05/02/2010 11:47 (GMT+7)
Sit comfortably
erect, without leaning forward or backward, left or right. Close your eyes
and think thoughts of good will. Thoughts of good will go first to yourself,
because if you can't think good will for yourself -- if you can't feel a
sincere desire for your own happiness -- there's no way you can truly wish
for the happiness of others. So just tell yourself, "May I find true
happiness" |
05/02/2010 11:47 (GMT+7)
Venerable Sujiva is a Buddhist Theravada monk who has devoted his life to
the meditational aspects of the Buddha's teachings. He donned the robes shortly
after his university graduation in 1975. During his monastic training he
practised under several meditation masters, including the Venerable Sayadaw U
Pandita. Since residing in Santisukharama (Johor, Malaysia)
in the early 1980s he has conducted numerous Vipassana retreats. |
05/02/2010 12:01 (GMT+7)
When you read books
about meditation, or often when meditation is is presented by different groups,
much of the emphasis falls on the techniques. In the West, people tend to be
very interested in the "technology" of meditation. However, by far
the most important feature of meditation is not technique, but the way of
being, the spirit, which is called the "posture", a posture which is
not so much physical, but more to do with spirit or attitude. |
05/02/2010 14:15 (GMT+7)
To calm the mind means to find the right balance. If you try to force your
mind too much it goes too far; if you don't try enough it doesn't get there, it
misses the point of balance. For most of us the mind is never at peace, it
never have the solid enery of calmness. |
05/02/2010 14:53 (GMT+7)
For the beginning meditator I believe it would be helpful to establish an
order in the various steps taken in meditation. First, then, it would be wise
to establish a place of quiet to which one may retire daily and not be
interrupted in his endeavors. Then wash carefully face, hands and feet. Better
yet, if time permits, take a cleansing shower and put on loose, comfortable
clothes. It is wise to meditate at the same time daily to establish a habit. |
05/02/2010 14:57 (GMT+7)
It is a truism to say that nobody likes suffering and everybody seeks
happiness. In this world of ours, human beings are making all possible efforts
for prevention and alleviation of suffering and enjoyment of happiness.
Nevertheless, their efforts are mainly directed to the physical well-being by
material means. Happiness is, after all, conditioned by attitudes of mind, and
yet only a few persons give real thought to mental development; fewer still
practice mind-training in earnest. |
11/03/2010 11:32 (GMT+7)
A great
deal has been written by medical doctors on the functioning of the
brain/ and
by mediators on the effects of meditation on the human personality.
Medical
researchers/ who have attempted to bridge this gap through scientific
studies
on the efficacy of meditation in bringing about physiological and mental
changes in the human personality |
11/03/2010 11:31 (GMT+7)
Crimes
are acts that are forbidden and punished by law; these acts may threaten
the
well- being of the society, or injure any of its members. People are
most
likely to commit a criminal act between the age of fifteen and twenty
five
years. Imprisonment is a method of dealing with people who commit crimes
by
confining them to a fortified boundary with certain strict rules for all
- that is, the prison. |
25/03/2010 01:21 (GMT+7)
You've
heard of Zen. You may have had moments of Zen. But what the bleep is
Zen? The popular idea of Zen is that it's, like, Japanese Dada,
with kung fu monks. I regret that the popular idea is a tad
romanticized. |
25/03/2010 09:00 (GMT+7)
Throughout history, there have been
numerous traditions of meditation and all of them are, in one-way or
another, attractive to people of differing dispositions. Yoga,
Kundalini, Transcendental Meditation, Sufi, Zen, Samatha, Vipassana, and
Satipatthana are some examples. |
31/03/2010 09:16 (GMT+7)
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. |
22/04/2010 03:11 (GMT+7)
Many articles and books on Buddhism have been published in recent years, but publications dealing with Buddhist educational views are rarely available. In this paper, I wish to expound on Zen Buddhist perspectives on modern education. In the first section, I shall discuss how Buddhist monasteries in India and China functioned as learning centers |
26/04/2010 03:53 (GMT+7)
Seekers
of goodness who have gathered here please listen in peace.
Listening to the Dhamma in
peace means to listen with a one-pointed mind, paying attention to
what you hear and then
letting go. Listening to the Dhamma is of great benefit. While
listening to the Dhamma we
are encouraged to firmly establish both body and mind in samadhi, because it is one
kind of dhamma practice. |
26/04/2010 03:53 (GMT+7)
Vipassana
Meditation-a scientific technique to control and purify the mind
through self
observation-can thus be of great help in criminal reform. This is
one of the crying needs
of modern times, with its widespread crime and violence. |
26/04/2010 03:52 (GMT+7)
In the world
today, there is much
confusion, ignorance and controversy about psychiatry, meditation
and the relationship
between the two. Health professionals and mental health
professionals are not even clear
about the scope of their own field of expertise. Neither do they
have a clear
understanding of exactly what meditation is. It is little wonder,
then, that the common
man is puzzled. |
26/04/2010 03:52 (GMT+7)
Buddhist meditation is a means to
mental development. It deals particularly with the
training of the mind, which is the most important composite of the
entire human entity.
Because mind is the forerunner and prime source of all actions,
physical, verbal, or
mental, it needs to be properly cultivated and developed. |
26/04/2010 03:51 (GMT+7)
I began my meditation
practice with mindfulness
of breathing (anapana-sati) and cultivation of loving-kindness (metta-bhavana),
two
techniques widely practised by Theravada Buddhists in Sri Lanka,
Thailand,
and Burma. |
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