditation for Healing
A New Video Event With
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya

The rampant materialism of modernity has led to a dysfunctional situation in
which billions are now experiencing deep suffering, psychological trauma, high
levels of anxiety, and spiritual melancholy. So many of us need healing on some
level of our lives. Our society and culture needs healing. Our mother, the Earth
Herself, presently needs to be healed. The only true healing, however, is that
healing that occurs on the deepest of level, on the spiritual level. To foster
true healing, we must access the spiritual. In this powerful video, Sri Dharma
Pravartaka Acharya reveals an ancient Vedic meditation designed to bring about
this spiritual healing we need today. Let the healing begin!

WATCH THIS VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cwtopm0JIM


Please forward to all sincere spiritual seekers.

From an article on Huffington Post by Joseph M. Marshall III
about Lakota Native American Wisdom
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-m-marshall-iii/lakota-wisdom_b_1401336.html\
?ref=religion  4/11/12

Wisdom always takes the path of reason.

A wise person never speaks before immersing
himself or herself in a long and thoughtful moment.

Wisdom is the most effective antidote to fear and
the absence of reason.

The wisest man or woman is also the most humble.

------------------------------------------------------------
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If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

Some people want to see God with their eyes
as they see a cow, and to love Him as they
love their cow - for the milk and cheese and
profit it brings them. This is how it is with
people who love God for the sake of outward
wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly
love God, when they love Him for their own
advantage. Indeed, I tell you the truth, any
object you have in your mind, however good,
will be a barrier between you and the inmost Truth.

Meister Eckhart (1260?-1327?)
--------------------------------------------------------
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(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

This quote is from Karlfried Graf Durckheim (1896-1988)
He was a German Psychiatrist who had been a Nazi envoy
who was found to have a Jewish Grandmother in 1938. He
then moved to Japan and eventually was caught and
imprisoned by the Americans when they occupied Tokyo
after WWII. He spent a year and a half in prison and
after his release hooked up with D. T. Suzuki and Philip
Kapleau. Durckheim is credited as being one of the first
to bring Zen wisdom to America and Euproe. His teachings
had a profound impact on many, and we hope this sample
will be of benefit to you.
-------------------------------------------------------
The man who, being really on the Way, falls upon
hard times in the world will not, as a consequence,
turn to that friend who offers him refuge and
comfort and encourages his old self to survive.
Rather, he will seek out someone who will faithfully
and inexorably help him to risk himself, so that
he may endure the suffering and pass courageously
through it, thus making of it a "raft that leads
to the far shore." Only to the extent that man exposes
himself over and over again to annihilation, can
that which is indestructible arise within him. In this
lies the dignity of daring. Thus, the aim of practice
is not to develop an attitude which allows a man to
acquire a state of harmony and peace wherein nothing
can ever trouble him. On the contrary, practice should
teach him to let himself be assaulted, perturbed,
moved, insulted, broken and battered – that is to
say, it should enable him to dare to let go his futile
hankering after harmony, surcease from pain, and a
comfortable life in order that he may discover, in
doing battle with the forces that oppose him, that
which awaits him beyond the world of opposites. The first
necessity is that we should have the courage to face
life, and to encounter all that is most perilous in
the world. When this is possible, meditation itself
becomes the means by which we accept and welcome the
demons which arise from the unconscious -- a process
very different from the practice of concentration on
some object as a protection against such forces. Only
if we venture repeatedly through zones of annihilation,
can our contact with Divine Being, which is beyond
annihilation, become firm and stable. The more a man
learns whole-heartedly to confront the world that threatens
him with isolation, the more are the depths of the Ground
of Being revealed and the possibilities of new life
and Becoming opened.

--------------------------------------------------------------
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authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that
this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web
constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

Slowly Remove the Temper

"Suppression is the opposite of what we are
trying to achieve through Yoga, because anything
that you try to suppress will gain more strength.
It's something, for example, like holding down
the spring in a jack-in-the-box. If I want to
suppress the spring in a jack-in-the-box, should
I take my hand off it? If I did, it would jump
up even higher. Of course, you might hold down
the spring temporarily and it will look like it's
controlled but, the minute you let go, it pops up.
By analogy, meditation and all the Yoga practices
are aimed at slowly removing the temper of the
spring. That is, the spring stays there because of
tempering. Any steel, when it's tempered, becomes
a nice spring. So when we reduce our temper, we won't
spring out too much. Any steel can be re-tempered
by mild heat. And that is the purpose of tapasya ! (
purification) in Yoga practice.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

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

Dear Friends,

I will present many awareness lectures and other topics of Spiritual Science
during my one-month North America Tour starting on 25th April, 2012. Details can
be found by visiting the following link:

http://lifeuniversityglobal.org/events

PLease forward this message to those who might be interested.

