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Prayer, Meditation, And Contemplation
May 28, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
Mysticism is a wide spectrum, involving many different facets and outlets for the experiencing of the Ultimate. The most common and prevalent in Western culture are the practices of prayer, meditation, and contemplation. By examining Kenneth Leech`s ideas on prayer as a window to our true nature, Kierkegaard`s idea that God is the criterion in each person`s process of becoming, and Thomas Merton`s ideas on contemplation as the prerequisite for positive action, this paper will claim that mystical experiences such as prayer, meditation, and contemplation are essential practices for those seeking spiritual completeness and progressive action, even for contemporary college students who feel they have no time for such practices.
Before an understanding can exist of the significance of prayer, one must first understand what prayer is. Leech writes that To know God is to know one`s own true Self, the ground of one`s being. So prayer is an intensely human experience in which our eyes are opened and we begin to see more clearly our own true nature. Prayer, then, starts with the Self. One must look within him or herself and have a genuine desire to commune with the Ultimate before that person can engage in a true prayer. God resides in each person uniquely; so to open up a communication with Him is to look within oneself and understand the subject`s true nature which has been constructed by God. This true nature is the essence of the subject aside from temptation and weakness. It is the ideal that resides in each person, and this ideal, as Kierkegaard says, is God.
Read the complete article here
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Go See Amma – 6 Reasons Why
May 26, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
On Thursday Amma begins her annual US summer tour. If you’ve never been to see her and wonder whether you should here are six reasons why.
1: There are spiritual teachers who have knowledge, there are spiritual teachers who have wisdom and there are spiritual teachers who have shakti, there are spiritual teachers who are enlightened. From personal experience I can tell you that Amma it’s something beyond all of these.
When we have the idea that enlightenment is some kind of completion it is very difficult for us to comprehend anything beyond it. I am convinced by my own experience that enlightenment is the beginning of a whole new experience in consciousness evolving. As such I do not believe it its possible comprehend just what or who Amma is, and i don’t advise trying.
2: Amma Has been a touring the world and hugging people for decades now, she has made the analogy that a life of service is like an incense stick burning to ash to offer its fragrance of the world. My point is that it won’t last forever, so if you’ve never been make sure you do while you still can.
3: The analogy I will offer Re: number one and two is this. if Jesus or Buddha were alive and you could go and just be with them, even for a day – wouldn’t you go? And if Jesus or Buddha don’t inspire you just replace them with whatever spiritual figure does. Well, would you go?
4: If you are sincere about your desire to spiritually evolve, then Amma can help you, all you have to lose is your pride.
5: After spending years with her in India and other parts of the world, it seems to me that Amma cam to Earth on a mission – it’s us – humanity. We can be as positive as we like (and I’m not saying not to be) but we are walking a tightrope through a pivotal time in earth’s history and we may not make it. At it’s core the outcome will be decided by our level of consciousness. (Read more of my thought on this here)
The point is, we are all in this together, we are forging our collective future in every moment, and as I see it, if we are conscious of this we can best serve by doing everything we can to raise our own consciousness.
6: It’s free. All public programs are completely free, all you have to do is show up, and if you want a hug be willing to wait. If you go and want a hug, go early. Whatever you do, stay as long as you can as close as you can and be as receptive as you can – to the energy of Amma’s consciousness. This is especially true when you go for darshan (hugging).
| Seattle | 05.28-05.31 | |
| San Ramon | 06.03-06.13 | |
| Los Angeles | 06.15-06.19 | |
| Albuquerque | 06.21-06.25 | |
| Dallas | 06.27-06.28 | |
| Iowa | 06.30-07.01 | |
| Chicago | 07.03-07.04 | |
| New York | 07.07-07.09 | |
| Washington DC | 07.12-07.13 | |
| Boston | 07.15-07.18 | |
| Toronto | 07.21-07.24 |
Visit the US Amma website for details of public programs and retreats – Go and Enjoy!
If you aren’t in the US check the main site for other Amma world tours.
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreRam Dass – Still Hip
May 23, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
Many times over the years I meet someone, usually in the baby boomer generation who tells me that Ram Dass was their first introduction to Eastern spiritual ideas. Now, nearly 40 years after the landmark publication of his book ‘Be Here Now’ he is still going strong.
For those of us who have grown up in later generations it is hard to imagine a world where the richness and diversity of spiritual knowledge from the great land of India are not readily available. Maybe because of that it is harder for us to appreciate just what a trail blazer Ram Dass was on his return from India in 1969, inspired by the teaching of his Guru Neem Karoli Baba and Baba Hari Dass.
Admittedly, he was slowed down over the last decade by a stroke in 1997. That life change became a deepening of Ram Dass’s spiritual journey and not a hindrance to it.
Hidden deep within all of us is a primordial fear of death. Despite his many years of work with the dying through the ‘Dying Project’, his stroke brought Ram Dass to direct experience of his own mortality.
Of that debilitating event Ram Dass later said, "I had been superficial and arrogant and the stroke helped me to be humble. I had gotten power from helping people and now I need help for everything. That was the grace. The stroke happened to the ego, and when I could witness the pain, my life got better."
Now 79 and with a new hip replacement Ram Dass is still teaching on retreats and giving satsangs. Recently some of these activities are being made available to those outside Hawaii through the internet as Ram Dass continues to inspire new generations of spiritual seekers.
This Sunday May 24th, renowned spiritual teacher will give satsang with guest speakers Lei Ohu Ryder and Lama Gyaltsen at The Studio Maui.
Find out what else Ram Dass is up to in the near future and how to sign up for online satsang at http://www.ramdass.org
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
Karma And Relationships
May 22, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 3 Comments
In relationship, more accurately with intimate/committed relationship there is karmic compatibility. This means that both people have the same unresolved/unhealed/incomplete energy (not in every way of course – but in significant areas).It’s that pesky Law of Attraction again.
This ‘karmic’ energy usually manifests as a polarity, one person holds one end of the spectrum and the other person the opposite. In manifest behaviour/characteristics, it then looks very different – opposite in fact. The relationship then dances around the ‘appearance’ of this duality as the two people seek resolution within themselves.
When one steps out of this dance and chooses to find healing within themselves and without the drama of the
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more5 Months On Silent Retreat
May 19, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 1 Comment
Jay Michaelson has been a law professor, magazine editor, and the director of national nonprofit organization. A student Yale Law School, founder of a successful dot-com software company, and author of three books. Last year, he decided to spend five months on silent meditation retreat, mostly in Nepal……..
"What, my friends have asked (at least the ones who didn’t think I’d lost my mind), is it like to spend five months without talking, writing, or even updating my facebook status? Short answer: not what you’d expect, but more powerful.
First of all, not talking is the easy part. You don’t go crazy, and you don’t forget how to speak. (The silence was never absolute, either; I had a ten-minute interview with my teacher every day.) There’s just not that much to say anyway, when all you’re doing is sitting and walking, and noticing the moment-to-moment sensations of whatever is going on. Eventually, the silence becomes second nature — even for someone like me.
Much harder than not talking, though, is not thinking. In the form of Buddhist meditation I practiced, vipassana, or "insight," meditation, the objective is neither to indulge thought nor to suppress it, but simply to let it be, along with everything else. Thoughts arise, thoughts pass, and the job of the meditator is just to notice them and move on. In this way, it’s possible to gradually unlearn the habitual tendency to grab onto pleasant perceptions, thoughts, and feelings and push away bad ones. The Buddha, my teachers, and I have found that some measure of liberation eventually results.
Easier said than done, of course. In practice, it’s just about impossible to stop thinking. This, itself, is an important lesson: that the mind is not under our control. Nor does it naturally stay on lofty topics like the meaning of life, the universe and everything. I often daydreamed of utterly meaningless drivel — I must’ve rehashed the plots of the Star Wars saga a hundred times over the five months of retreat, for reasons which still escape me. (I think it had something to do with meditation training being a lot like Jedi training, but who knows.) All this without any intention from me.
It’s at this point in the story that most of my friends usually roll their eyes and say that the whole thing sounds crazy. However, having emerged from five months of silence, I can safely say that it was among the sanest things I’ve ever done. Not the easiest, to be sure, but infinitely more balanced, awake, and instructive than the chatter-filled world I live in most of the time.
Eventually, you see, the noise really did subside, and the mind started to relax. This is the trick: that in meditation, every goal is achieved by giving up on it. The more force one applies, the more resistance arises in response. On the other hand, the more letting-go, the more letting-be — the more peacefulness, clarity, and awareness.