Regards,
Dr. Newton Kondaveti

By Paulo Coelho

Near Tokyo lived a great Samurai warrior, now old,
who decided to teach Zen Buddhism to young people.
In spite of his age, the legend was that he could
defeat any adversary.

One afternoon, a warrior – known for his complete
lack of scruples – arrived there. He was famous for
using techniques of provocation: he waited until his
adversary made the first move and, being gifted with
an enviable intelligence in order to repair any
mistakes made, he counterattacked with fulminating speed.

The young and impatient warrior had never lost a
fight. Hearing of the Samurai's reputation, he had
come to defeat him, and increase his fame.

All the students were against the idea, but the old
man accepted the challenge.

All gathered on the town square, and the young man
started insulting the old master. He threw a few
rocks in his direction, spat in his face, shouted
every insult under the sun – he even insulted his
ancestors. For hours, he did everything to provoke
him, but the old man remained impassive. At the end
of the afternoon, by now feeling exhausted and
humiliated, the impetuous warrior left.

Disappointed by the fact that the master had received
so many insults and provocations, the students asked:

- How could you bear such indignity? Why didn't you
use your sword, even knowing you might lose the fight,
instead of displaying your cowardice in front of us all?

- If someone comes to you with a gift, and you do not
accept it, who does the gift belong to? – asked the Samurai.

- He who tried to deliver it – replied one of his disciples.

- The same goes for envy, anger and insults – said the master.
– When they are not accepted, they continue to belong to
the one who carried them.

What is the master [within you] who at this
very moment is seeing and hearing? If you reply,
as most do, that it is Mind or Nature or Buddha
or one's Face before birth or one's Original
Home or Koan or Being or Nothingness or Emptiness
or Form-and-Color or the Known or the Unknown
or Truth or Delusion, or say something or remain
silent, or regard it as Enlightenment or Ignorance,
you fall into error at once. What is more, if you
are so foolhardy as to doubt the reality of this
master, you bind yourself though you use no rope.
However much you try to know it through logical
reasoning or to name or call it, you are doomed
to failure. And even though all of you becomes one
mass of questioning as you turn inward and intently
search the very core of your being, you will find
nothing that can be termed Mind or Essence. Yet
should someone call your name, something from within
will hear and respond. Find out this instant who it is!

If you push forward with your last ounce of strength
at the very point where the path of your thinking has
been blocked, and then, completely stymied, leap with
hands high in the air into the tremendous abyss of fire
confronting you -- into the ever-burning flame of your
own primordial nature -- all ego-consciousness, all
delusive feelings and thoughts and perceptions will
perish with your ego-root and the true source of your
Self-nature will appear. You will feel resurrected,
all sickness having completely vanished, and will
experience genuine peace and joy.

Happiness and Unhappiness are in the Mind

"Those living in a body that has been disabled
or handicapped for a long time, or permanently,
should know that it's only the body and not the
soul that's disabled. Don't get depressed. You
can travel far and wide and do a lot of service
through the mind itself. Think well. Pray for all.
You don't have to limit yourself within your body
or the place where you are. If you can't get the
condition corrected or healed, don't worry about
that, accept it. Worrying isn't going to help you.
Don't get depressed. Know that happiness and
unhappiness are in the mind, not in the body.
Whatever the body goes through, let it go through,
and don't allow your mind to get depressed. Don't
get confined within your body. A body is a sort of
prison. It limits you, but, mentally, you can rise above it. !

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

MAKE THE CALL:

Hear monthly messages from Sri Swami Satchidananda on the Inspiration Line
(434-WOW-GURU).

"Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself
in the future. The past no longer is, the future
has not yet come. Looking deeply at life as it is,
in the very here and now, the practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom. We must be diligent today,
to wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes
unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it? The sage calls
a person who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night
and day, `One who knows the better way to live alone.'"