Once again, this is easier said than done, because for several billion years, we’ve evolved the basic instinct to hold onto the pleasant and push away the unpleasant. If we didn’t do this, we wouldn’t eat, run away from predators, fight when necessary, or reproduce. Natural selection does not favor Buddhism. So while "letting go" may sound pleasant and relaxing, it runs against aeons of biological conditioning."
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out morePattabhi Jois Dies Today At 93
May 18, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
From those I know who have, losing your guru is harder than losing a parent, for many around the world Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois was Guruji, and my heart goes out to them today.
While the cause of death has not been made public Pattabhi Jois’s health had been declining for the past few years, with several spells of hositalization.He passed away at his home after another spell of illness.
The word is that his grandson and student Sharath Rangaswamy is likely to take over as head of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India (known today as the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute).
Pattabhi Jois, was along with B.K.S Iyengar and T.K.V Desikachar a living legend in the world of yoga. All three were students of the man considered to be the father of yoga as we know it today Krishnamacharya.
His passing is like the begining of the passing of an age. In that age yoga has become synonymous with asana practice and is today practiced by tens of millions of people worldwide.
On the question of the true goal of yoga Pattabhi Jois Said " The essence of yoga is to reach oneness with God. Ego must be understood, contemplated, and released, if you only try to boost the ego, you will miss the greatest fruits of yoga."
Here in his own words is a small snapshot of the wealth of knowledge and experience from a lifetime dedicated to practicing and teaching yoga, that this wonderful man held.
The world is a poorer place from his passing and a richer place for his living. I hope you will join me in offering respectful pranams at the feet of Sri Pattabhi Jois. May his life serve as an inspiration for the age of universal yoga he helped birth.
Please also visit YogaDork who has put together links to other bloggers responces to the passing of Sri Pattabhi Jois
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreMay Is Meditation Month
May 17, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 1 Comment
I just read somewhere that May is meditation month – who knew? I have no idea who decided or why, but why not. So to celebrate I thought I’d post the top ten most popular articles on meditation on LifeDivine. Leave a comment to let me know which is your favourite, and if there is a meditation issue you’d like me to write on?
1: Benefits Of Meditation – Physical Health
2: 20 Meditation Tips For Beginners
5: Meditation Benefits – Psychological
6: Meditation Fun & Fantastic Facts
8: Overcoming Objections To Meditation
9: Meditation Is Training For Life
10: Meditation – As Good As Sleep?
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
Meditation Of A Spiritual Warrior
May 16, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
This is a wonderful 14th Century Samurai Warrior meditation. The author is unknown, but it is a timeless jewel of wisdom that can inspire you to discover the Spiritual Warrior inside of you.
I have no parents:
I make the heaven and earth my parents.
I have no home:
I make awareness my home.
I have no life and death:
I make the tides of breathing my life and death.
I have no divine powers:
I make honesty my divine power.
I have no means:
I make understanding my means.
I have no secrets:
I make character my secret.
I have no body:
I make endurance my body.
I have no strategy:
I make "unshadowed by thought" my strategy.
I have no design:
I make "seizing opportunity by the forelock" my design.
I have no miracles:
I make right action my miracle.
I have no principles:
I make adaptability to all circumstances my principle.
I have no tactics:
I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talent:
I make ready wit my talent.
I have no friends:
I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy:
I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armor:
I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.
I have no castle:
I make immovable mind my castle.
I have no sword:
I make absence of self my sword.
The idea of the spiritual warrior is one much prone to misunderstanding, especially for those who like shaolin monk kung fu movies!It is though a principle that I feel quite strongly, because my own experience of spiritual evolution is that it takes a great deal of courage.
When we choose meditation, not as a form of stress management, emotional management manifesting technique, or any one of the numerous other applications that use the term these days, but as a means to sit with the darkness, fear and rage within in us, it takes a warriors courage to keep returning to that place and meditate as a means of transforming these illusions of separation.
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
Meditate For A Bigger Brain
May 12, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
A group of researchers at UCLA using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate have found that meditation builds a bigger brain. In a study published in the journal NeuroImage and currently available online (by subscription), the researchers show that certain areas in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a similar control group.
Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger size oat the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus — all regions known for regulating emotions.
"We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior," said Eileen Luders, lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. "The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities."
Research has confirmed the benefits of meditation. As well as having better focus and control over their emotions, many who meditate regularly have distinctly lower levels of stress and stronger immune systems. Research on the link between meditation and brain structure is a newer field of discovery.
The study consisted of 44 people — 22 control subjects and 22 who had practiced various forms of meditation, including Zazen, Samatha and Vipassana, among others. The amount of time they had practiced ranged from five to 46 years, with an average of 24 years.
Over fifty percent of the meditators said that deep concentration was an integral part of their practice, and most meditated between 10 and 90 minutes every day.
Two different approaches were used to measure differences in brain structure. One automatically divides the brain into several regions of interest, allowing researchers to compare the size of certain brain structures. The other divides the brain into different tissue types, allowing researchers to compare the amount of actual tissue within specific regions of the brain.
They found significantly larger cerebral measurements in meditators compared with controls. There were no regions where controls had significantly larger volumes or more gray matter than meditators.
Because these areas of the brain are closely linked to emotion, a researcher said, "these might be the neuronal underpinnings that give meditators’ the outstanding ability to regulate their emotions and allow for well-adjusted responses to whatever life throws their way."
What’s not known, she said, and will require further study, are what the specific correlates are on a microscopic level — that is, whether it’s an increased number of neurons, the larger size of the neurons or a particular "wiring" pattern meditators may develop that other people don’t.
Because this was not a longitudinal study — which would have tracked meditators from the time they began meditating onward — it’s possible that the meditators already had more regional gray matter and volume in specific areas; that may have attracted them to meditation in the first place, Luders said.
However, she also noted that numerous previous studies have pointed to the brain’s remarkable plasticity and how environmental enrichment has been shown to change brain structure.
Adapted from material on http://www.ucla.edu/
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
8 Ways To Overcome Jealousy And Envy
May 11, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
I know that the fastest way to despair is by comparing one’s insides with another’s outsides, and that Max Ehrmann, the author of the classic poem "Desiderata," was absolutely correct when he said that if you compare yourself with others you become either vain or bitter, or, as Helen Keller put it: "Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow men. It then appears that we are among the privileged."
But Helen and Max don’t keep me from going to the land of comparisons and envy. Before long, I’m salivating over someone else’s book contract, or blog traffic numbers, or Today Show appearance. Then I have to pull out my set of directions–these 8 techniques–that will lead me out of the continent of jealousy and home, to self-acceptance:
1. Get more information.
Most of the time we envy one quality about a person, and we presume the rest of her qualities are as perfect as the one we want. That’s usually not the case. Think Rain Man. Boy did he know how to count those straws and play poker. But his social skills needed some fine-tuning, yes? Do some research on the person you want to temporarily destroy and you will find that she has her own set of problems and weaknesses. Moreover, if you consider her success in context, you’ll see that she hasn’t always been a superstar–that maybe, just maybe, back when you got a blue ribbon for the fastest freestyle swimmer in the 7 to 8 age group, she was afraid to dive in the pool or couldn’t figure out how to swim without getting water up her nose. My point: you don’t have the full story. Once you do, you’ll feel better. I think.
2. Compliment her.
"WHAT?!? You can’t be serious," you’re thinking to yourself. Actually I am. I have tried it numerous times and it works. Last year I came across a blogger I envied. She had two degrees from Yale. (I scored 1,000 on my SATs). Her books were bestsellers. (I had just received a royalty statement that said more copies of my book were returned than sold.) Her Technorati score (blog traffic) was, well, much better than mine.
So…. I did something very counterintuitive. I e-mailed her to tell her how impressed I was with her, and I would very much like to interview her on Beyond Blue. When I started reading through her blogs, I found this great story about her feelings of insecurity regarding a fellow writer whom she felt somewhat threatened by because he was writing on the same topics as she was. What did she do about it? She contacted him and took him out to lunch.
I couldn’t believe that she had moments of insecurity too! I mean, she’s got two Yale degrees! Nowhere in her bio did it mention insecurity. But by complimenting her, and connecting with her, and dare I say befriending her, I learned that she is just like me–with some outstanding strengths but some fears and reservations and insecurities, as well.
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