The Buddha, from Bhaddekaratta Sutta
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Well-said, Mr. Buddha-man.

- Dan



--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> "Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself
> in the future. The past no longer is, the future
> has not yet come. Looking deeply at life as it is,
> in the very here and now, the practitioner dwells
> in stability and freedom. We must be diligent today,
> to wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes
> unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it? The sage calls
> a person who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night
> and day, `One who knows the better way to live alone.'"
>
> The Buddha, from Bhaddekaratta Sutta
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
> copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically
> authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that
> this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web
> constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
> (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
> If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
> of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
> permission from the copyright owner.
>

No 'God Spot' In Brain, Spirituality Linked
To Right Parietal Lobe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/god-spot-in-brain-is-not-_n_1440518.htm\
l?ref=religion

Scientists have speculated that the human brain
features a "God spot," one distinct area of the
brain responsible for spirituality. Now, University
of Missouri researchers have completed research
that indicates spirituality is a complex phenomenon,
and multiple areas of the brain are responsible for
the many aspects of spiritual experiences.

"We have found a neuropsychological basis for spirituality,
but it's not isolated to one specific area of the brain,"
said Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in
the School of Health Professions. "Spirituality is a
much more dynamic concept that uses many parts of the
brain. Certain parts of the brain play more predominant roles, but they all work
together to facilitate individuals' spiritual experiences."

In the most recent study, Johnstone studied 20 people
with traumatic brain injuries affecting the right parietal
lobe, the area of the brain situated a few inches above
the right ear. He surveyed participants on characteristics of spirituality, such
as how close they felt to a higher
power and if they felt their lives were part of a divine
plan. He found that the participants with more significant
injury to their right parietal lobe showed an increased
feeling of closeness to a higher power.

"Neuropsychology researchers consistently have shown that
impairment on the right side of the brain decreases one's
focus on the self," Johnstone said. "Since our research
shows that people with this impairment are more spiritual,
this suggests spiritual experiences are associated with a
decreased focus on the self. This is consistent with many
religious texts that suggest people should concentrate on
the well-being of others rather than on themselves."

Johnstone says the right side of the brain is associated
with self-orientation, whereas the left side is associated
with how individuals relate to others. Although Johnstone
studied people with brain injury, previous studies of Buddhist meditators and
Franciscan nuns with normal brain function
have shown that people can learn to minimize the functioning
of the right side of their brains to increase their spiritual connections during
meditation and prayer.

Johnstone makes the comparison to other kinds of disciplines;
"It is like playing the piano, the more you train your brain,
the more the brain becomes predisposed to piano playing.
Practice makes perfect."

While researchers have been focused on finding a 'God spot'
in the brain, the new research suggests that it might be
better to focus on the neuropsychological questions of self
focus vs selfless focus. As Prof. Johnstone explains: "when
the brain focuses less on the the self (by decreased activity
in the right lobe) it is by definition a moment of
self-transcendence and can be understood as being connected
to God or Nirvana. It is the sensation of feeling like you
are part of a bigger thing."

The research does not make claims about spiritual truths but demonstrates the
way that the brain allows for different
kinds of spiritual experiences that Christians might name
God, Buddhists it could be Nirvana, and for atheists it might
be the feeling of being connected to the earth.

On the other end of the spectrum, Professor Johnstone admits
that for him it is the music of Led Zeppelin that helps him
transcend himself: "When I put on my headphones and listen
to "Stairway to Heaven" I just get lost."
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"Self-importance is our greatest enemy.
Think about it: what weakens us is feeling
offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our
fellow men. Our self-importance requires
that we spend most of our lives offended by
someone. Without self-importance we are invulnerable."
--------------------------------------------------------
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(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
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of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> "Self-importance is our greatest enemy.
> Think about it: what weakens us is feeling
> offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our
> fellow men. Our self-importance requires
> that we spend most of our lives offended by
> someone. Without self-importance we are invulnerable."

I can only be considered important if there is something or someone else less
important.  My self-importance requires someone else to be less important (and
inevitably, someone else who is more important as well).  So, it's a constant
battle to survive in a way that is noticed, and in which I can comment about
myself (to myself and others).

If there can be high importance, there can be low importance and non-importance.

The human machine is designed to constantly make such differentiations - what is
important, what is not important, etc.  Self-importance arises out of such
cognitive processes.

Distinctions made about what is important and not important are essential for
survival.

However, at the moment of awareness, all is equal.

There is no "more important, less important, no importance."

Thus, clarity as to who one is, has no survival value.

It is not about survival of the organism in a more efficient way.

Nor is it against the survival of the organism.

It simply has no application to survival.

Pure equality as being all - involves nothing to survive.

Thus, if "self" is associated with an organism surviving - pure equality of
being involves no self (or Self) - nor other or Other, for that matter.

Pure equality of being, seeing, knowing, living.

In the moment of seeing, self-importance is a non-issue.

Neither is vulnerability or invulnerability an issue - there is nothing outside
to be vulnerable to, or invulnerable to.

- D -

On 4/25/2012 5:48 PM, dan330033 wrote:
>
> --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com,
medit8ionsociety<no_reply@...>  wrote:
>> "Self-importance is our greatest enemy.
>> Think about it: what weakens us is feeling
>> offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our
>> fellow men. Our self-importance requires
>> that we spend most of our lives offended by
>> someone. Without self-importance we are invulnerable."
> I can only be considered important if there is something or someone else less
important.  My self-importance requires someone else to be less important (and
inevitably, someone else who is more important as well).  So, it's a constant
battle to survive in a way that is noticed, and in which I can comment about
myself (to myself and others).
>
> If there can be high importance, there can be low importance and
non-importance.
>
> The human machine is designed to constantly make such differentiations - what
is important, what is not important, etc.  Self-importance arises out of such
cognitive processes.
>
> Distinctions made about what is important and not important are essential for
survival.
>
> However, at the moment of awareness, all is equal.
>
> There is no "more important, less important, no importance."
>
> Thus, clarity as to who one is, has no survival value.
>
> It is not about survival of the organism in a more efficient way.
>
> Nor is it against the survival of the organism.
>
> It simply has no application to survival.
>
> Pure equality as being all - involves nothing to survive.
>
> Thus, if "self" is associated with an organism surviving - pure equality of
being involves no self (or Self) - nor other or Other, for that matter.
>
> Pure equality of being, seeing, knowing, living.
>
> In the moment of seeing, self-importance is a non-issue.
>
> Neither is vulnerability or invulnerability an issue - there is nothing
outside to be vulnerable to, or invulnerable to.
>
>

Excellent commentary -- much
appreciated, sir!

This is a small part of an amazing interview with
Bernadette Roberts that can be found at:
http://www.spiritualteachers.org/b_roberts_interview.htm
Enjoy!

Paradoxical though it may seem, the passage through
consciousness or self moves contrary to self, rubs
it the wrong way - and in the end, will even rub it
out. Because this passage goes against the grain of
self, it is, therefore, a path of suffering. Both
Christ and Buddha saw the passage as one of suffering,
and basically found identical ways out. What they
discovered and revealed to us was that each of us has
within himself or herself a "stillpoint" - comparable,
perhaps to the eye of a cyclone, a spot or center of
calm, imperturbability, and non-movement. Buddha
articulated this central eye in negative terms as
"emptiness" or "void", a refuge from the swirling
cyclone of endless suffering. Christ articulated the
eye in more positive terms as the "Kingdom of God"
or the "Spirit within", a place of refuge and
salvation from a suffering self.

For both of them, the easy out was first to find
that stillpoint and then, by attaching ourselves to
it, by becoming one with it, to find a stabilizing,
balanced anchor in our lives. After that, the cyclone
is gradually drawn into the eye, and the suffering
self comes to an end. And when there is no longer a
cyclone, there is also no longer an eye. So the storms,
crises, and sufferings of life are a way of finding
the eye. When everything is going our way, we do not
see the eye, and we feel no need to find it. But when
everything is going against us, then we find the eye.
So the avoidance of suffering and the desire to have
everything go our own way runs contrary to the whole
movement of our journey; it is all a wrong view. With
the right view, however, one should be able to come to
the state of oneness in six or seven years - years not
merely of suffering, but years of enlightenment, for
right suffering is the essence of enlightenment. Because
self is everyone's experience underlying all culture.
I do not regard cultural wrong views as an excuse for
not searching out right views. After all, each person's
passage is his or her own; there is no such thing as a
collective passage.
----------------------------------------------------------
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If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
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A new University of British Columbia study finds
that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief,
even in devout believers.

The study, published today in the journal Science,
finds that thinking analytically increases disbelief
among believers and skeptics alike, shedding important
new light on the psychology of religious belief.

"Our goal was to explore the fundamental question of
why people believe in a God to different degrees,"
says lead author Will Gervais, a PhD student in UBC's
Dept. of Psychology. "A combination of complex factors
influence matters of personal spirituality, and these
new findings suggest that the cognitive system related
to analytic thoughts is one factor that can influence disbelief."

Researchers used problem-solving tasks and subtle
experimental priming – including showing participants
Rodin's sculpture The Thinker or asking participants
to complete questionnaires in hard-to-read fonts – to
successfully produce "analytic" thinking. The researchers,
who assessed participants' belief levels using a variety
of self-reported measures, found that religious belief
decreased when participants engaged in analytic tasks,
compared to participants who engaged in tasks that did not
involve analytic thinking.

The findings, Gervais says, are based on a longstanding
human psychology model of two distinct, but related cognitive
systems to process information: an "intuitive" system that
relies on mental shortcuts to yield fast and efficient
responses, and a more "analytic" system that yields more
deliberate, reasoned responses.

"Our study builds on previous research that links religious
beliefs to 'intuitive' thinking," says study co-author and
Associate Prof. Ara Norenzayan, UBC Dept. of Psychology.
"Our findings suggest that activating the 'analytic' cognitive
system in the brain can undermine the 'intuitive' support
for religious belief, at least temporarily."

The study involved more than 650 participants in the U.S.
and Canada. Gervais says future studies will explore whether
the increase in religious disbelief is temporary or long-lasting,
and how the findings apply to non-Western cultures.

Recent figures suggest that the majority of the world's
population believes in a God, however atheists and agnostics
number in the hundreds of millions, says Norenzayan, a
co-director of UBC's Centre for Human Evolution, Cognition
and Culture. Religious convictions are shaped by psychological
and cultural factors and fluctuate across time and situations,
he says.

Provided by University of British Columbia

From: http://medicalxpress.com
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From ur web site, Meditation Station
http://www.meditationsociety.com/twotypes.html

Tibetan Buddhism speaks of two different types of
meditation. One is Stabilizing and could be characterized
by a type of "mindless" repetition of a word or phrase
(mantra/japa) or by simply doing an action over and over
like yantra (the continual gazing at an object,
ie: a picture or statue of a deity, the symbol for OM,
a flame, etc.). The other type of meditation is Analytical.
In this form, the practitioner doesn't simply repeat a
word over and over or look at a picture repeatedly.
The meditator would try to understand everything they
know or everything that can be known about the object
of their attention.

As an example of the difference between a stabilizing
and an analytical meditation, let's use the word peace.
You could repeat peace, peace, peace, ad infinitum and
eventually go deeper and deeper into a state of quietude
that could be described as Peace. This is very nice but
perhaps might not be fulfilling relative to an increase in understanding about
peace. This is where analytical meditation
might bring a benefit.

The meditator who is trained in analytical methodology
might also start by repeating the word peace, but once
firmly concentrated on it would then proceed to analyzing
everything they knew about peace. They might think about
the things that bring them peace like swimming, or eating,
or maybe holding a baby. They may also think about the
things that make them lose their peace like their boss, or unfulfilled desires,
or driving in heavy traffic.

In theory, eventually, if they kept at it, they would
connect everything in the universe, because everything
is in some way connected with peace (Einstein's' theory
of relativity - all things are relative to everything else).
But what actually happens is that the object of your
meditation starts to present itself to you and you can
sit back in your minds-eye and simply witness your Higher
Mind reveal every aspect of peace to you.

Your inner Witness, who is your Real Self, is always
receiving, knowing, and at one with everything and once
we remove the false concept that we are different (a body,
a mind, an emotion, even a separate soul) from it, we will
know and be at one with everything. Our consciousness
awakens to its real natural of infinite, eternal Peace, Love, Knowledge, and
Bliss, and we live happily ever after.
This is the state known as Contemplation.

So, to summarize, you start by Concentrating, then Meditate
by the analytical method, and then this segues into
Contemplation. It is then when all the ???'s turn into !!!.
The Tibetans Buddhists consider analytical meditation
techniques to be superior to the stabilizing. For you,
now, it may be possible that this may bring about the
result you seek.